I’m back for round two of this prom dress in-the-making extravaganza! Let’s get right to it!
After finishing the construction of the bodice, I assembled the skirt. Since I chose the option with the circle skirt, this was incredibly easy (especially compared to engineering that dang bodice!). Three pieces, three seams. I serged all the edges and pressed them open (I normally French seam my silk, but silk faille is a bit thick so it’s not really suitable for that), and also serged the edges of where the zipper will go. I don’t have a photo of all this, but, I reckon y’all know what a circle skirt looks like 🙂
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After that, I attached the bodice to the skirt and finished the raw edges (again, with my serger). Because the center back pieces include a lining, I made sure to not stitch those down (they will be slip-stitched to the zipper later).
My dress will have a lapped zipper, so I prepared the back bodice by folding back and pressing – 5/8″ on the left side, and 1/2″ on the right side. The lining pieces were already folded back and pressed 5/8″, as per the instructions.
My zipper was quite a bit too long, but it’s easy to shorten! I just use the machine – no hand-stitching required! Mark where the zipper should end, and sew back and forth over that marking a few times with a straight stitch, then cut off the remaining zipper end about 1″ below the stitching. Easy! 🙂
On the right side (the side folded under 1/2″), the zipper is sewn with the teeth up against the fold, like so. At this point, I don’t worry about the top of the zipper past the pull – you can push that under the lining and deal with it when everything is getting slip-stitched down. But you do want to be sure that the teeth of the zipper are riiiiight up in that fold’s business.
This is where the humble zipper foot comes into play. Most machines come standard with this foot. On the Spiegel 60609, it looks like this. The side is notched out to let you get really close to the zipper, like so.
Side one done, now to the second side!
The left side (the side folded under 5/8″) will be placed along the zipper tape with the folded edge right on top of the stitching you just did (on the right side), thus creating a lap. I start by matching at the waistline seam, so I can be sure the seamline is uninterrupted.
When I pull the left side open, I can see where the zipper tape needs to lay along the fold to create that overlap. I find this much easier than trying to overlap and pin while the zipper is closed.
Then you just pin all the way up (to the bodice *only*, the lining should remain free). Once you get to the top, you can tuck the remaining zipper tape down and inside where the lining will cover.
Here it is pinned front the outside. One thing I highly recommend (which I didn’t take a photo of, hm) is to hand baste the zipper into place before stitching. This ensures that everything is in the right place and won’t shift when it gets under the needle (and that you’re actually catching the zipper tape!). The topstitching step of this process is not difficult, but it can be tricky to see what you are doing! Definitely take the extra couple minutes and baste that sucker into place with some long basting stitches.
Once basted, open up the zipper and topstitch from the right side, again, keeping the lining free.
When you get to the bottom, lower your needle, lift the presser foot and pivot the fabric, then sew across the bottom of the zipper back and forth a couple times to secure everything.
Finally, pin the lining to the zipper tape and slip-stitch everything down.
Beautiful, right? 🙂
Next step is hemming! Since this dress has a circle skirt, that means the bias needs to settle before hemming (otherwise, the hem will end up being super uneven!). I have a dressform for this purpose – both for hanging and hemming (if you don’t have a dressform, you can hang bias stuff on a hanger, but you’ll probably need a second person to help you with the actual hemming. There are also doodads you can use for solo-hem jobs, but I don’t have any experience with those). Bias garments need to hang for a minimum of 24 hours to get their stretch out. Being paranoid, I let this one chill for like 5 days lolol.
Once that’s done, you hold a yardstick (or in my case, a T Square) at the floor and measure the same point all the way around the hem.
I mark every couple includes or so with a pin. Look at how uneven my skirt was!
After trimming the skirt, I added 2″ wide black horsehair braid to the hem. Mostly, to give it some extra body – but also because it makes hemming easier, as the braid kind of acts like bias tape (as in it’s very flexible and curves along with the curve of the circle skirt). I started by sewing it to the right side of the side, using the width of the Spiegel 60609 presser foot as my seam allowance guide.
First press pushes the horsehair braid down and the seam allowances up.
Then second press folds everything to the inside nice and flat.
From there, it’s just endless slip stitching (well, not *too* endless – I think this took me about an episode and a half of Mad Men haha). You can topstitch at this step, but I feel like a fancy prom dress needs an invisible hem! It just looks so nice!
Here is some of the inside finishing – I added buttons for the strap, as well as ribbon loops for hanging (literally a piece of ribbon lopped and handstitched in). And my tags! I need a tag that says ♥Made with My Spiegel 60609♥ hahaha
And some full shots on the form – these were taken before hemming or adding the hook & eye, but you get the idea 😉
Let me know if you have any questions about any part of this process – I tried to explain as clearly as I could, but I have a cold right now so I’m pretty medicated haha. And the fact that I’m sewing with black fabric doesn’t help!
Super pumped for prom next week!! 😀 Is it bad that I want to wear my converse with this dress? I don’t think I’ve worn heels since I quit my office job 3 years ago! :B
LLADYBIRD 
Reblogged this on vintagethrifter51.com and commented:
This dress is so gorgeous and the skills and talents of this gal are out of this world. So professional and beautifully finished.
Thank you!
You should totally wear your Cons – style + comfort for the win!
Do it.
After about two hours at my daughter’s wedding reception, I switched from black heels to red Converse.
All my daughter’s super downtown Toronto trendy friends told her that “your Mom is so cool!”
Red Converse with formalwear IS super cool! I can agree with that 😀
That’s what I’m thinking! I don’t know if I can stand more than a few minutes in heels at this point hahaha
That dress is a sculptural work of art! I bet you will look fabulous in it. There’s something about a project that comes together so beautifully that is supremely satisfying. I find it very Zen. I’ve been (or was until I was laid off) wearing comfortable shoes for the last 11 years. When I put heels on now my whole body feels insulted.
Haha that’s kind of the way I feel about heels now. I can do platforms and espadrilles, but not the full-on heel. Never got to the point of those being comfortable, and I am in awe at people who can wear them for long periods of time!
Find some nice kitten heel (read low heel) pumps to go with this. My choice would be black or silver but you might choose red or pink. Have found the kitten heels to be nice for events like this. They are fairly walkable and do not destroy one’s feet as some heels can do. Then as the evening progresses, you can take them off and dance barefoot.
That is a good tip! I am trying not to buy new shoes strictly for this event (my lifestyle means I don’t wear fancy shoes very often, so they’d go unworn after this), but I’ll keep it in mind:)
Lauren – this is beautiful!
Thank you, Carolyn!
beautiful! you did a great job. however, i’m thinking red-pumps, or strappy high heels. i’ve found surprisingly comfortable-for-dancing high heels at payless, that were also cheap.
Ah, my feet can’t handle Payless shoes haha. Not enough support! I envy those of you who can wear them; they are super cheap! 🙂
I would absolutely wear converse with this. Or combat boots, if I was feeling extra 1990s!
Ooh I like the way you think!
The dress is gorgeous! I hope your prom is much better than mine was many, many years ago. Thanks for the post.
I hope so too – I’ll be lurking hard in the shadows as a bystander, which is my favorite thing to do hahaha 🙂
This is just SO couture, Lauren (“Coco”) — LOVE it! Really glad my sister sews so much and put me onto your blog. I’m hoping there’ll be enough in the tax refund to get the Spiegel machine. Strange to fall in love with a sewing machine? (probably quite a bit safer 🙂 )
So much safer! A sewing machine can’t break your heart, ever! 🙂 haha
Converse with a prom dress is a classic look.
I agree!
Wow – this dress is beautiful. I look forward to seeing you model it. Impeccable workmanship. Bravo!
Thank you!
WOW that looks amazing Lauren!!! I love the horsehair braid idea for hemming a circle skirt.
It’s one of my favorite ways to hem a circle skirt! Really easy and makes it extra twirly 😀
Unbelievably fabulous dress! Amazing… My daughter in-law wore “wedding sneakers” immediately after the ceremony. (Family tradition.) Her aunt embellished a pair of white sneakers with white sequins, etc. Actually looked lovely with her dress, and so cute! And comfortable! But you only have a week…hemmmmmmm…….
You know, my mom glittered up some Converse for my niece to wear to her formal (she’s in Jr High). I wanted to borrow those because we actually wear the same shoe size, but apparently they are lost at some friend’s house. Boo! Want to wear glitter Converse, dammit.
Another stunning project! That Spiegel is becoming more irresistible daily.;–)
Thank you!
The last high school formal (what we call a prom in the south of NZ) I attended (as a teacher) heaps of girls were wearing cons. I wore a vintage beaded white tunic over white full leg pants with pink converse style high tops and loved every comfy footed moment of it! Looking forward to seeing the photos 🎉
Oh, that sounds lovely!
Beautiful dress!
Thank you!
You will be absolutely stunning in this! It turned out sooooo pretty! I’m sure all the boys will be hitting on you at prom so let’s not see anything about you in the news OK? We don’t need any of THAT now. 🙂 Just remember, you were probably a sophomore when he was born. LOL I just finished a bridal alteration for a lady of your ilk (approx same age and blue hair/piercing tendencies) and she had her Wedding Cons on for the hem fitting so those shoes are out there and I’m sure you can find some. IG your pictures from prom! I think this was fabulous pattern for a formal because 1) you customed the boning so it won’t be poking you in the boob all night, and 2) ELASTIC! Comfy, comfy, comfy. Don’t ruin that comfort with heels.
Oh and thanks for the info on bias hemming. I didn’t know that and a couple of years ago nearly ruined a mother-of-the-groom alteration. Had the dress not had a bodice with an opaque lace overlay, I couldn’t have fixed it which I had to do from the waist. I haven’t had another since then so now I see what to do.
Good point! The dress is already super comfortable (well, as comfortable as you can get in a formal dress hahaha), no point in ruining all that comfy with a pair of uncomfortable heels!
Wow! So pretty. Wear the Converse. 🙂
I think I’m gonna!
This dress is gorgeous, a classic 😍 Thank you for all the construction details, look forward to referencing this post whenever I am making a similar dress.
Thank you!
Lauren, this is just beautiful. I actually read through the posts about it as I found all the details you ended up doing so interesting! It’s just beautiful. Wear the converse, if you must, but know that they will get all the attention and that would be so wrong. If the Prom King asks you to dance, say yes. High school do over!
Colleen
Wow! So gorgeous. I love the tip for hemming the circle skirt – I always have trouble with those.
Man, that is gorgeous! The bodice is just… top notch! And do the chucks – why not!
Fab – that circle skirt so girly , hope you have a fab prom night .
Look forward to seeing you modelling the dress – with your choice of footwear! I went a wedding last year where the entire bridal party wore converse .
How to make the upper part