Procedure for Making Dress

A second gown is currently under construction of the project. The procedure will be posted at a later date

Gown Bodice:

7 pieces of liner cut out to basic shape. Sides are mirrored with one large piece in the front and 3 on each side. Pieces may need to be altered based on form of model.




1. Cut out the 7 basic pieces of the bodice from the liner material. One piece for the center and 3 on each side. Leave ½ inch seam allowances for alterations.






2. Pin liner pieces together and run a basting stitch along the sewing lines.






3. Check for fitting and make any alterations. Sew the seams


Liner pieces have been sewn together and fitted. Boning tubes have been sewn into place and boning is inserted.




4. Remove boning from tubing. Stitch tubing along liner seams on the wrong side of the fabric. 6 pieces in all should be used


Close up view of a dress bone. Bones are positioned along seam and sewn on either side. Be careful not to interfere with channel.




5. Insert boning and check again for fitting. The wrong side of the fabric should be on the outside. Sew off ends of tubing.





6. Using the pieces from the liner as a basis, determine the size of the pieces to be cut from the silk satin material. Leave ½” seam allowances





7. Pin and baste together the pieces of silk satin, right sides together.





8. Check for fitting and sew the seams.


Back of dress: Lining and outer layer are lined up along the seams and hand basted in line. A machine stitch is run along the top of the dress.




9. Line up liner and outer silk satin layer right sides together. Pin together and check for alignment. Add support cups to liner and hand sew in place.





10. Run a basting stitch along the top of the liner and satin and check for fitting.





11. Construct 12 pipes for loops in back





12. Loops: Cut a 1” bias strip from the length of silk satin. On right side, sew a thin cord at the top of the strip Fold fabric over cord and run a stitch along the length of the fabric making a 3/8” tube. Make sure to keep the cord inside At the end of the strip, cut away from sewing machine and cut off excess fabric to roughly 1/8” Gently pull cord to turn strip inside out Cut strip into 2 ½ inch sections


Wrong sides of fabric are facing out. In between, loops are positioned to be one inch wide and 1/8" apart. Loops are pinned in place and a machine stitch is run along them 1/2" in from rough edge.




13. Line up ties along the back edge of the garment between the two right sides at about 1” each. Fold each over to make a loop





14. Sew loops into place


Back view of dress with contrasting tie. Loops are tested to see how they pull the fabric. Bottom portion of bodice will have zipper inserted.





15. Turn garment right side out and check for fitting





16. Construct a 2 yard tie for the loops





17. Tie: Cut 1” bias strips from the length of silk satin. Line up each end and pin together. On right side, sew a thin cord at the top of the strip Fold fabric over cord and run a stitch along the length of the fabric making a 3/8” tube. Make sure to keep cord inside At the end of the strips, cut away from a sewing machine and cut off excess fabric to roughly 1/8” Gently pull cord to turn strip inside out Sew off ends





18. Weave tie into loops in back and check for fitting.





19. Finish off any seams, cut off extra string

Comparing Fabrics for the skirt. Top material is silk-satin, bottom is chiffon

Gown Skirt:

1. Begin with sewing the liner. Cut shape from pattern sheet. Pin every necessary dart and sew onto inner liner of bodice. The seam should be at the back of the dress.






2. Leaving about 4” at the top for a zipper, sew the two ends of the skirt liner together. Check for fitting.






3. Cut the chiffon into 2 5 yard pieces. Utilize gathering to gather the length down to 34". Hand-baste a seam along the top edge of each and pull to gather.



4. Attach to outer layer of bodice with a basting stitch individually. Machine-sew all together.



5. Install the zipper:



6. Zipper: Start with the inner layer of the bodice and baste zipper onto fabric. Continue down into skirt as necessary. Stitch on both sides. If fitting is correct, machine sew into place. Secure the outer layer with pin-stitching. Zipper should not attach to chiffon layers.



7. Check for fitting and length and alter length if necessary. Use a piping seam along the edge to finish off.