The White Bow Dress!
12:00 PM
Once again, I had on the tv and glanced up at the screen and it was sewing kismet! There was a dress that I had to have!
Hilary on The Young & The Restless (she's pregnant in real life) was wearing this striking pink dress with bows on it and I had to know more. My favorite site for locating wardrobe from my favorite tv shows, never lets me down.
The dress is Black Halo Mystic Bow Dress.
To make my dress happen, I simply looked at the lines of the designer dress. The main thing: princess seams with no waist seam. So, I knew I'd be starting off with Vogue 1532. For the neckline, I went with a pattern I'd already used prior -- McCall's 7728.
First thing first, I had to marry the two patterns and picking fabric. My fabric is from my Spring/Summer Fine Fabrics Haul. It's an ivory rayon/viscose crepe.
For the center front, I cut it on the fold eliminating the center front seam.
I left the back like Vogue 1532, well... I lowered it by 2", instead of having a v-back like my inspo dress. I made bias cut straps for the dress as well.
To create the bow detail, I left the seam on one side open at the upper thigh. I spread open the seam so that it would hang apart and sewn in an inset or gusset... whichever you want to call it.
Here is the inside. Now, I haven't seen the inspo dress in person. This is just how I feel things should go. And as you can see from the results, it works.
I sewed the bows the same you would sew a fabric belt and hand stitched them on.
I installed an invisible zipper.
The dress is fully-lined and I used a nude lining. My lining fabric is Donna Karan Warm Beige Italian Stretch Silk Georgette. My sewing tip: Never skip the understitching. It keeps your lining from rolling forward. I've been noticing lately that a lot of people skip that step and *think* that they can just press and go... nope. There's my way -- there's your way -- and there's the RIGHT WAY.
I finished it off with a 2" deep machine-sewn blind hem. So, that's it. I hope I didn't leave off any details. I hope you all find posts like these inspiring to know that you never have to sew a pattern straight from the envelope -- unless you want to. You can take pieces, add new parts and adjust anyway that you like!
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24 comments
great post! i really enjoy seeing how you adapted your inspiration to fit your own preferences. and it is a kickass dress.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Erin!
DeleteGreat post. Makes me want to try more pattern hacking. Your dress is so beautiful, even the inside is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThank you Carla!
DeleteThat dress is so perfectly you and yes never ever skip the understitching. Your finish on this garment is superb. Hats off to you.
ReplyDeleteThank you Cass!
DeleteGorgeous!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Kandra!
Deletefabulous dress and adore the hang of your fabric. perfect weight and so right about the understitching - I think its these details where the home sew-er has the advantage on some store bought.....incredibly glamorous as always
ReplyDeleteThank you Eimear!
DeletePerfection. On and off of you. You look fantastic in this dress. Thank you for the skill share.
ReplyDeleteThank you Angela!
DeleteI like how you figured out the dress pattern. Not sure where you would wear the dress. Not in my neighborhood. Maybe in a city's night club. Happy Creating.
ReplyDeletePlenty to do in Birmingham! Thanks Donna!
DeleteWow! Great hack and such a lovely, upscale dress. And so beautifully sewn I swear you could wear it inside-out.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sherrie!
DeleteAbsolutely gorgeous! I love that bow accent! Very Chic!
ReplyDeleteThanks Donna!
DeleteHola erika muy prolijo tu vetido. Muy lindo por dentro y por fuera. Ya lo estare haciendo para el verano en Argentina. Ahora esta haciendo mucho mucho frio. Un abrazo desde Buenos Aires
ReplyDeleteThank you Silvana!
ReplyDeleteWow, impressive sew! Not to mention how hot you look, congrats on both counts!
ReplyDeleteThank you Word Signs!
DeleteThis is stunning!! New sewer here - when you mashup 2 patterns, do you lay one down and trace it, then the other on top, then grade them together? I've been thinking about altering some patterns I have for nursing access but am scared to attempt the alterations! LOVE your blog, btw!!
ReplyDeleteThat’s exactly how you do it! Thanks Sonia!
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