Everyone is the sewing community is going gaga over tiered skirts and dresses. And they're so easy to make. You can attach them to any bodice or you can just make a skirt.
For the bodice, I used McCall's 7719. This consisted of the front bodice, front and back midriff pieces and the shoulder straps.
I didn't need a FBA, but I added armhole darts to get a better fit. It was gaping in that area.
The straps crisscross and I used a metal zipper because the fabric is a medium weight and I felt it would hold better.
To make the tiered skirt, I used "Ratio of Gathers". This is what use to be called "kitchen curtain" ruffles. In order to attach the first tier to the bodice edge, this tier needed to be two times the measurement of the edge to create the fullness for the gathers. That means I used a 2:1 ratio. Here's what the math looks like for a bodice edge measuring at 30":
Tier 1:
2:1 Ratio
30" x 2 = 60"
I needed a tier section for the front and back, so...
60" / 2 = 30"
So, each tier will be 30" wide and 9" long. You would cut 2 pieces on the fold at 15" x 9".
Tier 2:
2.5:1 Ratio
30" x 2.5 = 75"
75" / 2 = 37.5"
On the fold, cut 2 pieces at 18.75" x 10". Yes, the tiers are gradually getting longer.
Tier 3:
3.2:1 Ratio
30" x 3.2 = 96"
96" / 2 = 48"
On the fold, cut 2 pieces at 24" x 12".
Note: If you were making a long maxi style tiered skirt and the width of your tiers keeps growing, you will exceed the width of your fabric. At that point, you can just divide equally and cut 3 pieces instead of 2 for those tiers.