My party dress

I hate shopping for clothes. Really.hate.it. I order most of my clothes online. I don't enjoy shopping in general anymore, since it is very uncomfortable for me (all the walking around, but again -- a post for another day). I hate trying to find something to fit me, it just depresses me.

As I mentioned, my niece got married last weekend. My sister's and the other mom's dresses were floor-length formals. The bridesmaids and house party all had short dresses. I decided to split the difference and go with ankle length. The traditional "mother of the bride style" dress, with the obligatory jacket top or cover was considered way too old-fashioned by my niece and sister, but I felt I would be more comfortable with a coverup of some kind. The bridesmaids' dresses were champagne, the house-party girls' were brown, my sister's was dark brown.

Given all these variables, I decided to make a dress. Knowing that 1)patterns don't size the way commercial clothing does and 2)not all designs work out on my body as intended, I decided to make a "test" dress first. In costuming and dressmaking, the pros recommend that you make a "muslin" -- a plain version first for fitting. I decided instead to buy inexpensive fabric that I like and make a short version of the pattern for daytime wear before committing to the final dress.

First I selected Simplicity pattern 2498. I liked the attached bolero-looking top. I figured this would give me the cover-up I was looking for without having the actual jacket.

For my test dress, I found some knit fabric at Wal Mart in a floral (well, leaf-al) pattern of browns. This had a nice drape and I felt it would make a nice dress for fall.

I made up the dress, learning a lot about the pattern as I went -- such as it is constructed like a dress with spaghetti straps with a separate bolero, sewn together at the waist. The fabric was a little tricky to work with, but the dress came out ok.

Unfortunately, it looked like crap on me. Tight in the least-flattering places, loose in the top -- trying to slide off. I don't know what the intention was for the sleeve cuffs, since there was no elastic called for even though they have a small band, but they were about twice the circumference of my arm. The princess-seam style is clearly not for me. I left it without finishing the hem (the only thing I lack). If/when I lose a few pounds I might finish it, but I'll definitely have to do something with those sleeves.

So, back to the drawing board. Somewhere along the way I had bought the New Look pattern 6270. I really liked the long cover-up/coat on this pattern. However, the princess-seam styling was not going to work. I found Simplicity 2882. The skirt on this one has only side seams and there is some loose gathering in the center front. For my "apple" style body, this seemed to be a good plan.


I decided to make the short view with the straps as a sun-dress and found some $1.50/yd fabric. The bodice is unusual in that the front is made of three pieces that are curvy. When sewn together, they create a full look.

Thankfully, the test dress fit. The cut is a little low, so I bought a white t-shirt to wear under it, and it looks great. It's a good thing too, since I have never been able to keep straps like this up on my shoulder. One is always slipping off. Without the t-shirt, I could be a walking "wardrobe malfunction". Not something the average person wants to witness, especially on a grandmother.

Since the blue dress worked, I decided to go ahead with this pattern, using the alternate bodice style, with a more traditional sleeve-opening. I had been looking at some fabric at the local store that came in a variety of matching colors with satins, sheers, light and medium weight fabrics. I had decided to use something in the browns to make the dress with one of the sheers to make the coat. I did NOT want to use chiffon (my sister and I made 12 chiffon drapes for the pews. I discovered that I don't like working with chiffon, at all.) They had some plain and sparkly organzas that would work. When I got to the store, I decided on a coppery-brown satin, and was just about to pick up the organza when I spotted some lace on sale. It is kind of the crinkle-sheer equivalent of burn-out velvet. There are large roses all over it that are sheer in a crinkle opaque fabric. It also happened to match the satin beautifully.

The two pieces turned out perfectly, and together made a beautiful outfit. I got several compliments from strangers and casual acquaintances. My husband said I should let them think I spent a lot of money on it, but my pride got the better of me, so I had to tell them all that I made it. I did get some breast enhancers at the fabric store in order to lift my 50-something-year-old breasts. Otherwise, people would have wondered why they were pointing at my shoes. Besides, it is always my goal to get my boobs to stick out further than my belly, which is a challenge for me (I always say I take after my dad in this area). Anyway, my daughter-in-law said I was "boob-a-licious", something I don't hear much!

I haven't worn heels taller than 1" pumps since sometime in the 1980's. I broke a bone at the base of a toe in a car wreck (I was hitting the brake pretty hard). I wore flats with my floor-length gown to my son's wedding last year. Since this dress was ankle-length, I decided to give some low heels a chance. They weren't too bad, in that they didn't cause excrutiating pain, but by the end of the evening the swelling was not too attractive (although it did provide a cushy pad to walk on). Sunday was rough, but what's a little pain for the sake of beauty, right?

So, if you are making a dress for a special occasion, I highly recommend the test dress method. Using an inexpensive fabric is better than committing the $60 of higher-priced fabric on a dress that turns out not to fit. Also, don't be afraid to mix pieces from different patterns. That makes your dress a unique, designer original!