Petticoats

Hi everyone,
I like to wear skirts, but as noted in another thread recently, i tend to slop around at home and work in jeans and fleeces. One reason for this is that I feel the cold around my legs. When I do wear skirts, I wear petticoats, but as you know they are made out of slippery satin sheer stuff with no warmth at all. (In winter I do have knee high boots which I drag out occasionally too). Is there any reason why I can't make lightweight but warm petticoats out of some sort of cosy fabric, that isn't too bulky and will still sit smooth? or is that why the petticoats are all made out of that slippery stuff, to make them look invisible?

If you layer a silky petticoat between the skirt and a warm petticoat, it won't bunch and the two can move freely. This is the same reason jackets are often lined with satin: to allow unrestricted movement.

This is the reason that women wore multiple petticoats. Cotton is warmer than the synthetics. But wool petticoats were common until about 40 years ago. I doubt that you'd be able to buy cotton or wool petticoats now though - you'd have to make them.

I have lined one of the dresses I made recently with material that is satin like on one side and flannel like on the other. Satin side next to me, so that it slides, flannel next to the material so it sits and doesn't blow up!

Where are you? You need to go to a large material shop and look around at the material available and find something that would work. Do some experimenting. If you make mistakes or its a hideous colour, it won't matter if its under your skirt.

Remember that our grandmothers (or mothers) wore long, woolen or lisle stockings that tucked into the bottoms of their (large, voluminous and really warm) knickers. Or you could make yourself some bloomers to reach below the knee[].

i would have said... nab yourself some leggings..3/4 length or to the knee.. when i was kid we called these witches britches.. wear them under your petticoat ( goodness...can you even still get them? )

Opaque tights are good and if you can still get witches britches, even better. I remember these too and I think they were 'born' as skirts got shorter. I had mine for many years as I always wore them over ordinary knickers and would love some more. Also there are very fine knit fabrics now - even merino - available at fabric shops so any of those should work as a lining.

Merino leggings are my favorite. I have a couple of pairs of jeans that I only wear in winter because they are a size too big so I can wear my leggings underneath on the cold days

Anne;376167 wrote:

Where are you? You need to go to a large material shop and look around at the material available and find something that would work. Do some experimenting. If you make mistakes or its a hideous colour, it won't matter if its under your skirt.

Remember that our grandmothers (or mothers) wore long, woolen or lisle stockings that tucked into the bottoms of their (large, voluminous and really warm) knickers. Or you could make yourself some bloomers to reach below the knee[].

Hi Anne, just north of Chch. so have access to a couple of good local fabric shops. I'm surprised that my inquiry struck a chord! I do have opaque tights I wear with my boots, but I like the idea of the merino ones too! Xartep, where did you get those?

Yes ladies, leggings have made a come back, they are even trendy now, in various forms!!

I might pop down to the shop then, though I have been deliberately avoiding the fabric shops so that I don't get distracted by new things, and can't complete my existing UFO's.

Thanks everyone!

Of interest, has anyone tried to order fabric on line and if so from where and would you recommend them? I smock lots of dresses for my daughter (and friends daughters) but am tired of the fabrics at Spotlight (which appears to have the best selection of fabric in Palmerston North) i am looking for some other options.
Would love to sew some more clothes for me, but have not yet found any fabric that inspires me enough.

Regarding leggings, Kathmandu or Macpac are always worth a go, I have a couple of pairs that I have shortened to just above the knee, expressly for winter warmth under a skirt. Works a treat.

I got my leggings from the company that used to make merinos for Glassons, the factory was in Greytown, and shut down a few years ago.

I also have a couple of pairs of wool stockings that I bought 15 odd years ago, I don't wear them often but every time I dig them out of the drawers I am pleased that I have kept them.[] It means that I can put a tidy skirt on and my boots and not freeze my butt and toes off in winter.

Macpac currently have merino leggings on sale for $60 a pair.