I found this gown at a second hand wedding dress shop and I knew it would make the most beautiful maternity gown! And I was right! It already had a long flowy train that parted down the middle so I just did some alterations to the front and made the base split down the centre. I started by cutting the middle layer/panel out because it wasn't going to fall right once I split the centre. I ended up making the middle panel into a slip to go under the dress so it wouldn't show any leg for a more modest gown. I also took the lace edging off the bottom. I still haven't decided what to do with that part! :P After I cut the split, I hemmed the edges. I also had to make a few alterations to the back near where the zipper was because I wanted to make it able to fit a wider variety of maternity clients.
0 Comments
I've had two wedding dresses that I've transformed into maternity gowns.. but that takes some imagination and a little bit of sewing skills ;) This first one is from a vintage wedding dress from the '70's or '80's I'm assuming. I re-designed the neckline and shortened the sleeves. I also put in a corset style lace up back so I could adjust it to different sized models. (Even though I made it adjustable, it still only fits up to a size 8 because the dress was so tiny in the first place)
Infinity gowns are great for maternity.. low cost, various wearing styles, and they're one size fits all! What you need: Approx 6 meters (around 6.5 yards) jersey or cotton stretch fabric. (If you want longer straps, get around 7 meters) matching thread sewing machine Step #1 Cut your straps along the width of the fabric about 12 inches wide. Most fabric width is 52", but feel free to make your straps longer to get more variety with the styles. On my blue gown I made the straps closer to 72 inches long and that was good too. Step 2 -Run a quick hem down the one side of your fabric (I only hemmed the part I was going to put pleats in) Take your long length of fabric and find the halfway point. Pin pleats so your pleated length is around 24" (It doesn't have to be exact) Sew the pleated part on your sewing machine Step 3- take the straps you cut previously and hem the sides that are going to be at the neckline. If you want, you can definitely do both sides, but the other side is going to be hidden by the arm and it curls under so you should have no problem having a raw edge. I didn't hem the neckline on my blue gown because the fabric was a bit different than my brown one, but the brown fabric didn't curl as nicely as the blue so I made the neckline area nice and neat. Step 4- Overlap the next strap by about 6 inches. With the blue gown I made the mistake of only overlapping about 2 inches.. and now I have to make sure the moms are wearing a bra/bandeau underneath with some styles. Final step- sew your straps to the pleated part of the gown and you're done! I leave the back open and just pin it so it fits every size. The train is quite long as well, so it looks really pretty :) For a link to see different ways to wear infinity gowns, go to http://watters.com/infinity-dress.html or search pinterest for more ideas!
Items Needed: -Sheer Drapery Panel (or whatever you want as an under garment) I got mine from dollarama for $3 -Tulle (Im not exactly sure how much I had for this one.. I'm assuming around 15 metres...) -Ribbon -Sewing machine -Pins Fold over the long edge of the drapery panel and sew to create a "hem" that is wide enough to thread a ribbon or string through. ( I made mine about 3 inches which could've been wayyyy smaller! ) I used the 52" wide tulle and cut a bunch of 2 ft sections. Measure how long you want your skirt to be and layer your tulle down the length of your panel. ******this would work better if you cut your tulle the opposite way I did and made your tulle touch the ground on both sides of your panel, so cut longer sections that would be 52" wide.. if that makes sense. If you have questions, just email me at [email protected]**** Keep layering your sections until you've completed the length Pin your tulle to your panel and sew along the top of your panel. Now flip it over and start laying down your layers on your "backside" (no, I don't mean your butt!) Once your other side is pinned down, sew along the top edge again. Just make sure you still have room to thread your ribbon. Now take a large safety pin and attach your ribbon. Now fish your ribbon through, then put it on and twirl around!
I still need to get a photo of someone modeling this one for me, so I don't have a good photo of it yet. However, it is not nearly as full as the previous tulle skirt I made. You can see it hanging in this photo Difficulty Level - HardThis skirt took a lot of tulle, time, and torture. Well.. not really torture lol! Items Needed: 55 Meters of 52" wide tulle A size large slip (I got mine from a thrift store for $3) Sewing Machine Needle and Thread Safety Pins or sewing pins I used a size large slip so that it had lots of stretch in it, then I put it on and measured how long I wanted it to be. I am 5 ft 6 inches and from the waist to the floor it was 43 inches long from waist to my toes. Then I made marks on the slip so I knew where my layers would be. The top was 43", middle mark was 32" and bottom was 23" I started pinning my 23 inch pieces around the bottom mark Then I cut my 32 inch pieces and pinned around the middle mark (and my daughter likes to pose as you can tell...) Middle Layer done! Now comes the hard part! stretch your waistband around something that you wont move too much. I used an 11x14 frame. I wanted the top part to not show the stitching so I did the pinning from the underside. Pin around the whole band of the slip. ***** I forgot to take a picture of this step***** - You have to use two layers for the top layer around the waistband because one layer isn't thick enough and you can see through it. Start sewing your layers to the slip. I just sewed by hand the under layers but I used the sewing machine for the very top layer. and there you have it! If you like the look of ribbon or elastic, it would be quite simple to add one to the waist.
Supplies Needed:
-1 bandeau bra or strapless bikini top (I got mine from Walmart for $5) -Approx. 5 yards lace (I used 16 feet so I had two 8 foot pieces) -Scissors, Thread & Sewing Machine Directions: Take your lace and make 2 equal lengths. Sew one piece of lace to one side of the bikini top in gathers Do the same for the other side. Make sure your stitch length is large enough so your lace doesn't get caught in your sewing machine. And voila! You have your own diy maternity gown! |
AuthorI am a wife & mom to 2 beautiful children, Newborn Photographer, and DIY Prop maker. I am also a prop-aholic... as you will see in my posts! But best of all, i'm a sinner saved by God's grace! John 3:16 Archives
April 2016
Categories
All
|