Sew Your Own Wedding or Prom Dress

You have a date on the calendar, a vision of the dress and a budget that does not stretch to the shop's price tag. Plenty of sewers have made their own wedding, prom and graduation dresses, and the ones who finish happy are the ones who plan the project before they cut a single inch of expensive fabric. Sew Your Own Wedding or Prom Dress is a one-project guide for one formal dress, from the first decision to the last stitch. It is not a learn-to-sew course and it is not a manual for hemming jeans: it covers only what a special-occasion gown needs, including what to do if you bought a dress and want to tailor it yourself, and what to do when the deadline is closer than you hoped. Inside, you'll learn: How to decide honestly between sewing from scratch and tailoring a bought dress, and what each route asks of your time and skills How to set a materials budget and a backwards timeline from the event date, with room for mistakes How to choose a silhouette, pattern and fabric that suit your skill level, and how much to buy How to measure, make a test garment and adjust the fit before you cut the good fabric How to cut, sew and press slippery satin, chiffon, lace and tulle without puckers or disasters How to add lining, built-in support, closures, a clean hem and a train or bustle How to run final fittings, pack an event-day repair kit and care for the dress afterwards A calm triage plan for when time or confidence runs short Whether you are sewing a prom gown, a wedding dress or an elopement dress for a small ceremony, this book gives you the order of work, the checkpoints and the plain-English explanations to finish a dress you will want to wear.

Imad Muratspahic is an independent author of practical how-to guides, technical handbooks, history and fiction. The books aim to be clear, honest and useful from the first page.