Tulle Time - Part Deux

At the end of the last post for this dress, I was just starting to make the skirt lining.  Lia wanted a very full skirt and some colorful tulle that would peek out.

So after a lot of stitching, I had about 8 rows of various colors of tulle gathered onto the skirt lining.  I didn't take a photo, but for the top row nearest the waist,  I used net instead of tulle as it is much stiffer and gives the skirt that ballet tutu quality she was looking for.

To keep the hem crisp and stand out I used horsehair braid, which is such a funny name for this product.  I picture something from past centuries and I am sure it was originally made from horsehair.  Now it is entirely plastic, and probably a lot longer lasting.  But the package still says horsehair braid.  It is a really useful hem for a lot of different fabrics.

I created the hem fold, pressed it, and then machine sewed the horsehair braid onto the inside of the hem fold, so the stitching would not show.  On past occasions I have hand sewn this in, but I didn't see any reason for that, especially on a busy print where the maching stitches on the inside of the hem would not show. 

Here is a photo of the braid, this is not
the dress but a sample of the method used.
The braid is pliable but just springy enough to give a nice hem. If I were using a really delicate fabric like a satin or silk I would probably interline the hem to keep the braid from showing on the right side.

Here is the dress all finished.

and back.

It was a great project, and I love this fabric, wish I had more.

Today's SunnyGal garden photo, Pink Jasmine in bloom.