This is a picture right before we got married. We waited in the hall and took a deep breath before going outside to the back yard where everyone was waiting. I didn't want to walk out all by myself with him waiting, so we went together.
I was really nervous about wearing a dress that looked homemade. I think the worst compliment you can get about any homemade item you have is from (probably) well-meaning strangers - "That is nice - did you make that?". That one always makes me feel terrible. It is the one that says - "Yes, it is clear to me that you have made this yourself." Ugh.
This dress is in three parts. Part one - the petticoat.
This is the largest petticoat ever. I felt so round and fluffy. It was an upcycled petticoat that I picked up at a thrift store. It was a floor-length with three tiers but the waist is a nice elastic and I'll bet it was expensive when it was new. All I did was take off the bottom two layers to make it tea length and re-sew the tulle. I used a serger for the bottom hem. It was a lot faster than making it all myself.
Part Two - the satin under-dress. The pattern is Simplicity 1194. I made it in ivory with a am showing it here with a champagne sash.
I made four changes to the pattern.
- I added an inch to the bodice and made it longer. My torso must be long because I find myself doing this to a lot of patterns.
- I took off the straps and made it strapless.
- I made it fully self-lined instead of using facings. I don't usually like using facings and seem to find ways to avoid them.
- I added boning and some light-weight interfacing layer to the inside.
Inside of the dress |
Part Three - the lace layer. The lace layer is a mix of Vogue 8943 and Simplicity 8470. For the skirt, I wanted to avoid pleats and gathers and love the look of a circle skirt. But to be able to use the edge on the lace, I had to cut the skirt in panels. I did use the Simplicity 8470, but then added a couple of inches on either side toward the hem of each panel for a fuller skirt.
It ended up being about a half circle skirt. Luckily, through no special effort, the lines on the skirt panels lined up perfectly with the darts in the bodice. Below is the skirt before I sewed it on the bodice. All of the panels are sewn, then finished up with a serger.
I made three changes to the bodice of Vogue 8943 - once is that I added an inch to it (shown in red below). In the past, I have been known to ignore the "lengthen or shorten here" directions and just adding more to the bottom of the piece. But on this, I even followed instructions.
I also shortened the sleeves to 3/4 length and changed the back of the bodice to a V shape instead of ending at the neckline.
Inside of lace dress |
I ended up cutting the edge off of leftover lace and attached it all around the neckline - front and back right up until the zipper. You don't end up seeing the stitches of the ivory thread to sew it on - it all gets lost in the lace.
I am sure there are other ways to get it done, but I was at a loss. I spent a lot of time Googling and looking at lace wedding dress backs, but didn't find much. I even made a trip to a bridal shop to look at their dresses. In the end, this looked nice against the satin under-dress.
Here are the facts:
- $200.00 - Satin and lace fabric from SAS Fabrics in Phoenix. ($30/yard for the lace which feels like a steal compared to prices I have seen online for lace)
- $30.00 - Fabric for three prototype dresses at $1/yard, also from SAS Fabrics
- $10.00 - Tulle for petticoat from JoAnns.
- $10.00 - Upcycled petticoat from a thrift store.
- $10.00 - Satin for sash (not yet blogged about)
- $10.00 - Tulle for veil (not yet blogged about)
It wasn't necessarily the cheapest option. I am sure I could have found a dress on sale at some bridal shop for less money, but I am glad I made mine.
Thanks for reading!