Not Your Momma's Homemade Prom Dress

I know I haven't posted in a hot minute, but I wanted to showcase the prom dress I made for my beautiful stepdaughter. She bought a dress online and it didn't fit properly. It was way too much to fix so, she gave me 10 days to put a dress together. Yes. 10 days! We sketched up exactly what she wanted, visited the fabric store and got to work.

We used a satin for the skirt and belt, a nude lining and a beautiful black lace for the bodice. We did end up buying a pattern, but it was awful so I threw it away and can't remember what it was. By awful I mean like 10 sizes too big. I ended up using the pattern as a template for the skirt. I used my measurements to cut it down and it turned out great. 

For this gown, I cut four panels for each side (per the pattern) but cut them in to slenderize the look. Basically, the bottom of the two middle panels met into a slight "V" at the bottom. The bottom of the skirt is a circle skirt. ( Look at the Circle Skirt App to get a perfect one for the bottom of the dress.)

For the bodice of the dress, she wanted a cut-out in the back. So, I made a corset type lining so I could easily do a cut-out with only lace and not have to worry about getting both fabrics perfectly in line. Because I was working with lace, I serged around where all hems would be, then rolled that under twice. Made it soooo much easier!

We put an invisible zipper in, sewed an applique onto the belt and we were done! The biggest shocker, I was done early!

Circle Skirt App-By Hand London

As you know, circle skirts are all the rage. I even have a few tutorials that show you how to make some. If you've made a circle skirt then you know that the measurements don't always come out right. They're typically a little large which works great if you're making an elastic waist but not when you're putting in a zipper. 

I have found the most amazing app to get the exact measurements (like the radius) so if you're installing a zipper, your waist isn't too big. You can find it at By Hand London. The best thing about this is that you can choose what type of circle skirt you want to create (quarter, half or full) and choose the length. You put your measurement in and it tells you how much fabric you need, how large your radius is and a view of how to trace is out on your fabric.

While you're checking out this app, poke around their site. There's a lot of cool blog posts, patterns and sewalongs! 

Hope this helps you out! Don't forget to follow us on Pinterest at makeitlovediy

Big Girl Tutu Skirt

This Big Girl Tutu will bring out your inner Carrie Bradshaw. Once you put it on, you will feel oh so pretty. I've made tons of tutus for my little love bug but when I saw these all over Pinterest, I had to make one for myself. I think I'll probably have one in every color. Best part is they're simple, easy to make, inexpensive and freaking awesome. Here's how:

Materials:

Sewing machine or serger

About 10 yards of tulle

1-2 yards of lining fabric

1 1/2 - 2 inch elastic

Scissors

Paper for making pattern

To make this skirt we're making a circle skirt or "skater" skirt pattern. You can see how to do that here. Just don't cut out a waistband for it. Use newspaper or whatever you have to make a pattern because you will use it a lot. The waist will be a little large which is what we want, so no worries.

I know this pic is a little "Wicked Witch of the West" so it's just to give you an idea of how full it is!

Cut out your lining. I chose a black poly-blend that is light and airy. Perfect for these types of skirts. Then turn your skirt inside out and hem the bottom. I serged the bottom instead of hemming because I'm just that lazy. 

Next, you have to cut out all of your tulle. I did 5 layers on mine, you can do more or less. Make sure you use the circle skirt pattern. I tried a different way since tulle is such a pain to cut and it didn't work out and I had to redo it. So, make sure you use your pattern! I've also found the easiest way to cut poly and tulle is to lay it on carpet or a rug. It doesn't move around as much and makes it a heck of a lot easier.

Once you have everything cut, pin it all together at the waistline. One layer at at time. This takes the longest so do what I did and watch an episode of Chelsea. It doesn't seem to take as long when you're laughing at something. When everything is pinned, serge or do a tight zigzag stitch to hold it all together. 

Then get your elastic ready. Cut it to your waist measurement minus an inch. Put right sides together and zigzag stitch or serge the ends together. Now,this part starts to get hard and confusing. I tried looking up some YouTube videos to help, but can't find any that would make this easier...so, mark your elastic into quarters. Fold it in half and pin, then in half the other way and pin. Do the same with your skirt. Put the elastic inside out over the right side of your skirt and match up the pins. Pin the elastic then serge or do a medium zigzag stitch to attach it. To sew the elastic, make sure you pull it taught so it stretches out to the next pin and sews on right.

Try it on and go out tonight to show it off! Because let's be honest, this is THE skirt to show off.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Be sure to follow us on Pinterest at makeitlovediy so you don't miss anything!