Hi ALL,
I’m having the hardest time figuring out how to add volume to the back of this mermaid fit gown I want to wear. Do I add some fabric beneath the fabric? Or gather some fabric and sew it on? I’m just staring at the dress trying to figure out what would be best… I attached some pics to give you ladies an idea of the advice I need.
The first two pics are of the dress I currently have
the following two is the look I am trying to achieve
Thank You!
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Replies
Wow--what a lovely gown!
The second two are much more fitted to just above the knee, and the bottom is a very deeply pleated attached skirt. The hem of the fitted part tapers to a V in the back, and the attached skirt appears to be a very large rectangular piece, either lined or a flattened tube. It's a type of bubble skirt, so a pattern description for that would help.
I would guess that the skirt part is a least five to eight times wider than the bottom of the top half of the dress, possibly three or four yards around. Some of the pleats look like deep pinched pleats--very much like the loose draperies that are so common nowadays.
To make a mockup, take a 3-yard length of wide, silky fabric, and stitch along the sides, making a very long tube. Turn it inside out, and pin the seam in folds to the hem of the fitted part of the dress, all right sides facing out. The fold at the bottom of the tube is the already finished hem of the skirt.
The ruched trim band can be added afterward, stitched on right sides together, upside down, just above the attachment points, before being turned down to conceal the seam.
Wow thank you so much I'm going to get to work on it this week I will post pictures. This is so helpful!!
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