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Black Dress
2020
Dress designed, draped, and sewn by me for an Advanced Costume Projects class.
I made this dress for my sister, Evie. The concept was a classic, flattering, and good for every occasion, “little black dress”. It is my first fully realized design and pattern.
Professor: Amanda Dura
Model: Evie Simmons
Right: Process photos
I began by draping the bodice using muslin until I got a look that I liked. I pinned up a scrap of fabric to get an idea of how much fullness I wanted in the skirt.
I had limited access to supplies due to coronavirus lockdown, so I made the first rough mockup out of an old bedsheet.
The mockup fit fairly well, so I played with some sleeve ideas and moved on to the fashion fabric.
The skirt is a half circle. I folded my fabric in half and pinned my measuring tape to the corner. I divided Evie’s waist measurement by 3.14, and marked out that number with chalk, pivoting the tape as I went. Then I added the skirt length and marked that out as well.
The first version of the bodice had a number of fit issues. To address them, I slashed open the side back seams and pinned out the extra fabric by the armpit.
Reshaping the back of the first bodice. After making these adjustments, I resewed this bodice for a second fitting.
At the second fitting of the resewn bodice I still had issues with rumpling at the side front, so I pinned out the extra fabric.
I made the adjustments from the first two fittings to the pattern and remade the bodice.
The main adjustment I made to the second bodice was cutting out the lower back edge of the armholes a bit.
I cut and sewed a double of the bodice to line it. I sewed the lining to the bodice right sides together, then clipped and trimmed the seam allowance. I turned it right side out and under-stitched the neckline.
It was challenging to get the invisible zipper to line up neatly in the center back seam, so I hand-basted it before sewing.
Once the zipper was in place, I hand stitched the lining down along the center back and waist seams.
To make the sleeves, I started with a rough shape based on the measurements of the arm hole. I added fullness to the pattern so the drape would match the skirt and, after testing it on the dress, I curved the bottom of the sleeve to make it hang level.
I surged the hems of the sleeves and skirts and catch-stitched them up by hand to avoid top stitching lines.
The back of the finished inside of the dress, after slip-stitching the lining at the waist and armholes.
The finished dress.
The finished dress.
I began by draping the bodice using muslin until I got a look that I liked. I pinned up a scrap of fabric to get an idea of how much fullness I wanted in the skirt.
I had limited access to supplies due to coronavirus lockdown, so I made the first rough mockup out of an old bedsheet.
The mockup fit fairly well, so I played with some sleeve ideas and moved on to the fashion fabric.
The skirt is a half circle. I folded my fabric in half and pinned my measuring tape to the corner. I divided Evie’s waist measurement by 3.14, and marked out that number with chalk, pivoting the tape as I went. Then I added the skirt length and marked that out as well.
The first version of the bodice had a number of fit issues. To address them, I slashed open the side back seams and pinned out the extra fabric by the armpit.
Reshaping the back of the first bodice. After making these adjustments, I resewed this bodice for a second fitting.
At the second fitting of the resewn bodice I still had issues with rumpling at the side front, so I pinned out the extra fabric.
I made the adjustments from the first two fittings to the pattern and remade the bodice.
The main adjustment I made to the second bodice was cutting out the lower back edge of the armholes a bit.
I cut and sewed a double of the bodice to line it. I sewed the lining to the bodice right sides together, then clipped and trimmed the seam allowance. I turned it right side out and under-stitched the neckline.
It was challenging to get the invisible zipper to line up neatly in the center back seam, so I hand-basted it before sewing.
Once the zipper was in place, I hand stitched the lining down along the center back and waist seams.
To make the sleeves, I started with a rough shape based on the measurements of the arm hole. I added fullness to the pattern so the drape would match the skirt and, after testing it on the dress, I curved the bottom of the sleeve to make it hang level.
I surged the hems of the sleeves and skirts and catch-stitched them up by hand to avoid top stitching lines.
The back of the finished inside of the dress, after slip-stitching the lining at the waist and armholes.
The finished dress.
The finished dress.
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