How to Create Your Wedding Dress From Start to Finish
Designing and sewing your own wedding gown will require a lot of dedication and planning. Be prepared to spend a lot of time on this project before committing and know your limitations. If you're not a skilled seamstress, you may want to ask for help sewing your gown. Have a concrete budget before you purchase any materials. Creating your own gown may seem like an affordable alternative, but materials can add up quickly, causing you to go over budget, plus you'll have to invest a good deal of your valuable time. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Sketch pad
- Sewing mannequin
- Note pad
- Ribbon
- Measuring tape
- Pattern or pattern paper (grid or non-grid, your preference)
- Wedding magazines
- Pencil
- Colored pencils
- Camera
- Pins
- Fabric
- Scissors
- Thread
- Sewing needle
- Sewing machine
- Horse hair braid
- Beads (optional)
Instructions
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Getting Started
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Try on bridal gowns. Go to a bridal salon and try on as many different styles of gowns as you desire. You may have an idea of the type of dress you want after looking through magazines or having seen a dress on television, but each gown looks different on everyone. The gown you envision may not suit your body type; by trying on different fits and cuts, you'll know what works for you and what doesn't before you begin designing. Take a notepad and pencil with you so you can make notes. If the salon allows, also take pictures of the gowns you like so you can make notes on the images later and use them for reference when designing your dress.
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Start sketching. After you've finishing researching and trying on dresses, you should know what you want in a gown. Begin by sketching the outline of the gown in your sketch pad using your pencil. Add detailing in afterward with colored pencils. Make notes in the margin of information such as the type of fabrics (e.g., silk, satin, taffeta) you'll use or stitching you'll need to do, what type of material you'll need under the skirt (e.g., crinoline), types of hems, bead work, color and lengths.
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Measure yourself or get a friend to measure you. The typical measurements you should take are bust, hips, tummy, inseam, back width, and arm length (the latter only if you're planning to wear a gown with sleeves). Regardless of whether you're planning to sew half or full sleeves, your arm length will be important to determine where you want the sleeve to end.
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Prepare your pattern. You can choose to purchase a pattern or patterns and re-purpose them for your needs or you can ask a professional to create a pattern based off your design. The other option if you want the gown to be 100 percent yours is to create the pattern yourself by using the pattern paper to draw an outline of each piece of your gown to your size and then cut out the pattern pieces.
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Purchase the amount of fabric you'll need to successfully complete your pattern. If you're unsure, you can take your measurements and design into a fabric store and ask for assistance with the calculations. It's usually a good idea to purchase a couple of extra yards of each fabric you're using in case you made a mistake in calculations or something goes awry during the sewing process.
Construction
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Set up a work area out of the way, where your gown and work won't be disturbed. Set up your sewing mannequin so you have enough room to move around it with ease. You should organize all your materials so you know what you have and where it is in the room.
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Construct the underskirt or petticoat. Crinoline is an affordable option that's typically used to add volume to a gown's skirt. If you prefer, you could also create a full petticoat or metal skirt hoops. Use a ribbon or elastic as your waist band, sewing the crinoline in layers until you've achieved the desired fullness.
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Sew the skirt over your petticoat or crinoline. Leave the skirt longer than you need it so you can hem it properly. Cut the fabric for the top of your gown and attach the zipper or eyelets you'll need for fastening. If your pattern calls for the gown to be one piece, sew the top to the skirt.
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Hem the skirt of your gown using the horse hair braid. Mark where you want your hemline to be. Starting at the back of your gown along the seam, line the braid along your mark. Using a running stitch, sew the braid to the hemline. Fold the skirt upward so the bottom of the gown is now aligned with the hem marking. Using a running stitch, again sew the hem in place.
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Hand-stitch any detail work you'd like on your gown. You can do this with off-colored threads or by adding beading, which will take a lot of time if it's an intricate pattern. If you're beading a large pattern, you should draw it on your gown beforehand or pin the pattern to your gown so you know where to stitch. Steam or press your gown so all the seams are flat and crisp.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Gown Material image by Francois du Plessis from Fotolia.com
