Would it work to make a 50's petticoat this way?

On the internet I have seen instructions for making a 50's petticoat. You gather the bottom tier first, which you then sew to the second tier, (which hasn't been gathered as much and has less material). You then do the same again with the top tier, which is then connected to the underslip. You don't connect it right at the top, because it makes you look pregnant. However when I went to buy the netting for the petticoat, the lady selling the material told me she used to make them for herself in the 1950's. She told me she would use a flared or A-line half slip and sew each tier to the 1/2 slip with a slight overlap at the edges. I really can't visualise this. Will this work and did anyone else do it this way? I can't find it done like this anywhere else on the web. Last question, I am not sure of the material. I presume I don't want anything too light for the actual skirt that goes over the petticoat? Thank you in advance.