So this is the first self drafted actual gown I have ever made. I don't know if it can be called a gown if it is only knee-length, but I have been calling it a gown during the whole build process and it makes me feel fancy, so a gown it is. The fabric is a seafoam/mint green chiffon I picked up from Michael Levine's bulk warehouse this summer, so I have no idea about the composition. It feels better than the straight polyester chiffon I've felt before, but this is my first time working with chiffon at all so I'm really just guessing here. The (original) structure is made of linen, that I was planning on lining with a cheap synthetic lining that I already had. One of my goals for this dress was not to buy any new supplies except for thread, hence the less-than-perfect structure of linen. I wanted to make a completely backless dress with a knee-length skirt and a draped chiffon front.
This is the very beginning of the dress. This is the bare bones pattern drafting stage. I like to drape on my dress form with muslin to get the base of the image I want and then go from there. So currently I have an idea of the neckline sketched out and the darts pinned in place.
At this point I have switched the waist dart to a princess seam for a better fit, which is basted in place, as well as the armpit dart. I am also experimenting with the placement of the straps, as I want this dress to be completely backless so I'm going for those shoulder straps that are popular now that essentially just wrap the arm.
This is a bad picture, but at this point I have taken the muslin off the dress form, taken the different pieces apart, and traced onto another piece of muslin and added seam allowances. I prefer to do my patterns on muslin as I feel like they last longer and are easier to work with than paper patterns.
The bodice is structured out of linen now (no longer muslin) as the base, pinned onto the dress form and ready for draping!
The start of the draping! Getting really excited at this point, as I have never draped like this before and this looks so good! Exactly what I wanted.
Still feeling excited right now. The one boob draping has been basted in place by hand, and this picture was taken directly before hand basting the waist part.
It was at this point that I started losing my excitement. This boob just wasn't looking the way I wanted it to, and the more I handled it off the dress form and let the shape become more natural and less pinned the less I liked it. The drape, while pretty, wasn't what I wanted or what I was going for. I liked how the strap was working, but still didn't enjoy the overall look and structure, so....
I completely changed it! This is the finished bodice. It is backless, and I completely lost the linen. Instead, the chiffon is directly attached to the lining, all the seams encased and straps are attached at this point as well. The bodice is backless, and while you cant tell in this picture, there is clear elastic along the side. It helps to kind of hold everything in place, and gives something for my skin to grip onto. I plan on this dress being something I can wear to the bars, so making sure my top is going to stay in place when I'm sweaty and dancing is really important. While this isn't what I wanted from the start. this is more consistent with my skill level when it comes to draping. I might tuck the top in when I attach the skirt to make it a little tighter, but due to the completely backless factor I am okay with the more modest balance of the flowy, not super skin tight front. Now I just have to find the motivation to construct the skirt, attach it, and wear it!
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