This is a part of a traditional folk costume from Spytihněv (south Moravia). Fiertoch is the topmost layer of the skirt. It is tied around the waist like an apron.
My niece has chosen beatiful brown&gold brocade. I sewed a stripe long about three meters from stiff fabric, ironed the three edges of a brocade rectangle and sewed it on.
Then I spent about 8 hours handstitching a spangle band to the brocade. I watch TV when doing things like this, not to get crazy :-D
The band must be neat even at the wrong side. Folkers are perfectionists when it comes to their costume...
I gathered the upper and lower part. I did it in hand, but at the waist I machine sewed an auxiliary line of stitches which helped me keep the length of gathering stitches.
You can see the process - what the fabric looks like when you just gather it without manually straightening each pleat.
Brocade frays easily so I cut the upper edge as late as I could. The gathering here was nice and accordion-like.
At the bottom, the size of stitches corresponds with the width of the pattern - I always go throung the same place of the pattern.
I love this state :-)
Here I just sewed on two connected rectangles - one from lining and one from brocade.
I always wonder if I should sew it on by machine, the gathering is at least 5 mm tall... But usually I get surprised by how easy it is.
I sewed the lining to the back in hand. What's left now: sewing a white ribbon to the sides as a fastening and leave like this for at least a week. The gathering stitches are always taken out right before one takes it on to preserve the desired accordion shape.
So this is one little piece of the million-pieces Spytihněv folklore dress. Luckily, the rest is not my business :-D
