'Lil Bit and Tulle

Filling a need is probably one of the most satisfying things one person can do for another. It doesn't matter the need or even if the need is a want. For me, it's all about the helping, making something possible for someone else. That's how I feel when I get requests, any request.. from fixing the corners of a beloved but chewed up dog bed to an idea for a costume or a dress. About 8 weeks ago I received a text with a picture and a request. A mom and her daughter were on the hunt for a prom dress but could not find what they were hoping to find - sound familiar? They sent me a text with some pictures and asked if I could help.

We met a few days later at a local fabric store, found our patterns and started looking for fabric. Purple was the color, perfect. Naturally I reached for a dress weight fabric - satin. Then looked at the girl who had draped herself in the most beautiful colored lining, it was an iridescent purple, a slightly different shade than the satin I was taking my hand away from.  My internal babble began "I'm not sure I can make a dress from just lining, the normal way would be using satin or taffeta  or something but lining????" I couldn't bring myself to tell her lining might not be the best fabric for her dress but she was already in love.  We bought the lining.  I was still skeptical but was also falling in love with the shimmer of the lining and was going to make it work.  We found the yards and yards of tulle in the same shade, everything was coming together nicely.

Working with pictures is ... well, I love it.  It's a great guideline to get started with. I usually veer off in my own direction at some point with a detail I just can't resist adding.  So my inspiration was this: a circle skirt, a sweet heart bodice with off the shoulder sleeves covered in tulle.

Bodice with waist band added using just the
lining backed with interfacing. 

Starting with the bodice,  I tried to do the cross over with tulle but it was a hot mess for me so I stuck to my pattern and gathered a few layers of tulle vertically - already veering off the path.

Bodice with the tulle overlay

Next I got to work on the tulle overlay for the skirt - 3 layers of gathered tulle.  We were going for as much "pouf" as we could get with out adding a lot of weight or warmth to the dress.  In my experience, dresses with long skirts, lining, and added layers of chiffon or tulle can be very warm.

Bodice with added tulle overlay

Two benefits of making the body of her dress out of lining... it's lightweight and cool! Cool as in she will not sweat! And because it's covered in layers and layers of tulle, it's not see through.  

Dress with the skirt added underneath the
tulle overlay

My next step... how to make this dress fit, stay in place.  A few options:  making shoulder straps, putting a waist stay in or making a lace up corset back.  I mentioned all of these to the sweet senior and she lit up at the thought of a lace up corset back.  So veering off the path a bit more, we decided to do that.  Personally, I think the best fit comes with a lace up back... you can make it tight in all the right spots and then it stays that way.  With a zipper, you need a waist stay and even then the dress could still shift a bit.  There's always moment during the dress making process when I think something will not work.  My moment came when I didn't think the lace up would work with all the tulle... I walked away for a few hours.  When I came back, I made it work.

Lacing up the dress, takes more time than a zipper
but has a great fit

Two questions -Off the shoulder sleeves? Shorten the length? It took some thought.  Off the shoulder sleeves gave her some security by adding a bit of coverage through her shoulders. But the look just didn't work, I don't know what it was but it changed the entire look of her dress.  It went from sophisticated to more child like.  And for the length, we played for awhile but in the end, she wanted it long...fairytale like.  I added some more tulle on top and crinoline underneath.

Her look with the tulle "sleeves"...
"Um, yea, no"

We got rid of the tulle pieces acting as sleeves but I knew she liked the security they gave her.  I made her a wrap from the lining she loved. It gave her the security she needed with the flexibility to remove it whenever she wanted to.  Plus it added more of that color she fell in love with.

Her look with the wrap.."This is it"

To the beautiful senior who asked me to make her prom dress, you are stunning inside and out. Thank you for asking me to help you bring that picture to life.