Resposta curta: cut the godet with its grainline down the centre, so both sides sit at the same angle to the grain. Mark the point on both pieces and match them. On a slit, staystitch and clip to the point, taper the stitching to almost nothing at the tip, stop exactly at the point, and tie off the threads.
What is a godet, and where does it sit in a dress, skirt or kaftan?
A godet is a wedge of fabric that adds flare at the hem of a dress, skirt or kaftan. Threads magazine defines it as “a triangular wedge of fabric sewn into a garment, either in an existing seam or within a cut opening,” and says its purpose “is to add circumference, or flare, at a hemline” (Linhas, Godet Glamour).
So there are two ways to set a godet into a garment:
- In a seam. The seam is sewn closed down to the godet point, and the godet fills the open part below it.
- In a slit. The panel is cut open from the hem up to the point, and the godet fills the cut.
The point is the narrow top of the wedge. Threads says it is “generally flattering to keep bulk to a minimum around the waist, so consider placing the godet point at or below the high hip” for a dress (Linhas). For a below-knee skirt, a Threads tutorial plans the top point “at about knee level” (Linhas, Make a Custom Godet Skirt).
Where should the grain sit on the godet?
Put the grainline down the centre of the godet, from the point to the middle of the hem. In its godet drafting steps, Threads says: “Add a grainline. Draw it perpendicular to the bottom edge” (Linhas, G’day Godet). In that draft the curved hem is drawn as an arc from the point, so a line at right angles to the hem at its middle is the centre line.
This placement has a direct result. Both sides of the godet sit at the same angle to the grain, so they stretch and hang the same way. Neither side is on the straight grain. Both are off-grain, and off-grain edges stretch. The Threads glossary says true bias, no 45 degrees to the selvage, is the direction that “allows for the most stretch” (Linhas, Sewing Terms to Know).
Other grain choices are possible for effect. For a dress or skirt in a stripe or plaid, Threads notes that godets can be cut “on the bias or cross-grain, for spectacular results in striped or plaid material” (Linhas). If a kaftan or dress uses that look, the spec should say so, because the stripe angle then becomes part of the design.
Where should the grain sit on the slit the godet fills?
State it on the pattern: the slit should follow a marked line, and that line’s grain should be written down. If the slit runs along the lengthwise grain of the dress, skirt or kaftan panel, its two edges are on the straight grain and are stable. The godet’s off-grain sides are then sewn to stable edges. The godet side can stretch while it is sewn, and the slit side does not. That difference is one source of ripple along the seam.
Threads describes staystitching as “a row of stitches on a single fabric layer that prevents a curved or bias edge from stretching during the construction process,” and lists “a godet that is not set in a seam” among the places to reinforce (Linhas, Staystitching Fundamentals). For slippery fabrics, the Threads godet dress uses fusible tape and notes that it “simplifies sewing godets in shifty fabrics like burn-out velvet” (Linhas).
Grain on the main panels also changes how a flared garment hangs. o Easy Guide to Sewing Saias, a Threads download, says that with the lengthwise grain in the centre of each panel, “the fullness hangs evenly around the skirt” and “an uneven hem is less likely” (Easy Guide to Sewing Skirts).
Why does the point of the godet pucker or poke?
The point is where both seams end and the seam allowance runs out, so small errors show there first. In a dress, skirt or kaftan, check these causes:
- Very little seam allowance at the tip. A slit has no width at its top end. The writer of the costume site La cotte simple puts it simply: “at the very tip there isn’t much room for seam allowance” (La cotte simple). The same page warns that inserting a triangle into a slit “can be tricky, especially if the point of the triangle is sharp.”
- The two stitch lines do not meet at the point. If one line stops short or runs past, the two sides do not close at one spot, and the fabric between them folds or pulls. Threads tells sewers to “match the stitch termination points on the dress and godet” (Linhas).
- The slit is not clipped. The slit fabric has to spread open to fit the godet’s angle. Threads says reinforced areas such as a godet not set in a seam “may require clipping to insure smooth seams” (Linhas). La cotte simple says you may need to snip the slit’s seam allowance at the point “to relieve tension there.”
- The off-grain sides stretched during sewing. A stretched side is longer than the slit edge it joins, so the extra length gathers into ripples.
How should the top of the godet be sewn and finished?
Sew each side as its own seam and end both seams at the same marked point. The same steps apply whether the godet sits in a dress, a skirt or a kaftan.
If the godet goes into a slit
- Mark and staystitch before cutting. For godets set into slits, Threads says to “thread-trace each slit position, then staystitch 1⁄8 inch from the mark on each side,” and then cut the slit (Linhas, How to Upcycle a Sweater). For corners and points, Linhas’ staystitching guide adds: “Pivot around corners, starting and ending about 1 inch from the point. Clip to the point” (Linhas).
- Taper the stitching on the slit side. La cotte simple keeps a steady seam allowance on the godet, but on the slit fabric the stitching “should begin very close to the top of the slit and gradually move outward” until it reaches the full allowance at the hem (La cotte simple).
- Sew the second side to the same point. Pull the godet through, line up its second edge with the second slit edge, and start again very close to the top of the slit. La cotte simple notes that both knots can sit right next to each other.
- Press and relieve the point. Press the godet flat over the slit’s seam allowances, and snip the slit allowance at the point if it pulls.
- Finish the allowances. La cotte simple rolls the godet’s allowances under to enclose the slit’s allowance and stitches them down. On a garment with seams on show, Threads sews the godet wrong sides together and serges “over the exposed seam allowances” (Linhas).
If the godet goes into a seam
- Close the seam above the point, and tie off. In the Threads godet dress, the panel seams are sewn down to the stitch termination points, “leaving long thread tails. Pull the upper thread to the bobbin side and knot the tails together” (Linhas). The seam allowances are then pressed open all the way to the hem.
- Match the points. Mark the termination point on the godet so it shows on the right side, and match it to the point on the dress seam.
- Stitch in one pass. Threads edgestitches from the right side, “from the hem to the godet point. Pivot at the point and stitch down the other diagonal side to the hem.”
Reinforcing the point
How much to reinforce depends on the load. La cotte simple notes that a godet hanging in a skirt is “not likely to take a lot of tension,” while an underarm insert may, and extra stitches around the top of the slit “cannot hurt” there (La cotte simple).
The same idea, a point where stitching must end cleanly, shows up in dart points. Ver why bust dart points bubble on woven tops.
Godet, gore or pleat: which adds flare, and where?
A godet adds flare low down, from its point to the hem; a gore shapes the whole length of a panel; a pleat folds width in and lets it open with movement. La cotte simple separates the first two: gores are “panels added to the entire length of the garment or sleeve,” while godets “create a more pronounced and concentrated flare” (La cotte simple).
| Godet | Gore | Pleat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | “A triangular wedge of fabric sewn into a garment” (Linhas) | “Vertical garment sections, usually on a skirt” (Threads glossary) | “Clever folds that reduce the width of your fabric but still allow for movement” (Seamwork) |
| Where the fullness sits | “At a hemline,” with a fitted line above (Linhas) | Gores “shaped to flare from waist to hem” (Easy Guide to Sewing Skirts) | “Gentle shaping, while still allowing the skirt to bellow out as you move” (Seamwork) |
| Fabric note | “Lightweight, drapey fabrics”; stiff ones “create pronounced angular extensions” (Linhas) | Grain centred on each panel suits “rayons, malhas, or other fabrics that may stretch at the hem” (Easy Guide) | “Soft pleats require soft fabrics”; crisp fabrics for pressed or stitched-down pleats (Easy Guide) |
| Point to watch | Stop stitching at the matched termination point (Linhas) | “The bias at the side seam may stretch, creating an uneven hem” (Easy Guide) | Pleat depth: “the distance between the outside fold and the inside fold” (Seamwork) |
For how pleats keep or lose their folds, ver pregas que seguram e pregas que caem.
What should you put in the spec for a godet dress, skirt or kaftan?
- Insertion type: in a seam or in a slit, for each godet.
- Point position: the distance from a fixed reference (shoulder or waist) to the godet point, and the godet length to the hem.
- Godet grain: grainline down the centre, or bias or cross-grain if the design needs it (por exemplo, a stripe angle).
- Slit grain: the grain of the line the slit is cut along.
- Costura de estabilização: staystitch the slit before cutting, and clip to the point.
- Stitching at the point: both seams end at the same marked point; slit-side stitching tapers to the tip; thread ends tied off.
- Reforço: whether the top of the slit gets extra stitching or tape.
- Seam finish and press direction: how the allowances are finished, and which way they are pressed.
- Tecido: the fabric for the godet, if it differs from the body.
- Approval check: the point should lie flat on the right side, sem pregas, pucker or poke, depois de pressionar.
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