the prom dress ~ part 3 putting it all together

this is a follow on to part 1 and part 2 of the process of making my daughters leavers prom dress.

once the bodice was completed i was happy as this was the most challenging part. Next it was the skirt...

the skirt was made  of three layers. the first being  in the lining fabric. this was constructed with darts at the waist for shaping and to keep any bulk to the minimum. it was then cut as an A line to create some foundation for the fullness at the hem of the top two skirt layers so they didn't hang around the ankles.

The next layer was the satin which was lightly gathered at the centre waist and sat over the lining with a little more fullness at the hem.

the top layer was the beautiful silk chiffon which was also gathered at the waist but kept flat at each side to contour the hips.

once all three skirt layers were joined they were attached to the waistband. we used my very old overlocker to neaten all the seams; here is my girl overlocking, it was great to teach her how to  do this.

An invisible zip was attached to one side seam and then the linings were stitched in with a slip stitch  to keep everything neat from the inside

 

the final job was the hems and we had 3 of them!

initially we were going to roll the hem by hand on the chiffon but if frayed so much that the turning was greater than i had anticipated and my girl wanted the skirt to be as long as possible. As i had already cut the length i decided to try a roll hem on my overlocker. it sewed beautifully much to my surprise so it was the perfect answer. the other two hems were also hemmed on the overlocker.

overlocking hems to me seems to feel like it's unfinished or just lazy, but it really gave the best finish in this case.

here are my samples on each of the fabrics...

when she tried it on we were both very excited and also very relieved that it had all come together.

i also made a little chiffon flower for her hair and a sweet bow clutch bag using a tutorial i saw in Love Sewing Magazine issue 1 . i found the fabric for the outer bag in my stash and it matched her little suede shoes, which also had a bows on. the bag lining is a patterned silk  which was passed on to me by a special aunt so it felt perfect using it  for this occasion.

much to mine and my family's amazement the dress and accessories were finished with days to spare. as i am usually an 11th hour girl this felt a little strange but good at the same time!

now  we just had to wait for Prom night.

 

Comments

[Rachel L]

I have zero dressmaking skills so this is quite fascinating to see the whole process, I'm so impressed! Can't wait for the big reveal now, I bet she will look gorgeous! Rx

[myrtle]

thanks Rachel, hope all is well with you, love all the quilting you have been doing, much love Gx