the Underskirts

The sari scarves I chose to use as underskirts were of a very fine fabric as wispy as a spider web, so I went with maximum width at over 2 metres width. (don't try that width with thicker fabrics). I stitched rolled hems at the back edges of the skirts, stitched the two back ends together partway to the top, then stitched a rolled hem along the bottoms of the skirts....

Then the skirts needed pressing.  NEVER use an iron directly on the fabric, especially if you don't know the fibre content.  Always use a pressing cloth. Mine is a very thin, decades old, cloth diaper.

Once the skirt has been pressed, divide the top edge into quarters and mark with pins.  Divide the bottom of the bodice edge into quarters as well, and line up the pins and pin the skirt fabric to the bodice. Then comes the challenging part of pleating the fabric in each section to one quarter of the bodice.

 It involved some major overlapping...

Baste all the pleats in place before stitching the seam on the sewing machine. Then zig-zag the edge.
Trying the dresses on Naomi. They are just on loose, and the skirts still bulge out at the hips because the inside hasn't been finished yet.

Next step is to hand stitch the lining inside the bodice to cover the raw edges at the top of the skirt.  But before doing that it's very important to trim away a bit of the thick seam where the eyelets will eventually go. It's practically impossible to put a small eyelet through that many layers of fabric. So by trimming away a bit of the seam where the eyelets need to go, they only have to go through a minimum number of layers of fabric. 
​(I forgot to take a photo of this step, so had to take one showing the lining inside the dress after the gown was already finished)