Bum Roll for a Farthingale

Materials needed for a Bum Roll:

Approximately 1/4 yard cotton
1 package: Bias Tape Extra Wide Double Fold - 3 yards
Fluffy Batting

Note: All seams are approximately 1/4 inch.

I am using some of the leftovers from the queen sized sheet, I cut my farthingale out of.

I am using Mathew Gnagy's bum roll and farthingale for a reference in this project. I grabbed one of my fanny packs and used it to estimate the size and shape of my bum roll. I added a few inches to the depth/bottom of  the pattern piece. I enlarged the top by two inches on the sides and bottom.

Reference Site:

Mathew Gnagy's bum roll - http://www.elizabethancostume.net/blog/author/mathew-gnagy/


I folded both pieces in half to find the center top and bottom, marking each spot with a pin.  I placed the insides of both pieces together and pinned them at the centers. I pinned the first three inches of each lower side seam together. Since I didn't bother to run a gathering stitch across the bottom I used the divide and conquer method of gathering to finish the pinning. After sewing the bottom seam, I continued on to sew the top seam.

NOTE: leave a 2 to 3 inch opening in the top center of the seam.


Divide and Conquer Gathering:
Take the front side and find the center, then take back side and find the center. Pin the centers together - Repeat
This method gives you a nice even gather.

I sewed the bias tape around the bottom edge of the bum roll first.

NOTE: If you are using pre-folded bias tape hold it flat and look for the side that is shorter, that side goes on top. This makes it more likely that you will catch both parts when you do your top stitching.

I stuffed my bum roll a little too much on my first attempt and had to go back and remove some of the stuffing. The last picture where I am attaching it to my farthingale is stuffed correctly, the other two are stuffed too much. You want the bum roll to be slightly flat on the top and not hard stuffed (light and fluffy).

Yes I did have to remove the waist tie band that I had stitched to it, when attaching it the farthingale. In my defense if I hadn't stitched it to the band first, I wouldn't have known that I had added to much stuffing.
It looked really funny sticking out almost vertically from my behind, it should hug your back side.

I didn't throw out the waist tie band. I used it on the farthingale instead, when I attached the bum roll to it.