Grad Night
Green Lime Satin and Black Lace Divine
It's last dance time. Graduation time. It's beautiful girl time.
I once made a prom dress for my friend Gabby, on the occasion of her birthday and high school graduation. I had made a quinceanera gown for my daughter, which is very much the same, with the strapless bodice and long princess seams— so I had confidence!
It was my third "Cinderella" dress. My daughter’s was in Schiaparelli pink, and I made a ballgown for myself— just because— in Cowboy Sleeping Bag flannel with faux-mink trim.
I will tell you a secret— these formal gowns are so much easier to make than a regular “dress” or a shirt.
Why?
Because there are no sleeves, no buttons, no zippers, no collars! It’s just yards of fabric, and long, long seams.
Yes, princess gowns have “boning” — but modern boning is made of plastic— heat-sensitive striping that they sell by the yard at the sewing store. You cut the plastic boning as long as your sections. Pin it on the seams and mow the strips down with your machine zigzag stitch!
You then try the gown on your model, who will wear the appropriate undergarments. Undergarments are what make ballgowns WORK. It’s not about whether you’re slim or busty or whatever — it’s the under-form that makes a prom dress look like the ballerina in the jewel box. You wear a longline strapless brassiere underneath, and a stiff tulle floor-length petticoat.
They sell both at bridal stores, and they are what gives the shape its structure! It’s a silhouette to float on a cloud.
So, here’s the fun part: After your model puts on the gown with the fresh boning sewn in, you take a warm iron— this is the heat-sensitive part— approach her waist, and press the boned seams with your iron, slightly against her curves, so the boning shapes to her.
It’s so fun! It’s the first time I ever worked with an iron off the ironing board. Obviously, it’s not too hot! Just a lightly warm iron. The plastic boning responds immediately.
This new section of SB Journal is called The Leisure Hours.
It’s devoted to eating, drinking, imbibing, crafting, sewing, throwing parties, making your own fun.
If you’re happy we started this, so am I! Auntie Mame would approve.
However! If you want turn off email notification for ”The Leisure Hours,” you can.
Go to your account page and under “Email notifications” uncheck, or check, whichever email notifications you’d like to stay abreast of.
— Little Susie Homebreaker
For you fashionistas, Gabby's dress is a riff of a McCalls Prom Dress Pattern, M5001. (You can find a hundred imitations). Gabby chose lime green satin overlaid with black lace.
My sewing teacher Jill Sanders led the way, showing me how to make a corset lace-up in the back. She said, “Screw the zipper.”
A eye-and-lace system to tie the back is so much simpler than a zipper for this sort of thing, and, bonus you can really make the dress FIT to form, by just pulling on your ties — they could be ribbons, or elastic, or whatever you want.
This is the approach you want to do every time you make a festival dress, Renaissance fair, any kind of princess gown shape.
Happy graduation, everyone! I’m so proud of everything you’ve gone through to survive the last four years!
Do you have a picture of the mink-collar gown?!
Dreamy!