Any little girl loves to feel like a princess. Clothes such as a fluffy ball gown with a photon skirt will help you create this look. Making a childhood dream come true is not so difficult. For holidays such as New Year or Birthday, or at a demonstration performance in a dance club, you can create a model of a fluffy dress for your girl. But you don't have to be a child to wear a dress like this.
Many girls also really love ball gowns, which they wear to prom or other special events. The question arises: “How to sew a ballgown with your own hands?” The answer to this question can be found below.
What does a ball gown look like?
Fabrics needed for sewing ball gowns
One of the most durable fabrics is supplex. Clothes made from this material are quite elastic and flexible, and are also practical. Guipure is also popular. Sewing elements from this material looks expensive due to the protruding lace. This is a stiffer fabric compared to lace. Material such as butter is natural knitwear. Ideal for tight dresses. Meryl is also a kind of knitwear, only stronger and with greater wear resistance. You can also sew a dress from silk. But such a suit will require special care. Sewing from pearl chiffon will have a special shine. In general, you can sew using different materials, but the best ones are those listed above.
Silk dress
Choosing fabric for a ball gown
The visual pleasure that dance gives to the viewer depends not only on how well the dancers have succeeded in their skills. To a large extent, the expression of art is expressed through the chosen outfit. And the dancers themselves receive phenomenal pleasure from their performance if their costumes are spectacular, original, fashionable and comfortable. That’s why partners seek experienced dressmakers in order to show off on the floor not only their dancing talent, but also their chic dress.
Sewing a costume for ballroom dancing is a special art. This is the case when elegance, beauty and style must be inextricably linked with practicality. After all, clothes that restrict movement will not allow you to properly concentrate on the dance. And where can one reveal the intended image when suddenly the fabric of the swimsuit “crawls” along the seam. That is why fabrics with certain properties are required for ball gowns.
What to choose for the standard? The peculiarity of ballroom competition costumes is their flexibility, the ability to obey movements and positions, revealing them from their best sides. The standard European program is distinguished by long dresses with voluminous skirts, a restrained style, which, however, is not alien to luxury and expressiveness. Dresses that flare from the hip and are decorated with rhinestones perfectly hug the female figure. Despite the apparent airiness, such an outfit can weigh several kilograms due to stones and other decoration.
For the standard, iridescent fabrics are in fashion today, which can look impressive even with a minimal amount of rhinestones and stones. These are organza, pearl chiffons, fabrics with fine lurex - everything that creates a discreet shine. The most advantageous colors: lemon, red, turquoise, black, deep orange, ultramarine - they look good in any light.
A women's outfit for the European program, made of silk, satin or satin, will look luxurious on the parquet floor, but such fabrics do not stretch well. Alternative: stretch satin or stretch satin. It is worth mentioning velvet - an excellent option for those who want to emphasize a certain area of the body, which is especially important for thin dancers. You can choose an outfit made entirely of velvet (there are an unprecedented variety of types and textures of this material), or use it for inserts. Chiffon and pearl chiffon deserve special attention, as they bring a feeling of weightlessness and flight into the dance. True, this is quite an expensive fabric, but for the standard it is ideal.
When choosing fabric for a dress, you must also take into account the requirements and some restrictions on costumes in each dance class.
Fabrics for Latin With the Latin American program, the situation is different: a short dress, “torn” at the edges or decorated with fringe, is combined with the speed of dance, which symbolizes passion, fire and requires appropriate “packaging”. The partner’s slender legs, hip work, and fast pace of movements are ideally emphasized by lycra and supplex, mesh inserts decorated with rhinestones. Supplex is given special preference: extremely durable and, at the same time, incredibly beautiful knitted material does not fray and allows you to cut skirts of various shapes.
Versatile Today, an option in use that will allow you to limit yourself to one suit for tournaments, regardless of what program you perform, is a transforming dress with detachable elements. For such dresses, supplex is used as a base, which is complemented with silk, stretch satin or stretch satin.
For the partner As for the clothing of the partner, usually for tournaments they choose black tailcoats for the standard program and trousers with a shirt for Latin. It must be taken into account that the fabric for tailcoats should not be fleecy. It is better to prefer synthetics, which are not hot and do not wrinkle as much as wool. The ideal solution is a slightly stretchy fabric. Do not forget that both trousers and tailcoat must be made of the same material. In the Latin American program, both classic black and stretchy fabrics, decorated with sequins and lurex, are acceptable.
The execution of the outfit is undoubtedly an important aspect, but 90% of the success of a dance costume depends on the right fabric. When thinking about which material to choose, first decide which parts of the suit it is intended for. Don't forget to evaluate the quality of the material, remembering that a high-quality item is not always the most expensive.
Ball gown models
Many girls dream of ball gowns, starting from childhood. You want to wear an outfit where the size of the skirt is amazing and mesmerizing from the first time you watch a Disney fairy tale.
The most common and advantageous are pastel colors and various shades of white. These colors are associated with innocence and tenderness, so they will look perfect on a young lady.
Ball gown model
For a noble and majestic outfit, rich shades are suitable:
- burgundy,
- blue,
- emerald,
- purple.
Attention! It will help to visually elongate and slim black. It turns out to be a rather strict image.
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For a bright and catchy look, typical of girls who are used to being the center of attention, fuchsia or bright pink color is suitable.
Shades of noble wine colors, deep blue, and emerald look very chic and seductive.
For those with fair skin, warm colors are suitable: orange or yellow, but not bright. Fashionable purple suits dark ladies.
There are an incredible number of ball gown models: a universal option: three-quarter sleeves, a full skirt and a cutout at the back. Also an interesting option: a voluminous skirt combined with a lace bodice. For those with a slender figure, models with a tight silhouette or a voluminous skirt with a low waist are suitable. The “fish” model is in great demand among slender girls.
Bright pink color
Ball gown pattern
Now we should move on to the main stage of work: a pattern for a ballroom dancing dress.
- The length should correspond to the bodice pattern and the circumference of the skirt. The fastest way to take measurements: take any turtleneck and trace its outline. The fabric stretches and wraps around the silhouette. It is necessary to draw a half-sun of the desired length on stretch fabric. Repeat the same steps on the tulle material.
Pattern No. 1
- To process tulle, you need to take a sewing machine and make a zigzag seam along the edge. The rest is processed with an overlocker due to its stretchy properties.
- Now it’s time to sew the seams on the shoulders. Next step: sew in the sleeves and one seam on the side. Now sew in the hem of the skirt, creating folds. You need to immediately insert the tulle so that the edges are invisible.
- Next, sew the sides and the seam on the skirt along one edge. All that remains is to turn out our suit. Here is a small master class on creating a ball gown. This is an easy option for the beginning seamstress.
Additional Information !
To create a narrow sleeve, I will open the armhole at the bottom and leave the sleeve at the bottom unstitched. It is better to insert a separate part that will cover the hole a few centimeters in a circle.
How to sew a fluffy ball gown for a girl with your own hands
Choosing material
You can buy the most beautiful material for a girl. Let it be the most expensive, the brightest and even the most brilliant, but it must meet the criteria for a children's product.
Preparatory stage
Prepare all the tools that any seamstress uses when creating an ordinary item. This is a measuring tape for taking measurements. This is a regular large ruler for drawings and patterns. Needles and pins for stitching edges. Threads and needles, respectively, a sewing machine and, if necessary, an overlocker. A couple of good scissors and all the material that will be useful in the work, this includes various fasteners and decorations for the model. Measurements will be different for different dresses. You can measure twice to avoid confusion with the sizes. For some measurements, surcharges are made immediately
It is very important when cutting out parts to pay attention to the seams and more often an increase of about 1 cm is made for the seam
Pattern of a lush ball gown for a girl
To make a ball gown, the bodice is very important. More often it is made fitted. In fact, it is somewhat easier to do for a girl than for women. The point is the peculiarities of the figure of the female body and the child. In this case, it is necessary to use fewer darts for the bodice.
In some models, the bodice pattern consists not of 2 or even 4 parts, but of eight. Since the cutouts of the side parts of the bodice will be separate. But this pattern is more often used to create adult ball gowns.
It is very important that the bodice pattern and the circumference for the skirt match the lengths, unless it is a gathered skirt. The hem of the model itself is often made in the form of a sun skirt
This way you can make a very curvy model.
Sew a ball gown step by step
To complete the product, all parts must be completed in the following sequence:
- the girl's measurements are taken;
- transferred to a sheet of paper;
- constructing a drawing and for this it is better to use special paper for a pattern;
- transferring the pattern to the fabric and cutting out the parts (it is better to make all allowances immediately on the pattern);
- stitching parts and, if necessary, finishing edges using fabric strips or an overlocker.
This is an approximate principle for working with ball gowns.
Sewing tips
It is better to use a T-shirt for the bodice pattern. For the skirt, make a sun pattern. The petticoat should have large flounces.
- The straps should be sewn directly onto the elastic band.
- Next, sew to the bodice details.
- Sew one side of the bodice.
- Sew the skirt piece, trim the edges and sew along the sides.
- Now all that remains is to decorate the skirt with ruffles and lace at the waist.
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Pattern No. 2
Care Tips
Popular recommendations:
- An awl and thread are an assistant for creating a costume, but they will not help in caring for it.
- Wash ball gowns separately from other items because they may stain. It is better to use the delicate wash mode for this.
- For an outfit with some jewelry, it’s not worth the risk and it’s better to wash it by hand.
- It is necessary to dry either on a hanger or in a completely straightened state, horizontally.
- You can iron dresses, but on a low setting. It’s better to use a steamer, especially for full skirts.
- It is better to transport and store in a special case. But after wearing, the cover does not need to be tightly closed so that the fabric can breathe.
- By following these care tips, you can keep your dress looking its best for longer.
Tulle ball gown
Ball Gown Jewelry
A lot of different elements have been invented to decorate a ball gown. These can be incredibly beautiful shiny rhinestones; flowers made from silk or some kind of applique are often used. Unusual straps look good, for example with frills or lace. Interesting embroidery is also popular, making the dress unique. You can also create some kind of print that will reflect the inner world of the baby. This could be his favorite character or an interesting inscription. And the variety in the choice of sequins, beads, beads and other things will not leave anyone indifferent. Decorations such as frills and ruffles also look very elegant and gentle. Everything depends only on the imagination of the needlewoman.
Embroidery on the outfit
As a rule, evening dresses are created with the help of flowers. This brings luxury to the look. Embroidery is in trend now. It could be a certain style or color, or maybe a cross pattern. A lace collar will transform any casual outfit into a festive costume. You can also complement the look with any collar as a decoration. Now there are many different ready-made collar options.
Almost any mother can please her beauty with a beautiful ball gown. Even any girl can create something unusual for herself. It’s not difficult, and the amount of jewelry will help you create either a casual look or an evening outfit. For those who have even a little experience in sewing, this will not be difficult.
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Increases in looseness of fit for the basic dress pattern
Before you start building the base, you need to know that the measurements in the pattern are not laid out “clean”, but with increases. What are these meanings? The increase is a value that determines the freedom of fit of the product. Here we will take increases designed for maximum fit, that is, for a dress.
Increases in calculations are indicated with the prefix - P. In my construction, the following types of increases will appear:
- PG - increase in chest - 3 cm.
- Fri - increase in waist - 1 cm.
- Pb - increase in hip circumference - 0 cm.
- Pspr - increase in armhole freedom - 2.5 cm.
- Pore - increase in sleeve girth - 4 cm.
- Pshs - increase in back width - 1 cm.
- Pshg - increase in neck width - 1 cm.
In the figure you can clearly see how the increase in Pspr determines the level of fit of the sleeve along the armhole. Depending on the value of the increase that you choose when constructing, it will depend on which sleeve you get in the finished product.
