Earlier last week, my aunt reached out to me to ask if I could help her to make her dress and that of my eight (8) month old niece for an unplanned event. She specifically iterated if I could deliver within that short period of time; I really don't want to say 'No' to her because of the major odds against it, one of which is an electricity outage.
I don't know if I'm the only one who doesn't like sewing when there is no power supply; I like pressing each step of my sewing procedures because it gives a neat outlook at the end.
I said "Yes" to her request, hoping I could still work things out, but it wasn’t in any way easy on me. I encountered difficulties in getting the materials for the gown because it's not a common color, but in the end, I'm glad the result was worth all the stress.
I'll only be explaining the cutting and sewing process of my niece's dress because I sewed my aunt's dress overnight the event day using my phone flashlight, meaning there was no power supply to take shots.
Let's get on with the process of making the dress.
SEWING MATERIALS NEEDED.
- Tulle net (5 yards)
- Plain Material (Dull face Materials) 1 yard
- Hard net (½ yard)
- Lining (1 yard)
- Matching thread
CUTTING PROCESS
- Determine the bodice measurement for the gown. For this dress, I used:
Half-length: 9 inches
Shoulder length: 7 inches
Bust: 23 inches
Waist: 23 inches
N.B: The dress is a two-layered gathered gown with gathered sleeves.
For the two layers, use this calculation as a guide for making yours.
Her waist is 23 inches.
(23×2 +10= 56 inches)
Hence, for the first layer, the width will be 56 inches, and use the length you want for it.
For this dress, I used 9 inches.
For the second layer;
56 inches × 2 +10 = 122 inches.Cut the lining, which is the interface of the half-length.
THE SEWING PROCESS
First of all, add paper stay to the interface of the half-length to give it stamina.
You can skip this step if you don't want it.
Attach your lining to the half-length and the zip.
Gather the tulle net and join it to the half-length.
Sew the hard net on the wrong face of the plain material.
Gather it while joining to the tulle net.
Add lining to it and make sure it is gathered, too.
For the sleeve, measure the total circumference of the armhole and multiply it by four for a fuller effect.
Here is what the final result looks like.
Is it a Yes or a No for you?
©️Medemausi 🌟
All pictures are mine.