formal dress

My daughter, unlike my son, is attending every dance in high school. I suggested I make her a dress, but she said no. So we've bought 2 dresses and we have 2 more years of high schoo with 2 dances each year! Last dance, a girl arrived in a dress her mom made. Now it's ok for me to make a dress for my daughter. She is deciding between Simplicity

5096 view D (no ruffle) and 5586 view D. I hae not made a formal dress before so I have a few questions. First, what fabric should I use: satin, crepe back satin or taffeta? Second, 5096 calls for the entire dress to be lined. Do I really need to line the skirt part of the dress? Anyother advice would be greatly appreciated. The dance is in December, so I can take my time.

Thanks, Suzanne

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Suzanne McHenry
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In article , Suzanne McHenry of uttered

I'd go with 5096, personally (the other looks middle-aged to me). For preference, a taffeta, or possibly a duchess satin, but definitely not the dreaded crepe-backed polyester stuff, particularly if you're not use to sewing formal-wear (it clicks like mad, you want it to be fit to wear for more than one occasion, and if you have to take a seam out, it's a nightmare). Yes, you really do need to line that skirt otherwise it won't hang right. Depending on the fabric you choose, you might want to interline the bodice pieces, even if the pattern doesn't specify. .

Reply to
She who would like to be obeye

me to make a dress for my daughter. She is deciding between Simplicity

5096 view D (no ruffle) and 5586 view D. I hae not made a formal dress before so I have a few questions. First, what fabric should I use: satin, crepe back satin or taffeta?

IMO taffeta will be too crisp for either of those dresses - the skirt won't have that flowy look to it. Would be fine for the bodice though, so you could even use two different types of fabric - maybe a matching solid & print or solid & jacquard. A lot of the formal wear fabrics come in "collections" with coordinating taffetas, shantungs, etc.

Of the recommended fabrics, I would go with the crepe-back satin or the rayon faille/georgette, for the draping properties.

gabrielle

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gabrielle

I like 5096 also. And the good thing is that the bodice has so many variations. So you might could get away with using that pattern several times for different dresses. ;)

First, what fabric should I use:

No taffeta. Taffeta is stiff, and it makes that swish noise when you move. Not a comfortable fabric at all if you ask me. Especially not for an entire dress. Most taffetas you will find in chain fabric stores (and all taffetas that are inexpensive enough to use in school formal dresses) are going to be polyester. Taffeta is a tightly woven, heavy fabric anyway, and when you add poly to the mix as well that means HOT. So that's out in my mind. ;) I don't know why folks here hate crepe backed satin so much. Now, I will tell you it's not perfect for everything. But I think it would work wonderfully well for this dress. Couple of tips for working with it. Start the dress with a fresh needle. I like to use a Schmetz 80 on crepe backed satin. It's light enough not to snag, and stout enough to get through the fabric. When you press seams, don't press too hard with the iron or you will get marks on the outside that show the seam allowances. I don't press the seams open if I don't have to; I press from the wrong side and press the seam allowances away from the seam. I really like how crepe backed satin will lay, and it's a good choice for this dress.

Second, 5096 calls for the entire

Well...... A fully lined dress is going to lie better and move better, and especially be totally opaque. Can you cheat and not line the skirt?? Probably. Depending heavily on color choice for the dress. If she wants a really pale pastel, line it. If she wants black, you could get by without. Would I leave off the lining? No probably not. Simply because I know it will look better and hide whatever she wears under the dress better. No visible panty line, etc. When I use crepe backed satin, or any satins lighter in weight than that (like a charmeuse satin which is REALLY light) I like to self line the bodice. In other words, I use the same fabric for the lining as the outside of the bodice. The advantage of that is that you can't tell where the dress stops and the lining starts. So if there is wild arm flailing while dancing, the lining doesn't peek out. ;) But for the skirt, I would use a lighter weight lining. Peachskin is nice, but it's warm. So be aware of that. It's light and makes a really nice, silky soft layer against the skin. But if she's a sweaty type at all, don't use that. Use a lighter weight fabric. (Usually fabric stores online and in the real world have them set aside in a special section marked as Lining fabrics.)

Trust me, it will look nicer, and more professional if you line the whole thing.

One last piece of advice.... If you don't know how to insert an invisible zipper, learn how. Get an invisible zipper foot for your machine and look for Beverly's webpage that she put up when she made her daughter's wedding dress. If you follow her directions carefully, you can't go wrong. And IMO, a lapped zipper or anything other than an invisible zipper looks chintzy on a nice formal gown. Sing out loud and often if you have problems with putting one in. And if you've never done one, practice a few times before you tackle the one in the dress. But it will look way nicer than anything else when the dress is done.

You can do it. :) It's wonderful that you are planning this far ahead. That's a fabulous gift you've given yourself. :) I think once your girl has a dress that fits her perfectly and is just the exact color, fabric, design that she wants, she will never want to buy another one. ;) Don't be shy about posting questions, or venting frustrations. We've all been there, and you know we will understand.

Sharon

Reply to
mamahays

Agreed. In addition, taffeta has a nasty habit of "giving-way" ( I know there is a proper term for that phenomena...Kay?) at the seams if it is under the least bit of stress. The only way I know to prevent it is to underline the pieces with something like silk organza. And even then...

Agreed again. A formal dress benefits a lot from a full lining. If you don't want to line the skirt, make a separate half-slip, which could be used for other (future?) formals.

Sharon, you are sooooo good for my ego! ;-) The wedding sewing pictures will be found at:

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"photos" and the invisible zipper pics are on the fifth page. Just one additional note: I sew the invisible zipper in *before* sewing *any* of the seam. After the zipper is sewn, I hand stitch the first inch or so below the zipper, then machine sew the rest of the seam. I'm not sure I made that very clear in my picture and descriptions. I also put pictures of my work inserting a waist-stay on DD's wedding gown here:
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And IMO, a lapped

Seconded! I grimace to think of all the formals I made in high school in the 50s BIZ (Before Invisible Zippers)! ;-}

Reply to
BEI Design

Seam slippage. But you can evaluate that on a scrap, if you want to use it. Any fabric with a thickish weft and a thinnish warp is a possibility for seam slippage -- risks increase if the yarns are slick.

Reply to
Kay Lancaster

Thanks! Everything I know about sewing was learned from my mother and/or by trial-and-error, so I often do not know the technical terms.

Reply to
BEI Design

American and Efird thread have a really nice series of "technical problems you can run into when sewing", complete with photos. For seam slippage, look here:

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lots of other goodies about thread and sewing problems:
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and
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Kay

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Kay Lancaster

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BEI Design

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