Video:How to Make Lucy and Ricky Couples' Costume

Transcript:How to Make Lucy and Ricky Couples' Costume

Hi, I'm Zoya Popova for About.com, and today, I'm going to show you how to make a Lucy and Ricky couples' costume. When it comes to retro costumes, your best bet is to visit a flea market or a vintage clothing store. For Ricky's costume, look for a tweed jacket reminiscent of the 50s. Complement it with an elegant tie and a white handkerchief. For Lucy, a typical outfit would be a shirt dress with a circle skirt. These dresses can be found very easily at vintage stores. For a truly 50s look, you should make the skirt look full by wearing a petticoat. Because store-bought petticoats can be quite expensive, and may be the wrong length for your particular skirt, you can easily make one yourself.

Lucy and Ricky Couples' Costume Petticoat Materials

You will need:

• 4 yards of tulle
• Some tissue paper
• Tape measure
• Scissors
• A ribbon that is about twice your waist measurement
• Sewing machine

Prepare Tiers of Petticoat

To make a 3-tier petticoat, measure the length of your skirt and divide it by three. This is the height of each of your tiers. Mark 4 of these heights onto your tulle, and cut 4 4-yard strips. Now, 2 of those strips will combine to make the bottom tier, 8 yards total. Set them aside. Take the third 4-yard strip, and cut it in half. These two pieces will combine to make the middle tier, 4 yards total. For your final 4-yard strip, cut it in half to get a 2-yard piece, then cut that piece in half. These two 1-yard strips will combine to make the top tier, 2 yards total. Combine the halves of the bottom and middle tiers, and stitch on both sides. To make stitching more manageable, you may layer some tissue paper under the tulle, and then remove it when you're finished. For your top tier, put the two halves together, but only stitch along one of the sides.

Sew Petticoat Together

The next step is to gather the fabric on your tiers starting from the bottom up. To do that, you will have to stitch along the top of each panel comprising each of your tiers. Do NOT back stitch at either end, as this will make gathering impossible. Hold on to one of the threads and push the fabric along. Make sure you don't push too far, as the fabric may slip off the other end of the thread. The best way to do it, really, is to gather the fabric starting at both ends of the thread towards the middle. When you're done gathering, the gathered top of your bottom tier should match your un-gathered middle tier. Stitch them together. Repeat the same steps for the top of the middle tier, and stitch it to the top tier.

Finish Lucy and Ricky Couples' Costume

For the top of your top tier, gather it to match your waist circumference. Cover with a ribbon and stitch to keep the gathered fabric in place. Use the ends of the ribbon to tie the petticoat around your waist. Your skirt now has a full, flirty 50s look. Complement it with high-heeled pumps, some pearl jewelry, and replicate Lucy's makeup with heavy lip liner, arched eyebrows, and extravagant false eyelashes.

Thank you for watching, and for more costumes ideas, please visit us at About.com.