Can you help this newbie seamstress remake a dress? By hand?
August 21, 2020 2:53 PM Subscribe
So I fell madly in love with the Elie Saab dress that Jennifer Hudson wore to the DNC. Help me make something similar on my own.
I outgrew a lovely dress before I had the chance to wear it, and I'm hoping to remake it - both so that I can fit into it, and so the neckline and drape looks more like the dress I love.
The dress I plan to convert is made of silver metallic polyester, in a slightly thinner accordion pleat than the dress I'm trying to emulate. It has lots of extra material in the length. If I hold the waistline up to my neck, it's still a full length dress that hits the floor. Unfortunately it's far too tight in the waist and I (absolutely) cannot zip it closed. Not even close.
I would like to convert this dress into something more like this dress.
Is this in any way feasible?
I have a vague idea of removing the bodice of the dress entirely, and using the resulting skirt as a basis for the new dress.
What's the best way forward from there? The waistband is fully finished, so I can imagine opening it and threading (a belt? ribbon? chain?) through to use as a halter style neckline.
But what about the armholes? Do I use the existing zipper opening as an armhole, and cut and hem a new one on the other side?
Or do I remove the bodice and waistband entirely and start construction from there? (What would come next? I don't know - maybe you can help!)
This may very well be ridiculous but I need a project. I am not an experienced seamstress, so please be kind.
Can you help me create this dream dress? Thank you for any help you can provide!
I outgrew a lovely dress before I had the chance to wear it, and I'm hoping to remake it - both so that I can fit into it, and so the neckline and drape looks more like the dress I love.
The dress I plan to convert is made of silver metallic polyester, in a slightly thinner accordion pleat than the dress I'm trying to emulate. It has lots of extra material in the length. If I hold the waistline up to my neck, it's still a full length dress that hits the floor. Unfortunately it's far too tight in the waist and I (absolutely) cannot zip it closed. Not even close.
I would like to convert this dress into something more like this dress.
Is this in any way feasible?
I have a vague idea of removing the bodice of the dress entirely, and using the resulting skirt as a basis for the new dress.
What's the best way forward from there? The waistband is fully finished, so I can imagine opening it and threading (a belt? ribbon? chain?) through to use as a halter style neckline.
But what about the armholes? Do I use the existing zipper opening as an armhole, and cut and hem a new one on the other side?
Or do I remove the bodice and waistband entirely and start construction from there? (What would come next? I don't know - maybe you can help!)
This may very well be ridiculous but I need a project. I am not an experienced seamstress, so please be kind.
Can you help me create this dream dress? Thank you for any help you can provide!
Response by poster: That's hilarious, heyforfour - my backup option is literally an infinity dress. Glad my instincts are good, thank you!
posted by Space Kitty at 3:29 PM on August 21, 2020
posted by Space Kitty at 3:29 PM on August 21, 2020
I would only attempt this with a dress form, because accordion pleats are tricky to draft and cut. Is the silver dress you wish to convert exactly the same as the hot pink dress? Your best bet is to chop off the bodice and waistband, then drape the fabric onto a dress form. I'm sure there are some good draping tutorials online out there you can follow, but be aware that draping is a skill and it takes a lot of practice to become good at it. (I don't want you to feel disappointed if you can't get it to look exactly how you'd like.) I can't see Hudson's dress clearly, but it appears to have two layers (very common in gowns): the pleated, floaty outer layer, and an unpleated structural layer underneath. I'd put the zipper at the back. You'd machine sew the zipper into the under layer, then hand sew the pleated layer over top of it.
Definitely use the excess bodice and waistband fabric to braid a halter!
posted by Stoof at 3:32 PM on August 21, 2020
Definitely use the excess bodice and waistband fabric to braid a halter!
posted by Stoof at 3:32 PM on August 21, 2020
This is a tall order. First I’d double check that you have enough skirt length to reach from your neck to the floor. Wear the shoes, heels? that you will be wearing. Then pull on the dress and with your arms inside, have someone pull the waist up over your shoulders and pinch the waist area together with clothespins on top of your shoulders. Still long enough? Good. Remove the bodice and waistband. Be careful you don’t want the accordion pleating to spring apart. Hopefully the waist seam was stay-stitched before the waistband was sewn on. If not, baste it yourself.
By opening the two side seam of the skirt—maybe 12”?—you create armholes. You now have front and back flaps. Gather the front to a halter. Decide how wide you want it, 4”? My suggestion is to just do a double row of running baste stitches and gather the pleats to the width you want....but it might be too bulky. You’ll have to pull it very tight to reduce the front waist width to the front halter width.
Repeat for the back flap. Now the halter band, you have to measure around your neck comfortably and then add some overlap. Cut the waistband to that size. Hooks and eyes, snaps, Velcro can be used to close it. That’s if you are really keen on the wide halter band. An much easier method is to sew a long tie that can feed through a casing in the front and back gathered flaps, which is just tied in a bow at the neck back. Even a long skinny chiffon scarf in a coordinating color could work and look stunning.
Attaching the front and back gathered flaps to the neckpiece that holds them up depends on which method you use. The tie/scarf casing is just folding down the top edge the flaps 1/2” or 1” to the inside of the dress and stitching them down. The easiest way to tie the neck bow would be at your shoulder rather than cutting a hole in the casing so it comes out center back. Or maybe there’s already a center back zipper (which you will have taken out when you took off the waistband and sewed the seam almost closed, to allow for the tie...)
Attaching the gathered front and back flaps to a wide neck band, if you go that route, will be much more fiddley and I have to go out so I can’t explain right now.
I’m not sure you need a zipper at all to get into the dress, slip it on over your head with the tie/scarf loosely in the casing but the ends not tied yet. I’m just figuring this all out in my head, how I would try it but ha, I’ve certainly designed myself into a corner plenty of times so maybe another poster here can check my math.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 4:41 PM on August 21, 2020 [2 favorites]
By opening the two side seam of the skirt—maybe 12”?—you create armholes. You now have front and back flaps. Gather the front to a halter. Decide how wide you want it, 4”? My suggestion is to just do a double row of running baste stitches and gather the pleats to the width you want....but it might be too bulky. You’ll have to pull it very tight to reduce the front waist width to the front halter width.
Repeat for the back flap. Now the halter band, you have to measure around your neck comfortably and then add some overlap. Cut the waistband to that size. Hooks and eyes, snaps, Velcro can be used to close it. That’s if you are really keen on the wide halter band. An much easier method is to sew a long tie that can feed through a casing in the front and back gathered flaps, which is just tied in a bow at the neck back. Even a long skinny chiffon scarf in a coordinating color could work and look stunning.
Attaching the front and back gathered flaps to the neckpiece that holds them up depends on which method you use. The tie/scarf casing is just folding down the top edge the flaps 1/2” or 1” to the inside of the dress and stitching them down. The easiest way to tie the neck bow would be at your shoulder rather than cutting a hole in the casing so it comes out center back. Or maybe there’s already a center back zipper (which you will have taken out when you took off the waistband and sewed the seam almost closed, to allow for the tie...)
Attaching the gathered front and back flaps to a wide neck band, if you go that route, will be much more fiddley and I have to go out so I can’t explain right now.
I’m not sure you need a zipper at all to get into the dress, slip it on over your head with the tie/scarf loosely in the casing but the ends not tied yet. I’m just figuring this all out in my head, how I would try it but ha, I’ve certainly designed myself into a corner plenty of times so maybe another poster here can check my math.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 4:41 PM on August 21, 2020 [2 favorites]
Your skirt portion is long enough for a full dress; if you lose the bodice half, maybe you can crib what you need from a DIY Halter Maxi Dress tutorial.
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:29 PM on August 21, 2020
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:29 PM on August 21, 2020
Response by poster: These are super helpful answers!
posted by Space Kitty at 8:47 PM on August 21, 2020
posted by Space Kitty at 8:47 PM on August 21, 2020
I have managed this sometimes without a dummy by pinning the draping to a very very stretchy leotard I could wriggle out of with the garment still pinned to it. Would have been easier with another person to mark and pin the garment and then take it off me, leaving me in the leotard, but your very A-line target dress should come off. Even better to pin it to a very fitted nonstretchy shirt, which wouldn’t pull the pinning out of shape.
The fabric sounds unusual enough that I would keep an hour early in the process for doing practice seams and gems on a scrap - what keeps the pleats in, how evenly does it feed, how ravelly is it. knowing what kind of seams I want to make constrains the design usefully.
Also, some of my better remakes changed a lot in mid drape as I saw the capabilities of the material and how it looked on me. Aim for the feeling of the dress you want more than the drawing, if that makes sense. Dress historians can show you a lot of beautiful fancy gowns that are real messes on the inside, clearly drapery tacked to a minimal foundation, it’s fine, it’s just harder to wash.
Excelsior!
posted by clew at 8:59 AM on August 22, 2020
The fabric sounds unusual enough that I would keep an hour early in the process for doing practice seams and gems on a scrap - what keeps the pleats in, how evenly does it feed, how ravelly is it. knowing what kind of seams I want to make constrains the design usefully.
Also, some of my better remakes changed a lot in mid drape as I saw the capabilities of the material and how it looked on me. Aim for the feeling of the dress you want more than the drawing, if that makes sense. Dress historians can show you a lot of beautiful fancy gowns that are real messes on the inside, clearly drapery tacked to a minimal foundation, it’s fine, it’s just harder to wash.
Excelsior!
posted by clew at 8:59 AM on August 22, 2020
I just found a pattern for making a very similar dress! This one is almost exactly what you're looking for. And for someone with little sewing experience, I recommend you work from a pattern rather than wing it. I myself have about 15 years experience, and even I'm not that comfortable with altering garments!
Final advice: be patient with yourself and the project. If you're just learning to sew, you're learning a) how to use the machine; b) how to read and use a pattern; and c) generally how to sew, period. That's a lot to tackle, and stuff goes wrong on all 3 levels, often simultaneously.
posted by wwartorff at 11:37 AM on August 22, 2020
Final advice: be patient with yourself and the project. If you're just learning to sew, you're learning a) how to use the machine; b) how to read and use a pattern; and c) generally how to sew, period. That's a lot to tackle, and stuff goes wrong on all 3 levels, often simultaneously.
posted by wwartorff at 11:37 AM on August 22, 2020
Does by hand mean no sewing machine? It's certainly possible (Bernadette Banner) but it's definitely going to be a project.
If you keep the existing waistband and move it up to become the neckline:
posted by anaelith at 6:37 AM on August 23, 2020
If you keep the existing waistband and move it up to become the neckline:
- Way too much fabric around the neck--this is pretty obvious, but fixing this could require a decent amount of sewing since you will have a lot of cut edges to finish. (Don't forget to allow seam/finishing allowance when cutting!)
- The waistband from the picture looks to be entirely straight and pretty wide and the fabric is already gathered to it. It does say 3% spandex so if it's pretty stretchy that's going to help, but either:
- You scrunch up the neck, but I think that's going to result in toooooo much fabric since the fabric is already gathered.
- You keep the neckline flat/not scrunched, but you will probably have to make adjustments to keep it from gaping.
- Make the neckline straight (horizontal to the floor) by moving it up to a choker-style or down into a more square shape (compared to the goal photo).
- Use as little of the waistband as possible side-to-side so the curve is less/more of the curve is in whatever ties you're using.
- Add some shaping into the neckline with cutting and sewing, this could be hard to get right.
I also think the waistband might be pretty wide as a neckline in general, not impossible but maybe not the look you want.
- The hemline is going to be uneven (probably). It depends on what shape your body is as to how uneven and what way it will be uneven, but usually the skirt front is cut to go pretty much straight down, whereas the top of most dresses is not straight up and down. This is an easy fix, just rehem after you're done with your alterations, but that's also a lot of hemming if you are doing it without a sewing machine. Or embrace the uneven hem.
posted by anaelith at 6:37 AM on August 23, 2020
Response by poster: Thanks for all your helpful advice! It seems like the thing to do is to use the skirt as fabric, and construct something using one of the youtube tutorials/patterns linked here as a guide.
My next question [after we move into a bigger place] may be seeking advice on selecting a sewing machine...
posted by Space Kitty at 2:23 PM on August 27, 2020
My next question [after we move into a bigger place] may be seeking advice on selecting a sewing machine...
posted by Space Kitty at 2:23 PM on August 27, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
Link
If that seems at all like what you are after, those dresses are essentially a skirt with two long sashes coming out from the front - as such, many of the ways of wearing them have open backs. They are usually stretchy so it's possible it won't generalize exactly to the fabric you have, but there are lots of videos on how to tie them. It sounds like you have some extra material to work with, you might be able to make up new toes entirely, or work with the existing straps by detatching them from the back.
I also have no idea if this will work, but it seems possible! If you can swing it, I'd recommend purchasing two of the original dress both so you can test things out and for the extra fabric it'll give you!
posted by heyforfour at 3:25 PM on August 21, 2020 [1 favorite]