Five years ago I randomly decided that I would like to make my own clothes, having absolutely no sewing experience. My mom and I went to JoAnns and I picked out some quilting fabric, a kwik-sew pattern, thread, and scissors. I had no idea what I was doing or what I was getting myself into, but despite my lack of sewing related knowledge, I made that dress, teaching myself to sew along the way. I realize now that the "head first" approach might not be the most traditional way to learn, but for me, it worked.
This project has been much of the same. I now have a much (much) better understanding of sewing techniques and clothing construction, but I had little to no experience with many of the more "advanced" skills associated with wedding dresses, such as structural considerations. Even so, I jumped in head first and haven't looked back!
This blog post will cover the initial brainstorm and design processes. So, back to the beginning! I knew all along that I wanted to have a 1940's inspired wedding dress. 1940's clothing and aesthetic appeals to me the most, so I started thinking about the design and fit of a 40's wedding dress. This for me meant sleeves, a fitted bodice to the hip, a sweetheart neckline, and a flowing skirt.
From here, I began searching for patterns to help me create this look. One of the patterns I found initially was Vogue 8943, a Claire Shaeffer pattern. I was planning to alter the neckline and make the skirt longer, but I was drawn to the hip yoke and lace overlay.
I made a muslin from this pattern. It wasn't quite the shilouette I was going for but I decided to keep a shortened version of the hip yoke. I began looking for other patterns to help me realize my vision. I experimented with several patterns and sewed up a couple of muslins, but ended up selecting Retro Butterick B6022 for the skirt and Butterick B5731 for the bodice.
To create the sweetheart neckline that I was looking for, I used Simplicity 4215 from the early 1940's.
This part of the process was definitely the most extensive and time consuming, but I am pleased with the outcome. After making up several muslins, perfecting the fit and silhouette, and solidifying the design elements, I created this sketch to guide the creation of my Wedding Dress!
