How to Make Your Own Bride Dress

The dress of your dreams might be as close as your sewing machine.

For the creative bride, making your own gown demonstrates your skills and ingenuity on a very special occasion. If you've pored through countless bridal magazines and stores and failed to find the dress of your dreams, you may be able to create it. Making your own dress is also a good option for brides with special clothing needs. Your choices in colors, styles, and embellishments also expand when you create a custom bridal gown.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Sewing pattern
• Notions required by pattern
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Kraft paper
• Practice fabric
• Iron
• Straight pins
• Thread
• Sewing machine
• Bridal gown fabric

Instructions

Selecting a Pattern and Preparing to Sew

1. Decide the basic shape of the dress you want, including skirt length, whether you would like a train and the presence and length of sleeves. This will determine the measurements you need to take and help you choose a pattern.

2. Have a partner take your measurements. In addition to bust, waist and hip measurements, this should also include measuring from the back of your neck to your waist and waist to desired hemline and arm length and circumference if your desired dress includes sleeves.

3. Choose a sewing pattern for your dress. The sewing pattern should follow the general silhouette of your desired dress, but embellishments need not be included if you know how to create and add them. Check the front of the pattern for the size range, and check the back of the pattern to make sure that one of the sizes listed on the front is compatible with your measurements.

4. Get all notions required by your pattern, and select fabrics for your gown. Get practice fabric in the same yardage as the pattern requires for the finished gown. The practice fabric should be similar to the fabric for the finished gown.

5. Prepare the practice fabric according to manufacturer's directions. This may include steaming or dry cleaning.

6. Cut out the pattern pieces in your size. Place the pattern pieces on the kraft paper. Trace the pattern pieces on to the kraft paper and cut them out. This creates a sewing pattern that is more durable than the tissue paper patterns are printed on, and is less likely to slide around on slippery fabrics.

Sewing the Practice and Final Gowns

1. Assemble the gown in the practice fabric. Omit embellishments. Have a partner examine the gown for fit, and take notes on needed alterations.

2. Alter the gown as needed and add any embellishments. Have a partner assess the fit, and decide if the embellishments are appropriate.

3. Construct the gown in the final fabric. Try it on for final alterations.

Tips & Warnings

• If you plan to lose weight before your wedding, set a weight loss goal and a deadline to lose it by six weeks before the wedding.

• Get two copies of your pattern if you plan to lose more than one dress size.

• If your sewing skills are not advanced, choose designs with fewer pieces, and limit or eliminate silky or sheer fabrics.

• A simple A-line gown in cotton sateen is simple, affordable, and flatters many figures.

• Send your final gown to a dry cleaner for pressing.

References

• Sewing and Craft Alliance: Wedding Gown Tips

Resources

• Threads :How to Measure Up