Sew a Wedding Gown Yourself?

↑ rosehill ↓

Sun, Jun 21 2015, 5:33 pm

Dolly Welsh wrote:

Why is it more expensive? Maybe if one uses high-end fabric? But one can use white lining material.

It is so hard to find gowns or patterns that have sleeves and a neckline.

I will go see the site you mention.

Well, one quickly becomes snobby about fabric, and will only tolerate the feel of silk on one's fingers.
Then, one reads about the importance of underlining in silk organza.....presto! Double the yardage.
Then, one has to be sure to have ALL the right notions and supplies.
Suddenly, grandma's old singer sewing machine won't suffice, a machine with thread snippers, knee lift, auto hover etc becomes a must.
And of course, zig zagged edges just don't bring a smile to one's face; a serger is in order.....

Shall I go on?

↑ Dolly Welsh ↓

Sun, Jun 21 2015, 6:14 pm

You are feeling your hautes. Tsk, tsk. Uh, that's another kettle of fish altogether.

I was remarking on the seeming impossibility of finding a normal, meaning virginal and modest, wedding gown, that isn't styled like a bathing suit above the waist. They just do not seem to be made. There aren't even patterns like that.

The mother of a bride I once knew made her seven sisters' bridesmaid dresses out of bronze-colored lining material. Yes. Lining material. Polyester. And they looked very nice in the photographs. With a few bits of Velcro you could even avoid setting in zippers. They had puffy set-in sleeves, facings at the neck of the same fabric, gathered skirts. YOu could use fabric glue for the hems, too. You would have matching thread and needle handy for last minute problems.

We might use heavier fabric. Those were little girls.

I had an idea for a two or three yard dress of nice charmeuse cut on the BIAS with elastic shirring on the bodice, and sleeves made of the scraps. Those would be long triangles. No fabric wasted. No lining. It would puff out because of the bias cut.

Every neighborhood should have one industrious clever woman who does nothing else but run up very simple fitted gowns. One style, basically adjusted to each figure. Simple, simple.

You can get crinolines at Light In The Box.

zaq

Sun, Jun 21 2015, 6:23 pm

Dolly, you getting married? Mazal tov!
I know someone who could have and would have made her own gown but was told by a family friend that she would sew the gown as a gift to the bride. Bride designed her own gown and designed and sewed her mother's gown. Gown was of white eyelet for a summer wedding.
I know someone else who bought pattern, fabric and notions and gave them to a dressmaker to do the actual sewing. This was in the seventies, when Qiana nylon was a thing. Her gown was of lustrous white Qiana that had a bit of sparkle in it. Also a fairly simple, uncluttered design.
Lining fabric would be a bit flimsy, I should think, unless you sewed numerous layers. You would need something with a bit more body to it, but it would not have to be silk satin. For a summer wedding, white eyelet, dotted swiss, lace or similar summery fabric would be ideal, though obviously they would still need an underlayer or three.
If one's sewing skills are up to the task and one has the time to do so, why not sew your own? Especially if you plan on a fairly simple gown without a lot of fussy details. You can buy beaded, sequinned, pearl-encrusted lace by the yard or as individual appliques and embellish small portions of the gown without too much difficulty. These embellishments cost, of course, but you may be able to find remnants at deep discounts. If all you need is a little bit to trim here and there, you can make a gown that is less stark for not that much more money.
Now if a bride is in the market for a lavishly detailed, heavily embellished Princess Diana phantasmagoria of a dress, she would be better off renting than sewing it herself. But I think those things are a bit out of style these days except in RW circles, where the antebellum-style crinolined skirt still seems to reign supreme. More modern brides seem to go for very simple dresses, some of them so simple as to border on severe, and Waity Katie's dress was pretty plain, all things considered.

↑ Dolly Welsh ↓

Sun, Jun 21 2015, 6:56 pm

Hmm.

I am not getting married. I am at present married.

I was just wondering what people could do.

Charmeuse is a heavy satin, perhaps expensive but you would only need a yard or two; it is wide.

I am talking about a one-layer dress, so the fabric would have to be opaque. You could indeed overlay it with lace and glittery net. Glittery net isn't expensive. You could make ruffles of it too.

I agree with you that a gown should be gowny. Not too, too severe and plain. There is a time for fantasy and this is it.

https://www.onlinefabricstore......-.htm

https://www.onlinefabricstore......-.htm

https://www.onlinefabricstore......-.htm

This has a little stretch:

https://www.onlinefabricstore......-.htm

This has no stretch:

https://www.onlinefabricstore......-.htm

This is crepe-back satin:

https://www.onlinefabricstore......-.htm

THIS

is rose patterned white-on-white jacquard satin, so it is probably not see-through, and it is 60 inches wide. That's wide. And it is not expensive. You would get enough to make some mistakes, and to make a matching stole to put on if you were chilly. It's FOUR DOLLARS A YARD. And they send you samples for $1.50.

https://www.onlinefabricstore......-.htm

OF COURSE the more expensive the fabric, the better it is, as with everything, but you might look quite nice in some of these. We are not aiming for the Smithsonian. And lighting is fairly low at weddings.

SILK:

Thai Silks has silks. This jacquard silk is 16 mm, or "momme", weight, which is only medium weight. It is still 45 inches wide so you don't need many yards.

http://www.thaisilks.com/produ.....d=229

This is an embroidered silk/cotton chiffon to overlay over a less expensive fabric.

http://www.thaisilks.com/produ.....=1235

↑ Dolly Welsh ↓

Sun, Jun 21 2015, 7:33 pm

Here is some customizable software that generates customized patterns. It is from a regular poster here:

http://kosherpatterns.com/

You need to look past the photograph to the underlying structure of the garment: you can make it your way. You can eliminate detailing you don't need. You can eliminate pocket flaps. You can eliminate a drape at the neckline. You hav the underlying garment.

Her software generates sewing patterns that are adapted to the woman's shoulder, waist, length of waist, measurements, she says. I have not used this. I linked to it only as a suggestion. I do NOT know if it works.

As some of us are between standard sizes it might come in handy if it does work.

Fox ↓

Mon, Jun 22 2015, 11:29 am

Here's the problem with garment-making:

In order to do a good job of it, your sewing techniques have to be "in-practice," and you have to constantly add advanced techniques to your repertoire.

That takes a lot more time than the average hobby-seamstress has available.

So what about turning a love for sewing into a home-based profession?

The primary problem is that clothing can be manufactured in China or Honduras for less than the materials alone would cost -- and quite often done better, too!

They have specialized sewing machines that do nothing but hems or pockets; automatic rufflers; and machines to attached trim, etc.

In other words, an individual professional seamstress cannot compete on cost or quality with high-volume manufacturers in Asia or Central America.

But what about a seamstress who creates unique garments that conform to standards of tznius? Well, there are definitely such individuals.

They generally make a living based on two distinct markets: (1) wealthy individuals who are willing to pay higher labor and material costs in order to have something unique; and (2) alterations for reasons of tznius or fit.

There is, however, a business idea lurking underneath all this:

There are many Asian manufacturers who are willing and able to make what we might call "semi-custom" garments. Based on finite options, they can easily take the bodice from one gown and the skirt from another; add a higher neck or long sleeves; use opaque fabric rather than sheer, etc. They can sew to the customer's measurements rather than standardized sizes.

I've often thought someone could create a profitable business working with a handful of these manufacturers to provide special event clothing to frum women. The cost is often significantly less than similar off-the-rack items (e.g., a wedding dress might be $500) and there would be not additional alteration costs.

The same model could be used for simcha dresses and even suits or similar multiple-piece outfits.

Naturally, it would require building relationships with trustworthy suppliers, but I think it would be a great business for someone interested in retail clothing.

↑ Dolly Welsh

Mon, Jun 22 2015, 10:47 pm

Fox, your idea is good.

But I don't quite agree with this:

"Here's the problem with garment-making:

In order to do a good job of it, your sewing techniques have to be "in-practice," and you have to constantly add advanced techniques to your repertoire. "

Simple skills are plenty for many projects. Especially for skirts for rapidly growing young girls.

When you look at the money saved, it is amazing how your skills grow.

It is as if someone is willing to pay you many hundreds of dollars to learn how to put in a zipper.

Hmm. That is a good deal.

You look at the videos on You Tube and you make it happen. Times are hard.

↑ rosehill

Tue, Jun 23 2015, 4:11 am

Dolly Welsh wrote:

A wedding dress is not one o those projects.
You can mock my vision of layers and layers of hand woven silk and couture techniques, but even the simplest wedding gown cannot be made with a needle, thread, and a dream.

For one thing, it needs to fit perfectly; fitting being one of the hardest challenges for many home sewists.
For another, a gown often requires some serious engineering to support the length of the skirt.

And there's more.

I appreciate what you're trying to do, and wish I could offer a viable alternative. But a wedding dress using lining fabric and a YouTube video isn't going to make most brides feel terribly good on their special day.

↑ Fox

Tue, Jun 23 2015, 10:50 am

Dolly Welsh wrote:

Simple skills are plenty for many projects. Especially for skirts for rapidly growing young girls.

When you look at the money saved, it is amazing how your skills grow.

It is as if someone is willing to pay you many hundreds of dollars to learn how to put in a zipper.

I can't speak for other hobby-seamstresses, but that wasn't precisely my experience.

It's true I did make a lot of elastic-waisted skirts as well as jumpers when my DDs were small. That was back in the late 90s when the Hanna Andersen look was popular. I made the simple stuff and bought the more expensive leggings and tights that made the outfits look fashionable.

I also made a lot of clothes for my oldest DD, a"h, whose arms were significantly shorter than normal. I think it's especially important for kids with disabilities or "differences" to look fashionable, so I put a lot of effort into making sure her clothing fit perfectly and that she had all the accessories.

But sewing isn't like riding a bike. Unless you spend at least several hours a week on it, you find yourself making little mistakes or getting results that scream, "loving hands made this one at home!"

For example, an in-practice seamstress can accurately judge and maintain seam allowances. Get just a little out of practice, though, and your seam allowances will be all over the place. Ah, so you think, "I'll use the seam allowance guide on my sewing machine." Great, but again, if you're not in practice, the hand-eye coordination needed to manage the pedal, feed the fabric, keep an eye on the thread, and keep an eye on the seam allowance just isn't going to be there.

Another problem with the economics of home sewing is that you will quickly discover feature creep: the home sewing market is big enough to support all kinds of nifty products that you discover you really, really need. Give me a Nancy's Notions catalog and a blank check, and I could drop $1000 without making a dent in my wish list.

I hope I don't sound too negative about sewing. I was really responding to the idea of making a wedding gown. I love to sew, and I did sew for my kids when they were younger.

Did I save money? I don't think I actually saved that much. I do think I was able to dress my children somewhat more fashionably and creatively than I might otherwise have done. And their Purim costumes rocked, if I do say so myself!

I also believe that sewing should be an important part of the school curriculum. The *only* area I use advanced math is in sewing and pattern adjustments -- honestly, you could have a whole AP class on how to adjust the bust without changing the neckline, etc. It's a great creative outlet, and some girls may find it engaging enough to make a career out of it.

But saving money? This little ditty made the rounds a few years ago, sung to the tune of "Soft Kitty" from "The Big Bang Theory":

Soft fabric, warm fabric
Buy it by the yard

Plush fabric, pretty fabric
Here's my credit card