One of my childhood best friends (who I also went to college with) recently got married to her partner of 10 years and it was an absolute dream to celebrate with them. Their ceremony was so personal and moving, and it was truly a beautiful day. I wanted to have a great dress to wear for the occasion, and I spent a lot of time planning out this look and searching for the right combination of fabrics to achieve my vision. I was inspired by a few dresses by the brand Reformation, and knew I wanted a floral fabric, flutter sleeves, princess seams, and a midi skirt with a front slit.
I got an absolutely gorgeous rayon satin from Ginny’s Fine Fabrics in Rochester, MN (Ginny is also my great aunt, and an amazing and knowledgable sewing resource!). She has an amazing selection of garment fabrics, including the most special occasion fabrics of any store I’ve been to. This satin is incredibly soft and has a gorgeous drape.
I made to toiles of the bodice, sleeves, and top part of the skirt before I cut into my fancy fabric. I tried out a few patterns, but landed on the By Hand London Kim Dress for the bodice, New Look 6696 for the skirt, and Simplicity 8292 for the skirt. I had to align the seams of the skirt and bodice since they came from different patterns, so I adjusted the pattern pieces for the skirt to do so. I lined the bodice with a green bemberg, but left the sleeves and skirt unlined.
The wide neckline is one of my favorite parts of the dress, but I found it slipping off my shoulders a bit when I did my first try on. I followed this tutorial and added in bra strap guides by hand stitching ribbons and snaps on the inside of the shoulder seams – this totally solved the issue and I was able to dance and enjoy the full day without worrying about a slipping sleeve.
I intended to do french seams for the skirt pieces, but ran out of time and ended up using my serger. It worked out just fine! Here’s the final result, including a photo with my boyfriend Andy, who got a matching pocket square (and handmade dress shirt). Overall, this was probably my favorite project of 2022.
Hannah Q. 