Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Dress to Tea Length, Matching Fill-In


The main reason why I got this dress was because of the unique fabric. But it was a standard strapless dress.


I knew that the fabric would be impossible to match and difficult to coordinate, so I bought two identical dresses.

I trimmed 13" off the bottom of one of the dresses, making it tea length. This was kind of complicated, because the dress had three layers of fabric: the outer shiny print, a layer under that, and a heavy satin slip.

I used the two top layers to make an insert that matched the dress exactly, using a piece adapted from a commercial pattern as my guide. I cut a layer from the top fabric and a layer from the lining fabric, sewed them together on all sides but the two straight sides, turned it inside out, and pressed it. Then I serged the two straight edges to finish them, draped the insert in place, and then stitched it down by hand to fill in the bodice. (Notice the fun gray and white pearl strings, a perfect fit for this dress!)





1 comment:

Becky said...

I found your blog through Pinterest, and wanted to say thank you. My girls are still only 9 and 6, but I know fancy dresses will come one day. My mom made all of my prom dresses, but I don't have sewing skills up to that challenge. I'm so happy to see what you're doing, and know that I could add sleeves or make a bolero. Have a wonderful day!