Peplums, Flounces, Godet
Peplums, flounces and godets add flare to one part of a garment while the rest stays fitted. Most of them start with the slash and spread you met in Fullness Types.
| Detail | What It Is | Where the Flare Comes From |
|---|---|---|
| Peplum | A short skirt attached at the waist of a bodice or jacket | Slashing and spreading, or cutting a circle |
| Circular Flounce | A rippling, cascading piece sewn to an edge | Slashing and spreading, or a circle |
| Gathered Ruffle | A straight strip gathered along one edge | Extra length in the strip |
| Godet | A wedge set into a seam or slit | A triangle or part of a circle |
Peplums
A peplum is a short skirt sewn onto a bodice or jacket at the waist. It flares over the hips without gathering at the waist. It can ripple all the way around, or only at the front or back. It flatters most when it fits smoothly at the front and keeps the flare toward the back, between the side seam and center back.
To draft one, slash from the lower edge up to the waist seam and spread the slashes where you want ripples. Direct every slash to the waist seam, and nowhere else. The more you spread, the more the waist seam curves, so check it against the bodice before you cut.
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Flounces and Ruffles
A circular flounce is a cascading piece with ripples. You draft it like a circle skirt, with different proportions, and then slash and spread for more ripples.
- Placing the Slashes: Cut them where you want a fold to fall, from the lower edge up to the seam where the flounce attaches.
- Clipping: Clip the seam where each fold starts, so the ripples fall neatly.
- Seams: If the flounce is too long for the cloth, plan the seams on the grain, and hide them under a fold, not on top of one.
- Yardage: A circular flounce takes a lot of fabric.
A gathered ruffle is a straight strip with extra length. The more fullness you want, the longer the strip:
| Ruffle | Strip Length |
|---|---|
| Minimum fullness | About 2 times the seam length |
| Very full | About 3 times the seam length |
| Lightweight knit | Up to 3 times the seam length |
A wide ruffle needs more fullness than a narrow one, or it looks skimpy. So does a sheer fabric. An inside corner needs less fullness than the rest of the ruffle, and an outside corner needs more.
Before you attach a ruffle to a curve, staystitch the seamline so the weight of the ruffle does not stretch it out of shape.
Godets
A godet is a wedge of fabric set into a seam or a slit. It adds flare and movement at a hem while the upper part of the garment stays snug. Godets can go on skirts, sleeves, jackets, blouses and dresses. You can use one, or a series, and they can reach the hem evenly or vary in length.
Think of a godet as a slice of a circle whose radius is its depth. If it is a true quarter circle, both edges fall on the straight grain. If it is more or less than a quarter circle, put its center on the straight grain so the two sides are equally on the bias.
A godet sewn into a seam is much simpler than one sewn into a slash. A slash leaves very little room to stitch at the point. Hem a godet with a narrow hem, not the wide hem of the rest of the skirt.