PROM 2K23

Prom is one of those events in high school that is the highlight of your senior year. Some of us had dates, some of us went alone, either way its a celebration of all your hardwork and devotion as you transition to the next phase of your life! Its truly a coming of age moment and I think every senior should go just for the memory.

I had some time the last couple months to make some dresses and I learned new things and revisited some old things. One of the key things for me was believing that I could make both dresses. They were not impossible but it had been a while since I made formal attire for anyone and I was a little nervous. 

Making dresses require more thought and skill that often a lot of people aren't willing to admit. Here are some of the things I learned while working on this beautiful structured pink dress below.

1. Working with beads can be beautiful yet frustrating.

- If there is embroidered beads on your fabric leave some extra time to sew any that are ready to fly off at any moment. Once you cut into something that's embroidered it will start to unravel.

2. It's easier to take in a dress than is it to let it out.

-If your fabric does not stretch you need to make sure you leave room and add ease into the measurements so that in the event you need to let out the dress you have some room to do so.

3. When you are using boning make a inner layer only for that part of the dress.

-Sewing boning was crucial for this style in order to hold the shape of the dress. There is a separate layer just for that so it doesn't show on the outside of the garment.

4. Buy extra needles because beads will get in the way.

-Working with beads showed me how important it is to have extra machine needles on deck! I probably broke 12 needles because some of the beads were not removed or pushed out the way in time. Make sure you are prepared before you start working. One pack of needles was not enough so I went downtown and bought three once I ran through all the needles I had available.

5. Some techniques may not be useful so choose wisely!

I am a huge fan of French seams because it contains all the raw edges in a seamless professional way. Since I was working with beaded transparent lace on the outer layer of this dress, I thought French seams would be the right choice to conceal raw edges. I quickly learned that I needed to let the dress out a little and all my work was in a beautiful seam that I probably couldn't open because of how delicate the lace was!!!! I was screaming on the inside. Luckily I had a two seams that were not sewn with French seams so I was able to let out the dress to fit better.

Overall I love a good challenge and this dress required me to think more than sewing a pair of sweats or a hoodie because it was more technical. I have new styles on the way and I am excited to share what I've been working on. See ya later.

Love,

Tasleem