I'm thinking about making my daughter's prom dress...am I crazy?

[hatredisnotavalue]

I just looked at some of the patterns and I don't think they are above my skill level. But I am worried about working with the fabric.

I used to make her daddy-daughter dance dresses which were pretty ornate. I think I want to give it a go.

(Or am I watching way too much Project Runway?)

We spent too much money on the dress last year, ($400) bucks and it was a beautiful dress and she looked wonderful in it. It was all beaded. But this year, she wants a simple mid-night blue satin one. I think I could do it, but I just don't know.

Anyone want to talk me out of it?

[LeftyMom]

1. My Mom made mine

It was a perfect fit and I'll always treasure it. If it's within your capabilities, I say go for it.

[SoCalDem]

2. Go for it...

If it's a simple design, why not try it.. It will fit her better, and if they all yell "Who are you wearing?" when she arrives, she can just say.."I have my own personal designer"..

[ThomCat]

3. If you can do it, then it would be awesome that you did.

Can you imagine how proud she'll feel every time someone complements her dress and she can say that her mom made it by hand?

It's guaranteed to be unique, not like an off-the-rack dress that might show up several times.

And it'll be one more thing to talk about when she shows her prom pictures years from now.

I can't think of a down-side. :)

[RubyDuby in GA]

4. Yes you are

My mom made mine and swore she would never sew another thing again for me. Sometimes forking over the cash is just the thing to do to keep the peace.

But then again, if it's not going to be very ornate, I could see your point.

I still vote for the shopping spree. A fun mother/daughter thing.

[hatredisnotavalue]

5. Thanks for your responses!

My daughter's figure makes it hard to find a great dress. She is very athletic, but very curvy, and only 5'2". Finding a dress last year was a nightmare which several times ended in tears. She has a tiny waist, but has a bust and hips. Finding such a dress was impossible. I think I may give it a go!

[Karenina]

6. Your work will be perfect!

What a talented mom you are!!!

[hatredisnotavalue]

12. Not talented...just maybe frugal

I can't believe how much they charge for these things for four hours of wear.
And what really got my panties in a knot last year was that I spent $45 to have the dress pressed, got it home the day before and spent the next day in a steamy bathroom because the dress had not been pressed. Thanks to all of you for the encouragement.....now I have to go buy a sewing machine!

[eyesroll]

14. Good luck!

If you do decide to shop, can I recommend vintage dresses? I'm not athletic, but I am curvy and 5'2", and I find dresses from the 50s-70s fit a lot better than current ones do. (I have a Marilyn Monroe-style disco dress, and a blue beaded short cocktail dress, and both fit well and look good and were under $40, and nobody else would be wearing the same thing...)

[SeattleGirl]

7. My mother made mine, and I loved it.

I say, go for it!

[cally]

8. My Mom made my wedding dress

It turned out great and she had the patience of a saint because I was way too picky. I say go for it but pin (maybe two sided tape) it before sewing and have her try it on. That way, you can check fit before putting the seams in. I assume you sew so you know this, but dress pattern sizes are different then store sizes.

[SoCalDem]

11. My friend's Mom used to use a dress that fit her perfectly as the "pattern

She would disassemble that dress, make a pattern of it, and then just change sleeve length, skirt lenght, but the bodice/shoulders/hips were perfect.. she was a genius:)

My friend was 5'10", but shortwaisted, with LONNNNG arms and very long legs..and no butt.. She could never find clothes to fit her.. This was during the mini-skirt era, and nothing young looking came close to covering her "girly-bits"...dresses were blouses for Sue.

[no name no slogan]

9. That's a GREAT idea

if you have the skill, go for it! I'm sure your daughter will really treasure it. Plus, she won't have to worry if another girl wears her dress. She'll have an original.

Prom dresses are like bridesmaids dresses-- they can be very beautiful, but how often do you wear them after the event? Most people don't get a boatload of invitations to formals.

At least the crowd I hang with doesn't. Hell, most of us don't even own suits.

[tigereye]

10. my mom made mine adn several other dance dresses -

I thought it was very cool at the time!

[joneschick]

13. absolutely go for it

I'm doing my daughter's. We can egg each other on. Vogue Vintage 2241 from 1931 in acid green shantung. It will be awesome. I can't wait to get started
http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin/voguepatterns/shop.cgi?s.item.V2241=x&TI='2241'&page=1

[hatredisnotavalue]

16. Hey good for you!!

I really want to do this. Are your nervous about putting in the zipper? I am. I am trying to look for something that doesn't have one. I am worried about the fabric looking rippled.

[joneschick]

19. it's vintage 1931--no zipper

but I have fool proof methods of putting in zippers. It sounds daunting, but putting in a couture type hand-picked zipper is really not hard if you have to do a zipper. Check your library for the Reader's Digest Guide to Sewing. Covers just about everything with good illustrations. Plus, my degree is in design and I'm relatively fearless.

[hatredisnotavalue]

20. OMG that dress is absolutely gorgeous

Good for you! Could you please post a pic when it is done?

[joneschick]

21. I'll try to get her to do so.

She posts pictures all the time in her livejournal.

[cally]

17. That's a gorgeous dress!

Wow.

[Rabrrrrrr]

15. Go for it - she'll have a unique dress, and it will have meaning for her,

it'll be cheaper, and she'll enjoy it sooooooo much more.

[havocmom]

18. If you are gonna use satin, get a satin foot for your machine

Ask them to explain it to you when you get it. You will have a much easier time with this one simple tool for the job added to your equipment.

Go for it! Fun and more meaningful.

[livetohike]

22. Definitely go for it!

What could be better than a dress made with love?

Don't worry, just get the foot made for satin and the right thread and you will be fine.

Edit: punctuation

[Iris]

23. When I was a child, my mom found a seamstress to make me a red velvet

dress for a winter wedding. The woman started sewing from profit AFTER she decided to make prom dresses for both of her daughters.

I say - go for it!

[Katherine Brengle]

24. For the record, I bought mine for 10 bucks ;). Good luck!!!

[AlCzervik]

25. Do you have a serger? If you have the skills for the pattern why not?

[snacker]

26. It sounds to me like you certainly have the talent...

all you need is the confidence. Go for it!

[wovenpaint]

27. No, you're not crazy

I say go for it! I made a dress for my daughter's prom and everyone was sooooo envious. If you made ornate dresses this should be a lot easier....just be patient with the satin. Good luck and post pix...
:hi:

[Kailassa]

28. I made my daughter's debutante ballgown

and it had a whaleboned bodice and was decorated with flowers made of the same fabric. She was so embarrassed at first, because she was the only girl there with a "home-made" dress, but she looked like a princess there. (Helped by the fact that she has naturally elegant posture and dances well.)

I was a single mum, unable to work at the time, and we were living in abject poverty, so the invitation for her to go to a ball organised by the masonic lodge for its members, mostly quite well-to-to, came as a most embarrassing surprise, but I knew I had to make it work out for her somehow. But by the time my bargain hunting for fabrics and accessories, and frantic sewing, had paid off, no-one there had reason to think we had ever been short of cash.

Having a pattern you and your daughter choose together, and being able to make it a perfect fit, make so much difference to the final product, it's really worth doing.

But, buy some cheap material and make a practice dress first, just to make sure you won't make mistakes on the real thing. ;-)

[belladonna]

29. It'll mean a lot more to her if you do

If you're good at sewing, I say have at it. She'll treasure it for years, I bet.

[politicat]

30. Won't talk you out of it, but make a mockup first.

Most formal patterns aren't hard, but getting the fitting right can be picky. I know... my mother and I made about 70 formals for my sisters over the ten years they were in Rainbow. By the time they were out of it, they had a closet full of cotton formals and both my mother and I can now sew professionally. (I do costuming from time to time, but no longer sew for profit; my mother does sew for profit.) They wore cotton because we lived in Arizona, and anything else was too hot to wear 6 months out of the year.

When we first started fitting my sisters - who are 6'0" and 5'7", so they couldn't wear each other's dresses - we made mockups out of a) $1 a yard cotton (which sometimes turned out good enough for regular use), b) thriftstore sheets, or c) dressmaker's muslin and then used the mock ups for the patterns. We usually had to make them three formals a year.

Especially if your daughter is hard to fit (and being short and curvy is the definition of hard to fit) a mockup means the difference between obviously handmade and professionally tailored. Don't let her look at the sizes on the envelope, either - pattern sizes are different enough to make a curvy girl cry.

And if you do satin, I echo what others have said - get a satin foot. They're pricey, but worth every penny.

[TimeChaser]

31. Go for it!

Actually, there's one girl who's a senior this year who made her own prom dress both last year (when I was a senior) and again this year. Hers looked better than a lot of the bought ones.

[liontamer]

32. if you think you can do it

and she's okay with it go for it! just make sure that you really can do it so try to finish a bit before her prom. If you're still hemming when she's ready to leave, she might have a bit of a freakout ;)

[Whoa_Nelly]

33. Yes! Check out some of these simple and elegant prom dresses

Great Site!

http://www.denverfabrics.com/pages/static/prom/prom-dresses.htm

A couple of examples: