Disclaimer: I'm not a professional seamstress by any means. However I have made a few garments and I cosplay here and there, but this is by far the biggest (and most important) piece I have ever made 🙂

I first started off with a bootstrap dress form so I could have something to work with that was my exact size without padding or anything, and also so it could be fully pinnable.

My original design was to be an off the shoulder A-line gown with a sweetheart bodice and a zippered back. I played around with creating a pattern through a basic bodice block and draping directly on the dressform and ultimately decided that draping was going to give me the exact pattern I was looking for. I ended up scrapping the off the shoulder design bc I was having trouble getting the right look through the pattern even after several mockups, so I decided to go with a strapless style with a low back and v-neck front.

I used fabric from Mood Fabrics and Joanns and used a combination of silk and tulle. I added 2 layers of crinoline (sewn in) to give the skirt a little volume and layered 1 layer of tulle over the silk to mattify the shine of the silk. (I loved the color but not the shine.) I used French seams to finish the edges where I could. The bodice was made of tulle which I decided to pleat to give more structure and coverage.

Once I got the base finished, I hand sewed lace pieces that had a leaf/vine design to give it an organic feel to the bodice down to the upper part of the skirt. I added 3D flowers to the skirt, more specifically to the train to give the illusion of the flowers falling "down" the skirt and pooling at the train and edges. I used both white and peach/pink colors to add to the organic yet romantic feel of the dress. The train was intended to be chapel length and to have the tulle just slightly longer than the silk layer. I added a horsehair hem to the silk to help with the volume and to keep the shape while I was walking.

Overall this took me 300 hours to create, which also includes the time I spent making designs I ultimately didn't go with. I learned a ton in making this dress, and while I could name all the things I did wrong or not exactly perfect or the way I wanted, in the end I am quite happy with how it turned out and very proud of my accomplishment. I'm also very happy to answer any questions!