How to Construct a Gown
Making your own wedding gown is a great way to add your own unique signature to your wedding, as well as keep expenses down. This can be a very rewarding task, but will take skill, time and patience. If you are a beginning seamstress, it is best to delegate this to a family member or professional who can help. If your skill level is solid, then you will be rewarded with a family heirloom that is sure to be treasured.
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Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Computer with Internet access
- Printer
- Iron and ironing board
- Tailor's scissors
- Pinking shears if desired
- Pins and pincushion
- Fabric store (for purchase of remaining things)
- Formal dress pattern
- Formal fabric such as taffeta, organza
- Embellishments such as pearls, appliques
- Lining fabric
- Thread
- Good sewing machine
- Needles with large eye for hand sewing
- Chalk pencil for tracing
- Dress form (optional)
Instructions
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Choose Your Style and Design
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1
Search the Internet for "wedding gown designs." Look at all styles and types to see which ones you like best and print out copies of them.
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Review each style against your body type. A strapless dress may be in style, but if you have a heavy neckline, it will not look good on you. A sweetheart neckline is flattering for just about everyone. Choose between short and long sleeves based on time of year and how much you want to show off your arms. All lengths of dresses are now acceptable, so a tea length gown may be a good choice if you have an afternoon wedding or are concerned about movement with a more traditional train. Also choose overall shape. A-line dresses are simple to construct, while a mermaid fit-and-flare style may be very flattering for a bride with better sewing skill and a great shape.
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3
Choose a pattern at the fabric store that closely matches your favorite wedding gown design picture and best style. Simplicity tends to have the easiest patterns to make, while Vogue has some of the most intricate. Be sure your chosen pattern fits with your skill level. Buy a pattern that has a range of sizes, so you can make necessary modifications.
Choose Your Color, Fabric, and Embellishments
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Choose the color of the gown based on whether or not this is your first wedding, what looks best on you, and how traditional you want to be. White is traditional for first weddings, but the rules are changing rapidly. Many repeat brides are also wearing white, and many new brides are opting for a color other than white. Champagne or ivory is a great choice for remarriage when brides want to obey the customary expectation that white only be worn the first time, as it symbolizes purity.
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Choose your fabric by reviewing the pictures printed out in Section 1, reading your pattern envelope to see what fabrics are recommended, and visiting the fabric store for look and feel of each. Visiting a dress store to see how finished dresses hang with each fabric is also not a bad idea.
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Choose your lining material at the fabric store based on the recommendations on your pattern envelope.
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A Side Sash and Bow Adds Class Review the picture on the front of the pattern envelope and see what embellishments you can add to make the dress uniquely your own. Visualize or draw each idea to get a better idea of how it would look. Some ideas are a design on the skirt made from sequins or pearls, adding ready made sequined appliques, adding a sash or back bow, or adding a border made of metallic ribbon.
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Calculate how much of each embellishment material you will need and purchase it at your fabric or craft store.
Modifying Your Pattern
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Take good measurements of your body as it is - not as you want it to be. Enlist a friend to help keep you honest and hold the tape measure for hard-to-reach measurements.
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Add or subtract to each pattern piece based on the deviations you have from the size shown. Folding the pattern piece over, or taping more to it is the best way to do this. Using a pattern that has multiple sizes represented allows you to use a different size piece for different parts of your body.
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Cut out and iron each pattern piece.
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Try each piece on, and pin them together if possible so you can see the fit before you cut actual fabric. Remember, measure twice - cut once.
Prepare the Material and Cut Out the Pattern
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Have the material dry cleaned in advance, if possible, to preclude any changes in the overall feel.
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Press the material fully before laying out pieces.
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Lay out the pattern pieces according to pattern instructions. Use a guide to make sure you are absolutely straight, as even a small bias will make a difference with the overall hang of the dress.
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Transfer all markings to the wrong side of the fabric using tailor's chalk, including any overlay and lining fabric. Also mark where embellishments are to be placed exactly.
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Cut the fabric using a good set of tailor's scissors.
Make Your Dress
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Pin the pieces together and try them on again, to see if everything still fits. If any changes need to be made, do it now.
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Follow the pattern instructions and construct the main pieces of the garment, which usually starts with the skirt.
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Finish all edges professionally by pinking and folding, or making an edge seam. This way, no stray threads will poke out and ruin your image.
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Follow the rest of the directions to finish your basic garment. Be sure to try it on at various intervals to ensure it still fits. Place it on your dress form in between steps, if desired.
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Add embellishments to the completed garment, if desired.
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Tips & Warnings
* Buying more fabric than you need will ensure you have enough to cover any errors.
* When choosing embellishments, remember, less is often best for an elegant image.
* When marking your final hem, wear the shoes you plan to wear at the wedding.
* Stiffer fabrics are easier to work with, so a satin may be a good choice if your skills are intermediate
* Resist the temptation to over-estimate your skill level! It is better to be safe than sorry and stressed-out.
* Enlist a backup source in case you run out of time, or find this task more difficult than originally thought.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
