Prom dress with 188 feet of lace, yellow pleats and a petticoat--PROM PICS ADDED

[skarinja]

I know it's a bit early but I made my prom dress. I didn't use a pattern, I made up the pieces as I went along, but there was a lot of planning in regards to sketches. I didn't make a mock up, I just went for it. First I made the paneled skirt out of plain muslin and sewed 188 feet of lace and eyelet on it. I hand dyed the lace and eyelet to get different shades of white, beige, off-white, tan and other neutral colors. I sewed the lace along the top of each piece so the piece above would cover the seam. The lace part closes with a zipper. I used a tutorial from Sew-Stylish magazine involving a cement cylinder to make the pleats out of the yellow fabric and closed the back in a V with a corset and a large golden yellow satin bow. I draped the bust on an old strapless bra on my dress form. The bottom piece on the left side becomes the top of the right side so it has a hot curvy thing going on. The lace on the bust is all the same style. The whole thing is over a large petticoat I made by sewing layers and layers of gathered tulle to an old slip.

This is my ideal prom dress. I've made 5 so far, and by far this is my favorite. It turned out EXACTLY how I drew it. I'm really satisfied and it fits well. After June, I'll put up pictures of me wearing it!

The front:


The back: (The V looks SO SEXY on a real person)


The bust: (It fits nicely in that its snug and stays up because of the corset but also is a bit lifting and flattering because the bra's a littttle small due to the stitching taking out the elasticity)


The side of the bust: (I love how they all originate from the same point)


The side of the dress:


The dress during the making with my old nasty shiny pleats:


Sewing the lace and eyelet:


Comments, criticism, questions, anything! I'm in love with this dress. I can't wait to wear it.

EDIT: Prom pictures!

[water_heaven]

Wow, that must have taken FOREVER.
It is so original and lovely, no wonder you love it!

[JBear]

Wow! This is so beautiful! Congrats on your patience and skill! I love this so much. 

[Happychick]

That's breathtaking! I doubt I'd have the patience to do a skirt, but I may well try a top like that... thanks for the inspiration!

[paulinerose]

WOW so knockout gorgeous. Great job!

[ReconstructiveChoice]

That would take some patience... very creative and beautiful.  I love low-back dresses, I bet it's REALLY beautiful on a person!

[dyingsockgirl]

Oooh so pretty! Did you have all of the lace on hand or did you spend a fortune on it? I would definitely attempt a less formal version of this if my stash allowed. You're neato!

[1230021]

your dress is beautiful! i always have the hardest time finding dresses, but i could never make my own.  

[SeeleVerloren]

Oh wow, that is so beautiful!

[laurena]

That is absolutely gorgeous! Talk about hard work pays off!