DIY Evening dress cut from Oblong Fabric, Dress 364


 

I took an existing dress as my template. I had an oblong piece of lovely fabric, black background. Shiny pattern. Evening-y. 

"Where did it come from?" my husband asked.

Fabric

I wish I could remember. Maybe an offcut from Spotlight in Singapore. I went out to buy when I bought my sewing machine. Or the Oxfam shop or another charity shop in the UK.

I wish I had listed the source. Not that it would help. I could not go back and get more fabric. The patterns and even the fabrics, the opportunities for offcuts, change all the time. But it would be interesting to know.

Now I am wearing it, I find that it is stretchy. Maybe I bought it to make a wrap to go with a swimsuit. 

My husband raises his eyebrows and shakes his head, "I don't have oblongs of fabric lying around." 

He does. Shirts he has thrown away because the collars got frayed. I rescued them. You can cut off the collar and have a large piece of usable fabric.

What To Make With Oblong Fabric?

What could I do with my shiny fabric?

Should I make a top, a long top like a tunic dress? Or a long skirt?

I tried both ways. Did the colours suit my complexion for a top? Colours not brilliant. Fabric size not long enough.

I tried it as a skirt. How easy would it be to find a top to match? I would need a plain colour to avoid two conflicting patterns. I changed my mind.

A top would be better. Easier to find a plain black skirt. I had skirts and slips in shiny, satiny black.

I already had the template for a dress. An easy to cut and sew plain shift type dress with a simple neck.  A tie at the back to pull in the waist.

The first thing was to cut the neck so I could try it on.



How To Cut The Neck

I used my template to find the minimum width of the neck. Then I checked against my head, to see if it would go over. 

To be sure that the neck was centred, and matching both front and back and both sides of the centre, I folded the fabric. I should have pinned it and used pins or safety pins, and drawn with taylor's chalk. I cut it slightly too wide, so it slipped and showed a bra strap.

I didn't take enough care. I quickly used the brim of a cap to make the neck circle. 

I could make the neck circle shallow or deep. A deep circle leaves you with a semi-circular piece large enough to make a matching pocket. A narrower piece is big enough for a matching headband. 


I did not even need to sew up the sides. They overlapped. I kept the dress tight with a wide black satin ribbon. I tried a narrow ribbon first. I just looked like an oddment of ribbon. The wide ribbon looked like it was meant to be a belt. The bow was better with the wider ribbon. The dress was pulled tight by the belt. To wear it outside my home for the evening, for example on a trip to a restaurant, I would take more trouble, sewing up the sides. 

I could just use safety pins. That was done famously at a grand event. Elizabeth Hurley wore a dress fastened with safety pins, made by Versace, accompanying Hugh Grant to the premiere of the film Four Weddings And A funeral.

However, I had a quick new outfit. My oblong of material was no longer lying around serving no purpose, waiting to be transformed.

The Headband

You have lots of options. 

1 For a matching rigid hair band, cover an inexpensive existing headband. Buy one online. Or try them at your nearest hairdressing shop. 

2 Make a fabric hairband. Add elastic or Velcro or two pieces of ribbon to tie together at the back.

3 Make a bow for your hair. Sew it onto a clip. Or just use the clip to pin it in place. (If going out, you might drop and lose the fabric. Therefore, secure it by sewing or with a safety pin.

Matching Belt

Make a matching belt. If your fabric is long, cut off the hem. Or a side piece. Or a small piece both sides at waist level, to attach to the front of a belt made from a wide satin ribbon.

I decided to use ribbon. I had a spool of wide satin black ribbon. 

Match Shoes

I am wearing silver sandals with a small crystal. A better choice would be shiny black evening shoes, gold shoes, or silver shoes.

Matching Accessories

I could also make a matching neck band, ear-rings, and a pendant. I could use spare fabric, or more for the ribbon used for the belt.

Useful Websites

Fabric

Pinking shears

https://www.spotlightstores.com/sg/sewing-fabrics/scissors-dyes-accessories/scissors-cutting/pinking-shears/klasse-9-soft-grip-pinking-shears/BP80569263-black-blue

Wide Satin Ribbon 

https://www.spotlightstores.com/sg/party/party-supplies/invitations-cards-wrap/ribbons-bows/celebrate-38-mm-satin-ribbon/

https://www.spotlightstores.com/sg/sewing-fabrics/dress-apparel-fabrics/dressmaking-fabrics-buying-guide

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