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DIY Wedding Gown - Fitting

3 September 2010, 14:30

Pip came round last night for dinner, drinks, holiday food exchange (French cheese from me and Greek nougat from her!), and her final fitting on her bridesmaid dress.

If you cast your mind back to April and May, her gown is the long, purple, silk jersey Gant exclusive design gown from the Sept 2008 Burda magazine.

I’d completed the gowns back in May, but I left off the tiny covered buttons on the cummerbund and finishing the hem until closer to the day so that they wouldn’t have to worry about gaining or losing a few pounds, or deciding on different shoes before now!

Happily, Pip’s gown fits her perfectly, with minimal overlap at the cummerbund, and really her hem was just about perfect with her chosen heels. But then we realised that if she switched to her comfort flip-flops on the dancefloor, the hem would drag, so I’m going to pull up the hem by an inch.

Then Pip wanted to see me in my gown, and since I hadn’t tried it on since the skirt was attached, I felt it was a good idea. But even though I was capable of wrestling into the boned bodice before, it was proving impossible (and more than a little claustrophobic) with the attached skirt. It was apparent that I had to remove the brass bar at the top of the zipper to allow the top to fully open and give me extra room to squeeze into the gown. I’d thought I might have to, but I kept it in until now since it wasn’t a problem. So now I’ll just need to add one or more hook and eyes to the top of the zipper to keep it all in place.

It was still a bit of a struggle to get on, so it’s also apparent that I need the extra two inches left of the zipper at the bottom edge, so I’ll need to extend it down into the skirt seam afterall. Another reason I wanted to try it on while she was there to help me (and good god, I really do need help getting in and out of it!) is because I noticed the upper back was gaping just a tiny bit the last time I tried on the bodice, so I got her to lay size wide elastic across it and tell me how much stretch I’d need across the back neckline to keep it snug but not restrict movement.

I’ve still got two weeks to go (eek!) so I’ve still got plenty of time for these last little improvements and to sew the silk dressing gown. The bra strap carriers are done, so the remaining tasks are:

  1. Attach the elastic to the boning casings along the upper back neckline

  2. Create a small facing on the right side skirt seam and extend the lapped zipper a few inches down into the side seam (these few inches of zipper were just dangling inside the skirt until now)

  3. Fell stitch the lining in place along the waistband and zipper edge

  4. Attach one or two hook and eyes to the top of the zipper tape

  5. Get someone to mark out the new hemline while I’m wearing it, then trim and sew the hem


My mom and sister-in-law (along with the rest of my family!) arrive in exactly one week’s time so they might be helping me with that last task!

Oh, and if you’re a Burda size 42 or 44 (like me!) then go and have a bonanza downloading the free Lekala sewing patterns for the month of September. They’ve got some especially good dress and lingerie patterns right now!! (thanks very much, DD!)

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Comments:

  1. I really like some of the Lekala patterns. I’m going to download a few.Maybe I could make them at the same time I make the blouse I’ve had for 3 years! Can’t wait to see the finalized gowns at the wedding!


    — Mom    Sep 3, 06:02 PM    #

  2. Holy cow, that is a motherlode of free patterns. My shoulders are the only part of me that are a size 44, but I might try my hand at grading up a couple. Thanks for posting the link.

    Also, good luck with the wedding prep – I’m sure all of us here in blogland wish you the best wedding ever, and I’ve loved reading about your gown making process.


    — Laura    Sep 3, 07:04 PM    #

  3. Wow, that is a lot of free patterns. I couldn’t hope to find the time to sew all the ones that catch my eye. Any suggestions on where to get the directions in English? The Russian translation is well, amusing in spots and I’m sure I wouldn’t tackle the more interesting of projects without some guidelines. Still, incredible offer, thanks for posting the link.

    With respect to your honeymoon lingerie (something I do love to sew), wide lace elastic can certainly be your friend. I’ve made a few outfits with 5” wide lace elastic along the bust and then either a sheer circle skirt or floor length panels, plus matching panties of course. It’s simple, flattering and easy to draft to your own measurements.


    — Cathy    Sep 3, 08:21 PM    #

  4. Cool, thanks for the tip on the Lekala patterns. I downloaded 7!

    Progress is going well on the wedding and I’m loving your dress.


    — Annie    Sep 3, 10:42 PM    #

  5. Cathy, after I’ve played around with the Lekala site for entirely too long, I can share that there are English directions, but not for the newest patterns (the first 10 pages or so). For pattern numbers under 5770 or so, click on Technical Description and see if it’s available in English.


    — Laura    Sep 4, 02:41 AM    #

  6. Thanks for the Leko link. I’m in between the fixed size (roughly a Burda 36) and the Burda 42 but I won’t pass up free patterns. :)

    All the very best for your big day!!!


    — Sew4Fun    Sep 4, 02:57 AM    #

  7. This is all SO exciting! It’s like a real-life fairy tale on a boat!


    — karen ball    Sep 4, 03:01 PM    #

  8. I saved the pdf files of the ones I liked on my computer (took forever but i get to keep them forever too LOL.)I dont know how I found this site but last month the sizes included a 46 as well.


    — DD    Sep 4, 04:48 PM    #

  9. Have you tried stepping into your gown rather than pulling it over your head? (that’s what it seems you’re doing.) Much less claustrophobic, and you have more control over what you’re doing (less risk of wrinkling the skirt, too).


    — Isabelle    Sep 6, 06:59 AM    #

  10. Thanks for the pattern information – I love that they have such good line drawings too. You can draft the easier ones direct from your own block!
    The wedding preparations are still very exciting – not long now!


    — Kim Hood    Sep 6, 11:23 AM    #

  11. Laura, thanks, I started to notice more English directions as I went on. I guess the first bunch that I looked at were Russian and I figured the rest would be too. I’ve made up 2 of the lingerie patterns already. Although the directions are still a little odd in English, they went together really well, although I don’t think I’ll be tackeling the intricate patterns just yet. Such a great find.


    — Cathy    Sep 10, 04:52 PM    #

  12. Oh and the other thing I was going to mention is Modern Sewing Patterns has a lot (but not all) of the same patterns in S/M/L/XL (and a few XXXL)sizing. It might worth looking into for those of you who don’t fit the free Lekala sizes.
    http://m-sewing.com/

    Highly recommend the “Red Slip” 5241, btw.


    — Cathy    Sep 10, 05:08 PM    #

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