14th August 2011: Complete! She's all done whoop! I haven't got the contacts in or any make-up on in the photo so excuse that lol
I've been wearing it for at least an hour around the house and it's pretty comfortable, it just rides up a bit at times. I love how the fabric feels and that it's all shimmery =3
14th August 2011: Chibi wings! Thought these would be good to use for con parties and places where there isn't space for a mahoosive pair.
I used a pair I already owned which were bought from Claire's Accessories. I just removed the white ribbon straps and replaced them with clear bra straps.
14th August 2011: Hem detail Yeah it's not very neat I'm afraid and I think it looks better at the back as the waves are more widely spaced. Did I mention I'm terrible at getting anything even? lol I used clear nail varnish on the cut sections to stop the ribbon from fraying. This may mean the hem scratches my thighs a bit but I couldn't see another way around it as I can't over lock the ribbon.
14th August 2011: Ribbon added to bottom hem Sheer ribbon was added to the bottom hem using a straight stitch but again with low tension. I didn't do a complete overlay of the dress like the original as in the Gee video it's not very clear the dress is two layers so thought it would be easier to just use a ribbon instead. The ribbon wasn't quite wide enough sadly but oh well.
I'm so pleased that even after adding the two ribbons I can still manage to slip this dress over my head, no zip required! Whoop!
14th August 2011: Halter neck Close-up image
14th August 2011: Hem raised and halter neck added Raised the hem to a more appropriate length (gotta be careful that my butt stays covered ^^')stitched it in place, removed the excess material and over locked the seam.
Pinned the ribbon into place and tried on the dress to make sure it looked ok before carefully sewing it on. I originally wanted to use a silver metallic thread I had however I soon learnt this type is thread isn't really made for use with sewing machines... So I unpicked the small bit I had done and started again with a grey thread.
Once that was done I cut the excess ribbon, folded and sewed the ends to neaten them and prevent fraying and added a snap fastener.
7th August 2011: Dress- main part complete Sewed the dress pieces together on my machine using a zig-zag stitch with low tension due to the stretchy material. I cut away some of the excess fabric due to my generous seam allowance and then overlocked the seams.
It doesn't look the best shape laid flat and you can see the right side isn't shaped right (I'm clearly rubbish at getting anything even) but I'm not too bothered about it as the fabric clings to my curves any way, hence why I went with the dodgy pattern making as was mainly relying on the fabric to do the work. I'm pleased I can get this on just by pulling it over my head, no zips or buttons required.
The bottom hem needs to raised to the right length before adding the sheer ribbon and the silver halter neck needs to be done also.
7th August 2011: Dress- pieces cut I only had one metre of fabric but it was still enough to enable me to double layer both sides of the dress (hence all the pins in the photo, two pieces are being held together). This gives the dress a nice weight, makes it feel sturdier and removes any see-through-ness so I don't have to line it or wear a slip or something underneath.
7th August 2011: Dress- making the pattern As you can tell from the photo I pretty much cut around my original ball dress for Rinoa as a mock pattern for this, I just made sure I considered the seam allowance. I honestly don't recommend doing this for costume making in general as it can be inaccurate and the lines sloppy. I can't cut in a straight line as it is...
Oh and in case you're wondering I do still have the pattern used for my original dress but due to the weird American sizing it had to be taken in a lot so I couldn't be bothered with that again. Plus I'm skipping out on some of the seams and darts.
17th April 2010: Shoes Pair of white high heels I already owned.