You knew there was going to be more than one dress, and here she is, the party dress! The brief was a full skirt with a slight whimsical romantic vibe.
Fabric: Silk and Stitch Beaded Material
We found this beautiful fabric called Violet at Silk and Stitch and fell in love! It is a delicate 3D floral sequin lace featuring pretty sequin and bead detailing.
This beautiful fabric was our starting point for this project.
Pattern:
We wanted to start with the tried-and-tested patterns for the base of the wedding dresses. For the party dress, Erin knew she wanted it to have an open, rounded neckline, a fitted bodice and a full skirt. The detail for this was not so much in the pattern-making as in the fabric, so a simple design with the skirt as the hero.
We started this dress with the bodice of Butterick 6556, a dress design by Gertie that we have made many variations of. We made a toile to check the fit and test the variations we wanted to make, which included rounding out the front and scooping down the back.
Finished Project
Let’s talk construction details of this dress. Being in different cities, Erin in Canberra and Lauren in Melbourne, made for a little challenge in putting these dresses together. We used the time when we were together to find fabrics and try on toiles. This also means you get a fun play-by-play of Lauren constructing the skirt.
The skirt started with a layer of stiff net tulle cut in a circle. To create the fullness in the skirt, we cut lengths of light tulle and used the gathering foot to gather up the net before attaching it in layers to the base.
We did a few tiers around the hem to add the fullness before adding a few layers of the light tulle cut to the same circle as the base, before placing the beaded lace over the top.
We used a cotton drill based for the bodice so that there was a natural fibre next to the body. This was then boned before being joined with the outer layers of the bodice.
Discussing tulle layers with our High School Textiles Teacher
Photo Credits
Photography: Acacia & Grace Photography
Celebrant: Say I Do with Suse
Hair & Makeup: Alana Muha
Live Music: Baker Boys Band
Venue Styling: Sunshine Events by Lisa Pateman
Suit Designer: InStitchu
Venue: The Marion
Videography: Love Poets
Cake: Glacé Canberra
Wedding Party Outfits: Two Sewing Sisters
Headpiece: Lauren J Ritchie Millinery
Fabric: Violet lace purchased from Silk and Stitch
Pattern: Bodice base Butterick 6556
Zipper: Heavy Duty Invisible Zipper from Jack Stock
Gathering Foot: Sewing Machines Australia
James: There will always be another dress
