Burda Style For people who sew

I want to make a prom dress, but I’m not sure if I just want a corset or bustier or something. I want the top to be straight across and I’m going to have boning. But what do I do to make it look more professional?

Feb 12, 2012, 07.24 PM by Shelby Morgan

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4 Posts

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  Feb 12, 2012, 07.37 PMby BritJ

  You could try finding a pattern that fits what you want to make. They have a lot of great patterns out for this exact type. Some of them come with “mix and match” patterns, too. So, you can choose what you want & where. The instructions are normally pretty easy to follow, too. What do you think about something like these?

  http://www.simplicity.com/p-6744-misses-miss-petite-dresses.aspx http://www.simplicity.com/p-5823-misses-evening-dresses.aspx http://www.simplicity.com/p-2043-missmiss-petite-special-occasion-dresses.aspx

  (I just found one more!) http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v2810-products-317.php?page_id=861
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  Feb 12, 2012, 07.52 PMby katexxxxxx

  THE big ways to make the whole thing look a lot more professional are:

  Make sure it fits properly! Whatever pattern you use, make a toile first, and put the boning in the toile so you get a proper idea of fit. Get someone to take the measurements for you, and check them carefully with the pattern.

  Use decent quality boning! None of yer nasty Rigeline stuff… Get proper plastic or spiral metal boning, make nice channels for it, and don’t forget to smooth the ends of plastic boning or put end caps on the spiral stuff.

  Forget any Vilene/Pelon product the pattern tells you to use. Buy good quality WOVEN cotton interfacing. If you are using silk for your bodice, don’t try to use fusible interfacing: use a firmly woven cotton canvas as a sew-in interfacing.

  When you make up the bodice, make sure you allow for turn of cloth… Drape the individual pieces of the bodice, matched up with their interfacings, over a sleeve roll and then baste the two together. The fashion fabric needs to be on top. This will take the top fashion layer VERY SLIGHTLY in from the cutting line of the interfacing. Use the interfacing stitching line as your stitching line. Laid flat, the fashion layer will bubble up very slightly from it’s interfacing. Curved round the body, this will vanish and leave the fashion layer nice and smooth…

  BASTE everything! HAND baste everything! Clip and grade seams where you need to. Be light handed in your stitching… And check everything at least twice! Make sure all seams are balanced so right front princess seams, side seams, opening sides are all properly symetrical.

  Press gently, but press everything as you go.

  Hand finish.
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  Feb 12, 2012, 07.56 PMby BritJ

  What she said.. :P
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  Feb 12, 2012, 11.38 PMby AC1972

  Ditto !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!