Making Belle's Underskirt

I'm sorry that it has been awhile since I last posted. I was really trying to post more but things always happen that I have no control over. That's life though.  So much has been going on in my life and to be honest I just needed a break.  But I'm finally feeling like life is back to normal again and I'm once again falling back into routine; which means all my free time is spent with my sewing machine :)

First things first.  I decided that the first thing to make for Belle's dress is the underskirt.  I love making skirts because in my opinion making a skirt is a lot easier than making a blouse. I'm saving the harder pieces of her outfit for last.

To start I found the perfect fabric at the local craft store (Joanns).

I almost didn't have enough fabric so I had to be a bit creative in how I cut the fabric.  I made the skirt with three tiers and with an elastic waist band.

Belle has a coordinating fabric underneath the underskirt that you can see when she tucks her skirt up.  I added my coordinating fabric to the last tier of the underskirt and then hand-sewed it onto the back of the skirt.

After I finished the skirt I really didn't like the bulky elastic waist band.  I decided to add one more tier to the skirt and gathered the second tier to that tier.  I still used elastic for the waist band.  As you can see in the picture below the waist band isn't as bulky anymore. Problem solved!

Now that the underskirt it done I can't wait to make the skirt.  Slowly but surely this costume is coming together ;)