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Senior Dinner Dance Dress
Project type
Sewing Project
Date
May 2025
Location
New York
- I started sewing when I had to learn to hem pants — it's tough having short legs when all pants seem to be marketed towards taller individuals. I began to make other things on the sewing machine around the holiday season — pencil cases, coin purses, and makeup bags. I even attempted a quilt for a friend (it came out okay). When I couldn't find a dress I liked for Senior Dinner Dance, I thought that I might want to try making one myself.
I didn't follow any patterns; I made it up as I went. I composed the dress of three parts: bodice, skirt, and back. I decided on a strapless dress because I did not want to make sleeves. The bodice came out quite nice, about six inches wide with a one-inch fold on the top. I did a bow in the back, where the ends of the bodice were long and could be tied. The front of the dress was easy too — I measured myself, then cut fabric of that width. The back is where I had problems. My first template was exactly fitted to my body, with no zippers or elastic. I was able to put on the dress but had to rip the seams to get it off (a humbling moment). Since I felt too inexperienced to do a zipper down the back, I opted for elastic. That way, I could slip in and out of the dress, and it would still fit perfectly.
The dress only took me three days to make. The embroidery took me two months. A mix of procrastination and poor embroidery skills delayed my project. I did a practice pattern on a spare piece of fabric, then sewed my pattern onto the dress.
I was so happy with the final product, and I got so many compliments!
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