Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Padding a Peplum


Hey readers, remember when I used to blog about garments I was making? Well, I've still been making garments. To be specific, I've made TWENTY-SEVEN GARMENTS without blogging about them. That's hard for someone like me, who can go on and on about the most mundane sewing topics. Twenty-seven garments, and not a peep. But I decided that I can show you the inner workings of a jacket peplum, since it doesn't really give much away.

Over a year ago, I wrote about hip padding in vintage suits. As you probably know, I love any sort of intricate inner workings on a garment: boning, pad stitching, etc. But I had yet to try hip padding . . . until now! I love the look of padded hips, and they've been favored by such varied designers as Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen. There aren't many instructions for this kind of thing out there, so I pretty much winged it (wung it?). First I thought I would pad stitch the hips as I did for the underside of the lapel of the jacket, but the stitches showed a bit on the outside. So instead I made a little inner padding.

I started with a layer of needlepunch in the shape of the peplum (with the seam allowances cut off); needlepunch is just a very firm batting. I cut out the darts on the peplum, and zigzagged them together.



I did the same thing to a layer of hair canvas and layered it with the peplum. I beveled the upper edge of the layers so they wouldn't create a ridge on the outside of the jacket.



Next, I padstitched the peplum in vertical rows, leaving the bottom inch or so unstitched.



For the bottom inch, I changed direction and used a shorter stitch to encourage the peplum to round toward the body. (This is what you do on the outside edge of a lapel to get it to curl toward the chest.) As I was padstitching, I curved the padding over my hand to shape it.


The pad stitching can go all the way through the layers, since it won't show on the outside at all.


Next, I pinned it to the jacket underlining and catch stitched it in place.



Finally, I steamed the whole thing together over a ham and let it dry.


That's it! It resulted in a very shapely peplum, and I was pleased with the result. It was still a bit soft, though, so I think I might try layers of buckram, hair canvas, and muslin next time (as suggested by the pattern I blogged here) for even more shaping.

Hope you've enjoyed this little garment post. I'm now done with said TWENTY-SEVEN garments (yes, dramatic caps are necessary), so I can start sewing for fun again soon. And I have a plan: it's back to VoNBBS!

25 comments:

  1. a true gem tutorial, very precious informations, thank you for sharing this!

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  2. Wow, excellent information! And great work at nutting out the technique. Thanks Gertie.

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  3. Padding hips... It's not something I ever thought about doing (enough natural padding as it is) but it's very interesting. The shaping actually looks very close to that of a custom made shoulder pad, is that right? now that I think about it, I could actually see this working very well in conjunction with a corsetted waist. New look, here I come!

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  4. I love this! I am making a blazer with a peplum this fall as well. You have given me something to consider here!

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  5. Brilliant! I was oddly just thinking about the hip padding idea and the post you did awhile ago this past week. ;) I really like this technique and the fact that this particular application is a bit more soft than rigid (though I would love to see a version on a stiffer material as you suggested--just because I'm curious like that!). I think it would be something I'd be more inclined towards, since I already have rather "padded" hips. But the idea of adding a bit extra structure and shaping to the hip area makes me think it would be more flattering than adding extra girth to that particular region. Eventually I need to knuckle under and make a suit...

    Congrats on finishing all those garments, btw!!! :D You're a trooper!

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  6. Congrats on finishing all the garments for your book! TWENTY SEVEN! Crazy. It's exciting to know that you can get back to sewing for fun. I'm eager to read what's next for you with the VoNBBS. And, thanks for this sneak peek into peplum padding. It's fascinating learning all that goes into the inside of a garment. There's a hidden world inside.

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  7. Yippee!!!! 27! So excited for this book! Congrats on all your hard work!

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  8. So glad to have you back, Gertie! Congrats on finishing everything - I'm a faithful reader and I've been wondering if you've been going mad behind the scenes. I can't wait to see the book, and for more VoNBBS!

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  9. I love this! No need for additional hip padding here, either, but I just love to see these somewhat obscure techniques described in such a clear way. I've returned to sewing after a somewhat lengthy hiatus and have made it a goal to practice couture techniques on everything I make. The results have been incredible, and I credit you with helping me to accomplish that. Thanks!

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  10. Oh, and TWENTY SEVEN GARMENTS? Woot! Woot! You da (wo)man!

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  11. I have a deep and abiding love for Peplums. The create such a great hourglass shape! Thanks for the tutorial ;)

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  12. I can't wait for more sewing and garment posts! Then again, I can't wait for the book, so I think it's been worth the wait.

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  13. Gertie
    Love the tutorial!! A jacket along this lines would be great for one of your online classes.
    I wore the bombshell dress to a wedding and everyone loved it! Loved the class can't wait for your next one!

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  14. Thanks for posting this; it makes a lot if sense, but I never thought of doing something that way. Love learning new things! Plus you deserve a blue ribbon... A gold medal... SOMETHING for cranking out TWENTY-SEVEN garments!

    Thank you husband for the fill-in post. I enjoyed reading the excerpt from his new book. Hmmm... Maybe a gift for a niece this Christmas...! :-D

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  15. TWENTY-SEVEN!!! You ROCK! Woot!

    I would definitely consider the padding in a peplum jacket. You can make the shape be what you want and not what YOU are. Placing the emphasis if you will. I'm still working on that waist though. LOL

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  16. hi gertie, i'm new to your blog... does this mean the pink garment will be shown in your book?

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  17. It appears I am the only person asking about the ham. A ham?

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  18. Hi Terri, yes, the pink jacket will be in the book.

    WyldFlamingo, it's a tailor's ham, an indispensable device for pressing curves. :)

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  19. I have seen a post featuring a vintage Vogue pattern for hip padding. Unfortunately, it the blogger didn't go into detail about what materials were involved in creating hip padding. This pattern (I can't remember what number it is) occasionally shows up on Ebay.

    Annamarie

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  20. I am making a peplum jacket for the fall season as well. And this is really giving me some new insight as to how to better construct this garment. I took your bombshell course and mine is coming along so nicely! I also think, to agree with Connie, that this would be an amazing course option for your next course. Now i know that you're probably swamped with stuff going on, and would enjoy a nice relaxing vacay, but just something to keep in mind for your loyal fans! thanks again for being you!! you ROCK iT!

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  21. Yay, it's great to have you back!

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  22. pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I will be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon. Thanks!

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  23. OMG, how did i miss this post? I love everything Christian Dior (His atelier is the NASA of fashion. I heard this is a documentary about the late designer) and everything John Galliano (Except for his recent rant. He pushed The House Of Dior too new levels). & i love You because you always have the most influential post. =) Thanks For taking the time out and sharing your know how with all of us. =)

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  24. fantastic! ive been looking for some instruction on how-to pad a peplum for a while when i found this while browsing your blog (something i do quite frequently).
    i purchased some sort of padding from daytona trims on 29th, it seems more spongey/fluffier than yours, but for the price (cant exactly remember, something under 5$ a yard) i said what the heck. hope it turns out as well as yours!

    question: what do you mean by "beveling"? is that like grading?

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Thanks for your comments; I read each and every one! xo Gertie

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