Moving on to the pattern for my bridesmaid dress. In December, I made a series of mockups from Big 4 patterns, thinking some of them wouldn’t be suitable for the lawn but that would be fine because I’ll need a rehearsal dinner dress, too. These included Burda WOF 3-2009-116 (pretty darn unflattering with my small bust–would have taken many alterations to get a good fit) and Simplicity 2801 (a shortened view F–a definite contender for a heavier fabric than lawn, once I took it out in the torso side seams to fit right).
The only dress I have pictures of now is this one, made from Simplicity 2497.
The photo doesn’t do it justice. Wearing heels and not awkwardly posing too close to the mirror because the room is crowded with moving boxes and holding while I try handle a picture phone in one hand, I am really happy with the look of this dress. I used three shades of purple silk (decade-old leftovers from when my mom and I had a silk eye pillow business), I raised the waistline a couple inches, and I took about three inches out of the back band.
It’s comfortable, with room to move–something I value when dressing up. Those are bubble cap-ish sleeves you see, adding to the comfort. Though I’m not positive how I feel about the look of them on me. Too Snow White-ish?
I really like the other sleeve option for this pattern, but I can see how I’d feel Disney princess-ish in those sleeves, too. Everyone’s sleeveless/ruffle-y versions on Pattern Review were really lovely–so I could always do away with sleeves entirely for this pattern.
Fact of the matter is, though, that the green fabric really isn’t suited to this pattern, so there’s no use thinking too hard about what I’d change. The final mockup I made in my bridesmaid dress search was Butterick 5385, and I loved it!
I know, I know, that list of suitable fabrics on the back of the envelope says nothing about cotton lawn. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. I plan on layering the semi-sheer lawn so that a) it will have more structure, and b) it won’t be see-through. As I’m making it, I’ll make a call about whether to make it two or three layers.
Another decision I’ll have to make before I construct this will be length–knee length as-is or tea length? The bride is happy with either for me, and the maid of honor will be wearing a RTW knee-length frock, so I won’t look to casual if I go short. (BTW, the bride is very happy with the fabric choice, pattern, and muslin, which is the most important thing here.)
In my mockup, I added gathers to the middle of the front skirt, below the midriff, a touch that gives me more room for my full abdomen. I also think this will suit the lightweight lawn, give the whole dress a more drape-y effect.
I can’t wait to make this! I’ll have to wait a little while, since I’m not home with the fabric and pattern and dress form, but you can be sure to read updates here.
Oh, and since my December mockup frenzy, Simplicity has come out with this pattern that I adore and this new one by Butterick (view D) that looks just like this J.Crew one I’ve long admired. Well, should anything fall through with making Butterick 5385 in the sheen-y lawn (and let’s hope it all does work!), I’ll find some fabric with more body and make one of these.
So, that concludes this edition of Say Yes to the Dress–homemade bridesmaid style. Stay tuned for dress and wedding quilt updates as June approaches faster than we realize…
