Fortunately, in our lives there are sometimes situations in which a beautiful, fashionable floor-length dress has no alternative. It could be a gala evening, a reception at the embassy, a family celebration. Of course, in modern stores you can buy any thing. And if a suitable dress is not available, order the product online, even from Moscow or New York. But, as a rule, such things are very expensive and, besides, there is no guarantee that the dress will fit you perfectly in all sizes. The solution to the problem can be sewing a dress with your own hands. Especially if you have at least a little sewing skill. We will look at how to model a pattern for a floor-length evening dress and sew it in this article.
For an apple shape
The best choice in this case would be a dress with a corset. For novice dressmakers, this solution may be difficult to implement. As an alternative, you can consider draping on the stomach or fork-shaped darts below the waistline. A Greek-style dress made of light “flying” fabric or a one-shoulder dress will look great on such a figure. A high waist and small drapery of the skirt will visually “stretch” the silhouette, making it slimmer.
Constructing a pattern
Sequence of pattern construction:
- Model the bodice. You can use a basic pattern of the product that suits the person’s parameters and start modeling. The bodice consists of 2 parts, so the top and bottom will be made separately.
- Sew a belt. Set aside 5 cm along the back and front sections, then combine the points with a segment. Cut off the belt with the skirt. As a result, a back and two shelves were formed.
- It is necessary to move the shoulder wedge seams down.
- Make the straps up to 3 cm wide. At the bottom of the bust, add 4 cm, because the darts have been transferred, and add pleats.
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Lace trim
How to sew a belt? The width of the belt will be about 5-7 cm. And the length is calculated according to the equation:
- for the top cut - 2x + 2 y (the length of each bodice element along the bottom line is added up). It is also necessary to add allowances immediately;
- for the bottom cut - A+B, waist circumference parameter.
Skirt construction:
- get rid of darts at the waistline;
- on the skirt, perform a spread. Here you need to build cut lines on both sides of the skirt;
- expand the received parts to the required size.
Decorating a wedding dress
The construction of the skirt ends with the design of the waist line and cuts. Choose the length as desired.
Ready-made evening dress patterns
Dress with a year skirt
The pattern of a dress that opens the back, with sleeves in the form of petals, is worked out for three sizes, height 164 cm:
- 46 r., OG = 92 cm, OT = 74 cm, OB = 100 cm;
- 48 r., OG = 96 cm, OT = 78 cm, OB = 104 cm;
- 52 r., OG = 104 cm, OT = 85 cm, OB = 112 cm.
You need to print the patterns in full size, taking into account the scale. You can sew such a dress with or without sleeves, finishing the armholes with bias tape. In addition, the dress is completed with frills along the bottom edge.
How to sew a dress
We cut out the parts with an allowance of 1.5 cm along all seams, along the bottom edge - 3 cm.
We sew the front parts together using a basting stitch.
We sew down the back parts, leaving an open area at the top for sewing in a zipper.
We pin and sew folds along the neckline.
Sew in the zipper using a basting stitch.
We make machine seams and iron them.
We process the neckline and lower back with facings.
Sew on the upper back pieces. If desired, they can be made double.
Sew the side seams together and press. We process the armholes with bias tape.
We cut out and sew frills along the bottom of the dress.
Sew the hook onto the upper back pieces.
The dress is ready!
How to choose the right style
If a person’s main weight is concentrated in the lower part of the body, that is, large hips and buttocks, but at the same time an elegant waist and chest, and narrow shoulders, then this type of figure is called an A-silhouette. For such proportions, an empire style dress is perfect - with a high waist, a wide A-line skirt and a lot of draperies of material. You can also wear long dresses with decorative trim on the bodice.
Dress transformer
If you have an hourglass figure, then this type is called the B silhouette. This figure is characterized by large breasts, full shoulders and hips and a rather narrow waist. In this case, it is better to choose products with an emphasis on the waist. If you want tight-fitting things, then be sure to use a wide belt. For this type of figure, you can use any high-waisted cut.
Types of female figures
If a person has an almost invisible waist, very wide shoulders and small breasts, then this type of silhouette is called S. With these parameters, girls usually have slender legs, so they can be highlighted. It is advisable to buy products just above the knees.
The wearer of the D-silhouette has narrow shoulders, a large bust, and wide hips. The main goal is to achieve a longer and slimmer look. In this case, it is advisable to choose a stylish dress with a tight-fitting bodice and a deep neckline. For such shoulders, only flared sleeves are used.
Owners of the E silhouette type have a large neck, wide back, voluminous bust, wide hips and a full waist.
Open back dress pattern
When choosing an evening outfit, you need to focus on trapezoidal styles. You can choose a model that is relevant for a particular season with a spacious top and a fluffy short skirt. For such a figure it is better to use thin materials.
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The combination of broad shoulders, a large bust, lack of waist, large straight hips and beautiful legs causes a lot of problems for girls with an F silhouette. The main goal is to choose a model that does not visually make the girl even bigger. It is better to give preference to one-piece products with a slight drape and a length just below the knee.
1 Piece Dress Pattern
Attention can be concentrated on the original design of the bottom or neck. All dress styles must cover the shoulders.
Patterns of dresses with an open top on the back and drapery on the front bodice
Ready-made patterns are made for sizes: 38; 42; 44; 46; 48.
You can determine whether your measurements correspond to the presented patterns by taking measurements and comparing them with the data in the table.
How to sew a lining to a dress
Step by step work:
- All seams and darts need to be done.
- Finish the edges and iron them.
- Fold the bottom of the dress and sew it.
- Stitch the armhole.
- Sew the main product with the cover with right sides together, connect the shoulder seams with the side seams.
- The lining material should fit loosely to the body.
- Sew a zipper between the lining and the dress. To do this, turn out the material of the cover, attach the zipper and sew it on.
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Only natural and thin materials are used as lining.
Satin bow on the belt
Black and white dress
Dresses with a combination of contrasting colors look quite original. To sew such products, you can also use the simplest patterns of long evening dresses. To make a template for such an outfit, you will have to tinker a little, but it's worth it.
First, they take measurements from the waist and hips and again resort to the already familiar method with a T-shirt. After the top of the product has been re-shot, the middle line is determined, ¼ of the measurements are set aside at the level of the waist and hips, the side cut is slightly narrowed towards the level of the knees, and then a small flare is made. Two pieces for the back are cut out of the fabric.
Next, the template should be cut along the middle line and the flare should be duplicated from below, and from the waist line, cuts should be made from the middle to the side seam for drapery. The template is cut, not reaching the edge by about 0.5 cm, the elements are moved apart by 3-4 cm and fixed in this position with tape. And these will be the parts for the transmission of the product.
Another interesting option
You can sew an evening dress with your own hands without a pattern. This can be done using thin scarves, stoles or scarves that are unnecessarily lying in the closet. The sequence of actions is as follows.
- First you need to sew the bottom of the dress. To do this, you need to connect the edges of a large scarf or sew two smaller scarves together.
- Fold the edge of the fabric along the waistline, hem it and insert an elastic band into the resulting drawstring.
- Now it's time to work on the bodice. Having put on a sewn skirt, you can arrange the scarf from which the top of the dress will be sewn in different ways and choose the option that suits you. It is advisable to occasionally sew the folds formed as a result of draping the scarf with invisible stitches so that the dress holds better and does not lose its shape.
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The result of this work depends on the pattern on the scarves; it is necessary to ensure their symmetry and the coincidence of the lines on the seams.
You can't stop sewing beautifully!
Dresses, Miscellaneous, Recommendations
Friends, in the previous article I talked about my participation in a competition of articles and master classes on the topic of sewing, modeling and design.
Thank you to everyone who liked my publication!
But today we are not talking about that.
Today, as promised, I want to share interesting information from Asya Minulina’s website.
The fact is that I recently became acquainted with one of the training courses presented on the Sewing School website.
Asya Minulina has a course on tailoring a cocktail dress, and a few days ago I had the opportunity to meet him. I want to share my impressions about the course.
This educational video course “Cocktail dress. From an idea to a sewn item” is made professionally, interestingly, competently and in detail.
Sometimes it’s even very detailed (probably the fact that everything is too chewy seemed too much to me), but otherwise, the course is excellent!
I quote:
Purpose of the video course: To provide a detailed step-by-step method for sewing a beautiful, draping cocktail dress.
In the process, you will not only learn how to build the basic design of a woman's shoulder piece, but also master the basics of modeling, which you can apply when sewing other dresses.
You will also see in the video all the steps of the technological processing process - to transform a piece of knitwear into a chic dress!
I assure you that by consistently studying all the lessons of the video course and applying the knowledge gained in practice, you can easily learn how to sew beautiful dresses and not only for cocktails!
Why am I so sure of this? I’ve been sewing myself for over 20 years, and I have a professional education as a process engineer, but I was interested!
While watching the video tutorials, I remembered my knowledge about design and materials science, I was interested in learning various professional tricks, I took a few notes and will definitely use them when sewing.
I myself like dresses, I love wearing them, probably even more than skirts.
Previously, it seemed to me that sewing dresses was difficult, but once I tried to sew one dress, then another, I realized that everything is not so scary. But how beautiful and unusual (in our trouser times) a girl in a dress looks.
When you put on a dress, your inner mood changes, your posture straightens, and you feel feminine - seductive or perky, depending on the model.
Summer is approaching, and this is the best time for dresses, so buy or sew dresses, wear them and catch the eyes of men!
With best wishes, Elena Krasovskaya
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