Hello Ren Sew-ers! Sorry I'm late - it was for a good cause - I've been working on our FaeryFest Cast Costumes - We have about 20 girls age 8 - 12 on cast so I've been having to look at actual patterns!
I am currently working on a dress for a character called "Waterfall". I have a basic dress pattern - very simple, the base is already cut and pinned together. There is a front and back, only side seams, neckline is gathered by ribbon to fit. It is made from your basic periwinkle blue bed sheet.
What I would like to do is sew long wavey panels onto the dress in varying shades of blue and green so they fall vertically. Now, I tired a similar idea last year, and I think I went a little bit overboard because I sewed too many strips of fabric onto that costume, and they seemed to push outward rather than create the "wind" effect I was going for. Those strips were also rectangular in shape, rather than the wavy shape I am looking for for this costume.
Are there any tips you can offer? How long should I aim to make the strips? I am NOT planning on hemming the edges of the strips due to time contraints. How much coverage should I plan for? How closely together should I make the strips?
Depending on the kind of fabric you have for the dress, you may be able to get a wavy effect by melting the fabric, which is convenient as you are not planning on hemming all the strips. To make fantastical waves in long strips, I have (with my fire extinguisher nearby: safety first!) lit a candle and carefully melted the edges of some kind of poly chiffon or organza. This created a very wavy effect, and had the added benefit of helping reducing fray greatly. Once you get your method down, it is also a relatively fast process.
Perhaps making a cincher, or even a little bodice from which the strips like an overskirt would be lovely, in addition to some on the sleeves. I imagine this would help them to lay well, and maintain a feminine, fairylike quality to the dress.
I would also strongly suggest varying widths for the strips, I think this might help achieve a more watery and organic appearance.
Would sewing fishing line along the edge help with the wavy look? I have never done it to create a wave look, but I have seen it done. The only time I had to do it was to help ruffles so its not the same kind of thing (Here (http://www.rainbowjoule.com/Costumes/Theatre/photos/many_moons/princess_lenore.html), plus the next 2 pictures), but if you serged or zig zagged fishing line along the outside edge, it might work.
ETA: If you zoom in on this scarf (http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=255992&CategoryID=31479&LinkType=EverGreen), you'll see what I mean about the wavy effect.
That effect is achieved by serging over fishing line, or so my book says. Havent tried it myself, possibly some of the others have.
Thanks for confirming that for me! Thats how I did the ruffles, but I wasn't 100% sure if there was anything different you needed to do with a lighter weight fabric then taffeta. :)