How to Make a Gothic Bride Costume

What to make for your favorite girl Goth for her wedding day.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dress pattern
• Dress determined black fabric
• Black lace
• Black trim
• Black thread
• Sewing machine
• One pair good cloth cutting scissors
• One pair large paper cutting scissors
• One pair small embroidery scissors
• One tape measure
• Pins
• Black shoes

1. Take the directions out of the wedding dress pattern and read them through carefully before doing anything else.

2. Using the tape measure and size chart provided with the dress pattern, figure out the bride's size. Be sure to purchase enough fabric, thread, and trim to make the dress in that size.

3. Wash, dry, and iron all washable fabric and trim.

4. Using the paper cutting scissors, cut out the dress pattern. Use the embroidery scissors for tiny corners and pattern notches.

5. Lay out the dress pattern pieces on the fabric, taking into account if the fabric has a pattern or nap. If it does, you want all the dress pattern pieces to go the same way so that the pattern or nap on the fabric matches up after sewing. Once the dress pattern is correctly laid out, pin it carefully to the fabric.

6. With the good cloth cutting scissors, carefully and slowly cut the fabric along the paper pattern lines. Again, use the embroidery scissors for tight corners or dress pattern notches.

7. Pin the right sides of the pattern pieces together and sew according to the steps in the pattern directions. Most patterns call for a 5/8 inch seam. That is measured on your sewing machine by keeping the raw edges of the material aligned with a mark on the plate below the foot.

8. Iron all sewn seams open after completing the seam.

9. Either sew trim on, or hem all remaining raw edges, either by hand or by using a blind hem stitch if one is available on your machine. For added durability, sew hem binding on afterwards over the internal hem edge.

10. Either hand sew or use the buttonhole stitch on the sewing machine all button holes on the wedding dress. Cut carefully only after the buttonhole stitching is in place. Make sure the inside of the buttonhole is the right size for the buttons.

11. Follow any other finishing steps given in the wedding dress pattern directions.

12. Pair with shoes, hose, and any other accessories, and enjoy the funerary day!

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that dress pattern pieces are made to have a 5/8 inch seam allowance on all sides.
• Make a muslin mock up first, that will help to figure out how to sew the wedding dress before cutting into good fabric.
• Lovely Goth dresses can also be made out of a dark taffeta with a black lace overlay
• Know if you can wash the wedding dress fabric, or if it must be dry cleaned, before picking it out.
• If the fabric is washable, always wash it before sewing it. Fabric often comes with sizing, which can cause the garment to shrink if it is not washed before sewing.