#dress making

[thetimetravelingseamstress]

Cropped so you can’t see my face but look at this dress I made I’m so fucking proud

[angelpuns]

I got reminded how much I enjoyed designing/making dresses during college so here's some old designs and also the 3 dresses I made during college! I actually had another one I embellished but I didn't take any pics of it :/

Some explanation for all of them cause teehee it interests me:

- first one is an Edwardian era Ponyo Dress that I never got to make but I remember every few months :) the pattern isn't as accurate as I'd like since I drew it before I had done a ton of research, but it'd still be fun to make one day!!

-some Mother Nature designs!! Was gonna make these as well but just didn't have the time or money :/

- peach chiffon dress that I made for a photograph project, where I dressed my friend up and then photographed her in like super run-down buildings and stuff. I just wanted to make a pretty dress :)

- metamorphosis dress. Okay so we had to make a project about metamorphosis so I was like ' reverse ugly duckling dress'. The black dress underneath is the main dress, and then the white dress on top closed in the back with snaps! I had my friend model it during our critique and she revealed the black dress underneath :) its still the best dress I've ever made - construction wise it wasn't great cause it was also the first dress I ever made- but still!

[moononmyfloor]

So I made a Mamianqun!

I've been wanting to make a one for so long. Then I saw this fabric in an outlet that sells faulty fabrics discarded from factories, where you can find some unusual stuff that you can't find in regular shops.

This fabric is supposed to have this print all over, but got only printed at the bottom. If you squint you can see faded print marks on the middle section too. The moment I saw this I immediately thought of a mamianqun because a lot of mamianqun come with bottom print 😍.

However do not copy me in this, because I only thought of the pattern and not the fact that the fabric is too bulky and heavy especially for dress with humongous volume. It does not make for for the nicest, crispiest pleats as you can see in the pictures below. Also this is gonna be such a pain to wash and dry.

But I will give myself a pat on the back because this is my first attempt, and for someone who has never taken a formal sewing class nor is able to properly follow any instructional guide because I'm scatterbrained like that, I think I did a pretty swell job! ☺

Even though it took me a whole damn day and numerous frustrating unpicking and redoing over and over again, lol.

Though I am not able to provide you a guide (because like I said, I myself am incapable of following any), I used the following four sources to get an idea about what I am trying to do to begin with. I studied these four, then attempted it myself and figured it out gradually as I went, through trial and error.

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1. This helped me understand the overall geometry of the garment.

2. This gave me clear visual aid about what the end product should look like.

3. This doll-size mamianqun video was simple and gave a very good and non-complex demo of the process.

4. This helped me with understanding how to attach the waistband.

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The modifications I added myself are:

Making the waistband a button-up. As the skirt was already so heavy, I thought a long strip of a tie would make it even more difficult to handle. But at the same time it is not easy to secure something like this so it wouldn't accidentally fall apart. So I used two sturdy buttons from the front, and another button in the back, from inside (you can't see it)

Adding pockets! In the 3rd source I posted above, at the 0:41 mark you see that there's this one huge pleat that gets folded inwards, right?

And I thought, two simple vertical and horizontal stitches from inside can turn them to pockets, so why not!

The final product! Yayyy!

(Don't look at the imperfections, they are shy ok!)

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More posts by me

[ahedderick]

Dress progress. I'm undecided on whether or not to add the heart appliqué on the front. I can't decide if it's cute or 'too precious.' Big pockets in the side seam, though . . ALWAYS the right thing to do!

[costumeloverz71]

Congratulations Karla Torres, winner of the duct tape prom dress contest! This dress is made entirely of duct tape!

Her mind-blowing dress also went viral on social media, helping her earn the most online votes in the competition, Duck Brand said.

Her pink pastel gown, highlighted with pops of gold, was inspired by 18th-century French art. It also featured a custom duct-tape handheld fan and matching clutch.

Torres is a recent graduate of Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School in Los Angeles. She plans to attend college and major in business marketing, with hopes of eventually pursuing a career in the fashion industry.

X

[chemicala]

New dress, baggy on my lower ribcage, any tips on how to alter?

[katuschka]

Sewing project no.3. My Starcatcher outfit's finally finished and ready for my show. All I need is a simple miniskirt.

[brainscramble95]

I stopped updating for a while because I was completely underwater, but the day has come. Romeo y Juliet is officially open and my work is done! I learned so much through this process, and am so happy with the result. There are many things I might do differently if I had a second chance but I am taking them as learning experiences. I kinda can’t believe I made it happen from start to finish.

[tiger-in-the-flightdeck]

Help me make a decision?

I'm adapting a pattern from Mood Fabrics, and I think I only have enough of this polka dot material to make one version of this dress. Should I go with A or B?

[borninwinter81]

You know you're into weird and alternative sewing and dressmaking when a friend sends you this picture of pattern for a priest's cassock that they found in a charity shop because they think you might want it, and you say yes without hesitation.

[thingsihavecrochetandknit]

Finished my 1840s dress! The pattern is from Black Snail Patterns (but I changed the sleeves and the skirt is a split skirt). Luckily we had 6 years of fabric laying around waiting for me to use it

[cheesedoots]

Also in the midst of working on a massive project for Ren faire this year! Im doing a full Court of matching couture~ this is one dress in progress~

[moononmyfloor]

I made a Baidiequn as well!

This time I didn't follow any guides but the memory of making the Mamianqun, but now I can tell you what the heck I was doing because this time I wasn't as lost and new as the first time!

Important: Don't take this as a word to word guide, I'm no sewing expert and I'm very bad at following instructions myself. I'm only sharing what I did.

1. This time the fabric was lighter and crisper than the mamianqun one. So yay for that! I washed it and sun dried it first, because some fabrics tend to shrink after washing and better not risk any deformation after I've made the whole thing.

2. Then I considered the width I want the belt to be, and chopped a horizontal strip of that size off the fabric.

3. Then I decided to sew the hemlines. I thought it would be much easier to get that over with, than struggling to sew a consistent line after all the pleats are done and the skirt is unwieldy.

Now, don't quote me on this, but I thought if the hems are wide, it'll help the final result to be neater. Because I've had dresses with barely there hems get twisted and undone after multiple washes and wear. So I made all three (bottom and 2 sides) hems an inch wide each so they would remain flat and compliant of the numerous pleats to come.

4. Now onwards to the pleating hell! I got fed up with pinning one pleat after the other, and unlike a Mamianqun which only had two separate bundles of tiny pleats at the sides, a Baidiequn has tiny pleats throughout its length! And there was 2 and half meters of fabric to go so I just went ahead and started sewing, pushing the pleated fabric underneath the needle as I went with the help of a protractor I had nearby.

It went surprisingly well though! And the colors were SO SO BEAUTIFUL, it felt like a dream, incredibly satisfying to see it take form in front of my eyes.

5. Let me tell you, pleated skirts are a void of length! Before I knew it, the 2 and half meters had dissappeared and turned out it wasn't enough! And I have a tiny waist to begin with! Initially I planned for a baidiequn with pleats throughout, but I had to unpleat the front lapel and the lapel beneath it to gain more volume. Very sad times. I had to give up on the pleat-pocket trick that I used for the mamianqun as well.

6. Pleats done, now the time to attach the belt. I attached the strip of fabric I initially cut off, first from the underside of the skirt, then folding it over on to the good side and closing it off. (I hope you understand what I'm saying haha)

The idiotic thing I did was though, as you can see I left a good portion of the skirt inside the belt.

I thought it would give strength to the belt lmao. Only later I realised "Hoo boy, it gonna be a pain to wash, dry and iron this belt" It's CHUNKY now. Not recommended. However it's quite cusion-like around my waist now?😆

7. Finally, the tie. I didn't use a tie for mamianqun so I've been wanting to try it anyway, also I thought now the front portion of the skirt is flat due to unpleating, a tie-decoration would make it look nicer.

8. All done! It took like 4 hrs. With less idiocy and more planning, it would probably take even lesser time.

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If you promise to not judge, here's me wearing it!🤭 Night had fallen when I finished it, and the artificial lighting only highlighted the imperfections. It doesn't look as pretty as in the photos above! :(

Anyway, lessons learnt. So that's something, right?

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More posts by me

[ahedderick]

   Oh, I did receive a photo of my niece in the monster dress! It fits just as I hoped it would, a bit long so she can wear it longer. I used to make my daughter’s dresses long, and she would wear them until they were knee length! (She has her hands tucked behind her, by the way, I just realized that looks a little confusing.)

Once again, the print for the fabric came from:

@pterribledinosaurdrawings 

[patterncos]

What type of fabric can I use for the Anabelle dress pattern? 🎀

It is a basic and cute dress with flounce, so fabrics that give that movement to the skirt will be great.

🍁 Linen plain weave

🍁 Crepe

🍁 Voile

🍁 Cotton vichy

🍁 Thin denim

When you're looking for a summer feel, these fabrics are fantastic. Looking for a linen or cotton composition will give you much more freshness.

Sewing pattern - Anabelle Dress

[anielskaaniela]

How to Sew a Ruffle Reglan Dress with Pockets (Free Pattern Included)

In this post, you will learn how to sew ruffle raglan dress with free PDF patterns. Do you want to learn how to sew a ruffle reglan dress with pockets from a free pattern? This is a great project for beginners and experts alike, as you can customize it with your favorite fabric and style. In this post, I’ll show you the step-by-step process of making this dress, from choosing the fabric to…