Should the new dirndl be for a wedding or a family celebration? Or should it be for a spring, autumn or other folk festival?

Or maybe it should be an everyday garment?

This is a very important question in advance, because it strongly influences the choice of fabric for our dirndl.

Because this important question also influences our choice of materials.No matter what time of year, there are always occasions to wear a traditional dirndl.And of course the summer fabrics are different from the winter fabrics.Summer fabrics tend to be light, bright and colorful and dirndls are mainly made of cotton.With winter fabrics, on the other hand, the colors are usually a bit more muted, the fabrics are firmer and the material of the dirndl skirts is wool.Because the right choice of fabric is what makes the dirndl perfect.

Wash dirndl or blouse dirndl? The model selection or cut selection

Before you start sewing your dirndl, you should first decide on a model.

Should it be a dirndl with sleeves, i.e. a wash dirndl, with short or long sleeves, or perhaps a blouse dirndl?

With a blouse dirndl, the question of the neckline shape arises again.

Do you want a square, round, high or V-neck?Should your dirndl skirt be hand-stitched or pleated?

All these questions influence the choice of fabric and cut.

In order to sew a beautiful traditional dirndl, you need the usual sewing tools, such as:

✔ a working sewing machine

✔ an overlock is recommended (alternatively zigzag stitch on the sewing machine)

✔ a steam iron and an ironing board

✔ a sleeve ironing board and an ironing pad

✔ Fabric scissors, paper scissors, pinching scissors

✔ Waistband with hook, normal measuring tape, possibly hand measure

✔ Tailor’s chalk and a skirt rounder

✔ Tracing wheel and chalk paper, pencil, possibly paper, sticky tape (for changing and adjusting the basic cut and for taking notes)

✔ a large piece of cardboard to cycle through

✔ Pins, sewing needles, thimble

✔ Sewing silk in matching colors, sewing thread, hooks and eyes

✔ of course our fabric, iron-on interlining, checks, borders and ruffles for decoration

✔ and a matching dirndl pattern

Taking the right measurements is the be-all and end-all when sewing dirndls.

Get a friend to help you so that you don't have to contort yourself in front of the mirror, which in turn will distort your measurements. Put on the bra that you will later wear with this dirndl. This is important so that the darts are in the right place later on. Because every bra shapes the breasts differently.

It doesn't necessarily have to be a dirndl bra, but the bra should definitely fit well.

The right tape measure also plays a role.

To measure, first put on a waist band and hook it so that it fits tightly around the waist but is still comfortable to breathe.

After that, you can measure all the other measurements and, most importantly, write them down and not lie.

Then you can choose the right dirndl pattern. There are several suppliers for this.

With the Rosmarie Henke method, for example, the basic cut is selected according to your bust size and may be adjusted and modified to suit your body measurements.

Before you can start sewing your dirndl, you have to cut out the pieces for your dirndl.

You must consider the following things:

If you use a cotton fabric for your dirndl, you should iron it well beforehand so that it does not shrink later.

When cutting, pay attention to the grain and the pattern (flowers, stripes, checks) and don't forget to mark the seam allowances with tailor's chalk.

With the Romarie-Henke method, for example, you first only cut the lining top and the skirt.

You can find this article on our blog entitled " Sewing traditional dirndls ".

After you have finished the dirndl, it's time to make the apron. You can find this article on "sewing a traditional dirndl apron" in our blog.

Maybe you would like to sew a matching dirndl bag for your dirndl yourself?

Then your traditional dirndl is ready and can be admired.

We have also created three paid online courses here you can find further information about these customers:

✔ Online course " Sew your own traditional dirndl "

✔ Online course "Sew your own dirndl apron"

✔ Online course "Sew your own dirndl bag"