idle interest dress questions

[rainbowtrout]

So...I''ve had this idea for a while. when I was very little my grandmother made me a "princess dress" out of white satin. Looking back at pics it looks a lot like a wedding dress.

Has anyone considered just finding a pattern, going to a local seamstress or tailor, and having the dress made? How much would this cost? My grandmother used to make dresses ridiculously cheaply as she would just buy the fabric and the pattern and a few days later there is a dress.

Has anyone tried to make their own dress? Just buy the sewing machine and the fabric? How hard was it? This might be a bit much for me as I am dead set on making my own cake come hell or high water.



The other idea (which flyfisher seems very intent on) is to get a real-deal custom bridal corset with a skirt made to match or just bought from the prom section of Macy''s or something. We''d do this for 2 reasons....it solves the problem of chest support, and it can be worn again in very dressy situation with a differant colored skirt. This would cost at least 600-700 though, and will probably be out of our budget unless the parents help.



BTW, I was never a girl to really think about weddings, so when flyfisher and I were chatting about it for the first time, I def. asked the most stupid gentile question ever:

"Honey, do rabbi''s travel?" (we were thinking of doing ceremony/reception at my grandparents house). Hee!

He looked very serious and said "No, an ancient Jewish curse binds them to the temple threshold." ....and then he cracked up.

 

[Lorelei]

I had my bridesmaid''s dresses made by a seamstress and she did a great job, this was nearly 20 years ago though! Unless you are experienced with sewing, it could be tricky to make your own, but you could always have a trial run - find a pattern you like and then try it with cheap fabric. A seamstress could be a good option if you can find a good one. Belle is good with sewing, maybe she might chime in?

 

[MelissaSue]

From what I have heard.. It can be just as expensive as buying a dress if you go to a seamstress,, depending of course on the detail and style of the dress.. My friend bought a cheap wedding dress ($90 I think) and it cost her almost 3 times that just for the alterations she wanted! And then when you get into buying fabric.. etc.. You''re really not saving that much money..

AND.. I saw some BM dresses that were made by a seamstress and honestly. THey were AWFUL.. Could have just been a bad seamstress.. but they basically just looked like the lady took a sheet of fabric and sewed a tube out of them.. THey had no shape, not flattering at all.. and the worst part was, one of the girls dresses was SAFETY PINNED in the back because it was too big for her.. ON THE DAY OF THE WEDDING! If you''re getting you''re dresses custom made, I would hope they would bother to get them to FIT!

 

[ladykemma]

sewing a wedding dress is easy. draping the pattern is hard.

silk and satin makes you pull your hair out.

Linen would be my best choice for a wedding dress to sew.

A corset would be easy to make for about $50. all it takes it a lot of masking tape to wrap you up tight, make a mold of your body, make the pattern from that. material would be sturdy cotton canvas with lace on top. some binding. Boning from the pallet strapping from the floor of home depot. The bitch would be the lacing holes -- Two days work of hand sewing.

If you are in houston I can teach you how to make your corset. otherwise get in touch with some seamstresses in the SCA in your area. we make corsets everyday!

a simple gored circle skirt for the bottom part. easy.

 

[ladykemma]

here is a link for corset making instructions. http://costume.dm.net/corsets/index.html. I find it easier to do a mold of masking tape than to do the measuring that she does.

if you want a victorian corset, heck they are ready made, just do a search

 

[rainbowtrout]

wow. that''s pretty neat! thanks...I will have to look into this. I''m not in Houston, but thanks.

 

[ladykemma]

here is a link to masking tape method
http://home.aol.com/lclacemker/larasbodicepattern1.html

and finally a link of the many shapes of corsets. be real clear what silhouette you want.
http://www.costumebeginner.com/corsets/shapes.htm

 

[teebee]

I think it can be a great idea if you find a great seamstress... Which is the tough part. I''ve had to wear a bridesmaid dress made from a pattern and it was terrible - it looked like a sack on me and by the end of the night the hem had fallen and I had to be careful not to trip on the dress.

But, there is a place here where I live in Oklahoma City and all they do is custom bridal - and I''ve heard remarkable things about their work and prices and their average delivery time is about 2 months. A friend of mine had her dress made there - initially took in a couple of pictures of what she liked, they gave some suggestions for her specifically (what would look best given her body shape, size, etc.) and took elements from the dresses she liked and made her a gorgeous gown.

Also, do you have any fabric shops around you? Not a chain like Hancock or JoAnn''s - but a fabric shop that specializes in clothing fabric - they are almost a rarity anymore. I went to the only one left in Oklahoma and they had a couple of finished bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses set up on dress forms - and they''d pinned corresponding bridal mag ads to each dress. Like, they''d pinned a Bari Jay ad to a bridesmaid dress that was a similar color & style to the one in the ad. Anyhow, I got a couple of business cards of the ladies who''d made those display dresses - so I think that a nice fabric store could be a good referral resource for quality seamstresses/tailors.

 

[selflove]

I have seen many of these seamstresses at bridal fairs in southern California. I have no idea what they charge but I tend to believe MS re: being as expensive as buying one. The other thing is finding a decent pattern. I looked at patterns for veils, which of course are located in the bridal gown section of the pattern book, and none of them seemed modern to me. I would be leary of taking a photo from a magazine and asking a seamstress to make it, so I think you would really have to rely on the pattern.

I use a seamstress to alter my suits and she used to be a dress maker, even had her own shop. She''s extremely talented but I would think she''d not be cheap b/c her alterations on my suits and on my wedding gown are not cheap.

Come to think of it, I think I''ve only heard negative feedback from people who had their dresses hand-made.

I''d love to hear more feedback from others on this topic.

 

[LizzieC]

I think you could definitely have a beautiful wedding dress made! Just depends on how "intricate" a design you''re after, and how talented a dressmaker you find. Oooh but definitely try and make your own corset if you''re handy enough! How neat would that be!

My favorite dress ever was a prom dress I had made for me! I had bought the fabric years a few years earlier (it''s a funky handpainted silk), found a pattern, took it to a dressmaker I was referred to by a fabric store. About 5 days & 2 fittings later, I had a dress! The seamstress did a remarkable job with a challenging fabric.

I still love love LOVE that dress... I think it might fit, so maybe I''ll have to post pics! We need a "SHOW US YOUR PROM DRESSES" thread!

 

[E B]

I''ve heard mixed reviews regarding getting a wedding dress made. Some loved the outcome, some hated it. I thought about it for a while, but decided against it. The fun of buying an already made gown is trying them on to see how they look and fit. With a seamstress, once the dress is made, the dress is made, like it or not. Of course, there are the muslin stages (and fittings) but the outcome just might not look...like you''d imagined. I know that''s the story of one PSer (whose name I''m forgetting now!)

What kind of dress are you looking for? Send the PS detectives to work!

 

[CareBear]

It is definitely possible to get your dress made by a seamstress. My friend had 2 dresses for her wedding. One she bought for the ceremony and another simple strapless A-line dress she had made. She bought the fabric (silk duppioni) herself and which only costed her about $50. She brough in some pictures of the design she had in mind and the streamstress charged her about $140 to make the dress. It turned out very nice!

 

[kelley1975]

I had my dress custom made--she charged $300 to make it, plus materials. If I had chosen a fabric other than duchess silk it would have been a fairly reasonable price. Instead it ended up costing $1000+!!! I also had my bridesmaid dresses made by a talented friend of mine...they were very affordable, and relatively simple to construct. I think both my dress and the bridesmaid dresses turned out wonderfully.

 

[fatafelice]

I normally just lurk over here (since I''m not off the LIW list yet!)

, but since I am a seamstress, I thought I would chime in.

The most important thing to consider is the seamstress herself (or himself). There are a lot of people out there who will tell you that they can make a dress for you...and they can. But they also may not really know anything about fabric selection, complicated contruction techniques, or (most importantly) fit. There are also some amazing people out there who make it look easy and could provide you with a gorgeous custom creation that fits you beautifully. The trick is finding that person. Ask around. Has anyone you know ever had a dress made? Can your dry cleaner or tailor reccommend someone? Do any of the local dress shops offer this service? Next, you want to see pictures of their work -- on the bodies that wore them, so you can see how they fit. And you should be able to inspect something they have made so that you can see their construction techniques and quality of workmanship. The last thing you want to do is pay someone and then cross your fingers that it comes out okay!

Re: Store bought patterns...most of the time, they are crap. In my experience, 8 times out of 10 you will have to make major changes to the pattern either before or after the garment is cut and completed. Fitting these patterns and having them look nice can be really challenging. If you go that route, be sure the person knows what they''re doing. I have also found that Vogue patterns, while more complicated, are better to begin with.

Re:Corsets...the kind you want -- something to wear that will provide support but also be the garment itself, visible to all on your wedding day -- is best either purchased or made by someone who has made many corsets before. Bridal corsets are beautiful and it would be hard to match the fit and quality in making it yourself.

I would recomend finding someone who is a trained and accomplished draper/pattern maker who can make something specially for you. This doesn''t have to be more expensive than off the rack, but it usually is.

Hope that helps! Good Luck!

 

[rainbowtrout]

thanks guys--it will be a few years before I have to nail this down

But I wanted to know if anyone had actually done it.

I also looked at the corset making site, and I think it might be fun, but by the time I make enough duds to make a nice silk brocade sweetheart neckline corset I think I might as well buy one.

There is a great picture of one I found, I''ll go try to find the picture.

 

[nytemist]

I wil report back with other things to look for with a seamstress. I want to have my ideal dress made. Since I don''t want it white, I have to. I''m meeting with him tomorrow and we''ll see how it goes. My first time in college I majored in fashion design and as Fatafelice said, some dressmakers are AWFUL! I have made clothing in the past (I think velvet is the HARDEST to work with) and wanted to do this myself, but it''s too important and I don''t really have the time.

He will love trying to fit my twins for a corset!

 

[jorman]

Hey Rainbow Trout~

I am sure the idea of making a dress, especially because of your childhood memory of your grandmother, seems great. However, you could be opening a huge can of worms. What if your seamstress is terrible with satin, silk, and lace? What if you get through the process, spend the money to have the dress made and you are not pleased with the outcome? I mean this IS your wedding dress. I think you could be taking a huge risk by having the dress made. Really good seamstresses are not cheap.

You have many other options with store bought dresses. David''s Bridal has the $99 dress sale. I have a friend who actually got her dress there for $99 and it was absolutely beautiful. I recently bought my dress at Macy''s. That''s right, ladies, MACY''S. We are basically eloping on the beach in Mendocino County and I wanted something simple. It cost $250 and it is perfect. There were several other dress options at Macy''s around the same price. I recommend visiting a few department stores and David''s Bridal while you consider having the dress made. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Good Luck to you!
Janna