Making a Mermaid skirt...

Zorba

Zorba

"The Veiled Male"
What is scary, is that I actually understood both Suzanne's and Tourbeau's posts! Sounds like an easy way to make one, actually. I think I'd be tempted to alternate the grain on the godets to save on fabric, but of course "it depends".

However, somebody please answer this stupid question: What is the difference between a godet and a gore? They're both triangles...
 
Shanazel

Shanazel

Moderator
Zorba said:
What is scary, is that I actually understood both Suzanne's and Tourbeau's posts! Sounds like an easy way to make one, actually. I think I'd be tempted to alternate the grain on the godets to save on fabric, but of course "it depends".

However, somebody please answer this stupid question: What is the difference between a godet and a gore? They're both triangles...
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A gore is a full length skirt panel. A godet is an insert.

I had to resist saying gore is what you get in horror movies and godet is what you wait for. Oh, look. I gave in after all. :eek:
 
Zorba

Zorba

"The Veiled Male"
One of my dance sisters showed me how to "kamikaze" a dance skirt together. She basically made a gore skirt, then slit each gore halfway up, and inserted another gore (godet?) into it - THEN slit *that* one halfway up, and put in yet another gore/godet. Added a flounce and trim and called it good. The result must have weighed 30 pounds, and it moved and twirled like a dream!

Speaking of flounces, I'd be tempted to put one onto a mermaid - but then there's very few skirts that I've seen that I didn't think could be improved that way. Thoughts?
 
T

Tourbeau

Active member
Zorba said:
Speaking of flounces, I'd be tempted to put one onto a mermaid - but then there's very few skirts that I've seen that I didn't think could be improved that way. Thoughts?
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I'm not sure what you're thinking, since there are multiple possibilities. A big ruffle around the bottom that puffs out, reminiscent of the silhouette of those 50's cocktail dresses that were hobble skirts from the knee up and tulle from the knee down? A short ruffle on top of the hem like a trim? Little, vertically sewn circular ruffles coming down the godet seams? Covering the whole fishtail in calypso ruffles? Are we talking stable fluff or drapey embellishment to add movement?

I can imagine different scenarios working for different fabrics, but not every possibility working equally well. I think you've got a lot of leeway as long as you don't clash styles too much, like an elegant skirt with a "country cousin" dust ruffle. You could do a skirt that looks sophisticated and you could do one that looks more casual, but it's hard to pull off one that's formal party on the top and square dance on the bottom.
 
S

Suzanne Azhaar

Active member
Inside of mermaid skirt- thigh slit has a triangle on both sides. Also added poly horsehair braid to create fullness at the hemline (versus only showing a fullness in a spin).
 

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Zorba

Zorba

"The Veiled Male"
When does it stop being a gore and start being a godet? A certain dance sister made a huge, "twirling skirt". It must weigh 20 lbs, but how it moves and spins is second to none. She says she just "kamikazed it together". She started by making a large gore skirt of some type, slit each gore about half or 2/3rds of the way up, and inserted a smaller gore or godet or whatever you wanna call it. Then, she slit *that* gore/godet about half or 2/3rds of the way up it - and inserted yet another gore/godet. Then she added trim to all the seams, and a nice flounce at the bottom.

She says she's going to be buried in it just so I won't get my hands on it. She only let me wear it once - I *really* hate her, and have told her so on many occasions! I'm still trying to figure out how to relieve her of that skirt, but she's still in California so its kinda hard...
 
Shanazel

Shanazel

Moderator
Zorba said:
That answers the question - but almost 13 minutes that a 10 second voiceover of the diagram @5:00 could have accomplished? Goddess Mother!

But now I know, so thanx for the edumacation!
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Sorry. Didn't watch it myself. Just glanced over it and it looked like an explanation.
 
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