Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: A Mother’s Day Gift - Making my Daughter’s Prom Dress

Image
By

Happy Friday All!

As a mother and sewist, I am always planning months in advance for any special occasion dress. Due to the pandemic, my daughter missed all the activities at the end of her elementary journey and I was truly heart broken. She did not have any promotional ceremony, field trips or activities for the last few months of elementary school. I made a vow to myself that in Middle School, no matter what life throws us, I would make the perfect Junior Prom dinner dance dress even if she had to twirl in it at home.

When I came across this beautiful blue lycra sequins fabric, I was thrilled. My daughter Arielle and I spoke a few months ago about the perfect Grade 8 Junior Prom dinner dance dress. She found an inspirational photo on Pinterest back in December which was a one shoulder maxi dress that sparkles and she was excited about me making her special dress. At the time she wasn’t quite sure of the shade of blue she wanted but after our trip to Jamaica during Spring break, she was sold. We found the perfect blue on the Fabric Mart website after we returned and I was excited to get started.

My daughter is extremely picky and of course I have sewn less for her  over the years. I was a bit nervous at first to cut into the fabric but knew the style she wanted was a basic silhouette and wouldn’t require a lot of construction. For the most part, I knew a basic one shoulder block or pattern and a self drafted circle skirt pattern was essential for the look. The top pattern is from Shakti Pattern on Etsy (here) and the skirt is a maxi half circle skirt pattern that I self drafted after watching a few videos on YouTube. 


The bodice is lined and I added a 1 inch elastic for support and structure in the waist. I basically used the outer layer (main) fabric for the casing after attaching it to the skirt and inserted the elastic, closed the casing,  and then attached the lining to the main where the casing was inserted. This technique gave her the needed support in the mid section and cinched the waist even more. I definitely plan to try this technique again and of course do a step by step video or written tutorial.

Overall I am happy that she truly enjoyed her Hollywood Theme Junior Prom.  I am so proud of my sewing journey over the past 2 years.  To see the joy in my daughter’s eyes the day of her Junior Prom was the best Mother’s Day gift I could ask for this year.


I will forever cherish every special moment with both my daughter and son and will continue to sew all special occasion looks.  She is already planning next formal dress for the Fall.  Thanks for following my journey  as a blogger here at Fabric Mart. Be sure to stop by my Instagram page to see Arielle, my daughter twirling in her dress.  

One Love,

MARICA  | @heymaricamitchell

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories SEQUINS & SPARKLES.

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 19, 2023 at 8:40 AM

    You did an amazing job. I love the color and style but the fit is absolutely perfect. I would have never guessed it has elastic in the waist. I will definitely be looking for the tutorial on how you did that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 19, 2023 at 12:15 PM

    Your work compliments your beautiful daughter!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 19, 2023 at 12:19 PM

    I am impressed - it doesn't look like an elastic waistband, you did that very well!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Noni sewsMay 20, 2023 at 10:42 AM

    Beautiful color. Perfect fit. Did you have any trouble breaking needles because of the sequins?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 22, 2023 at 9:29 AM

      The sequins are small and lucky for me, I did not break a needle.

      Delete
  5. AnonymousMay 21, 2023 at 10:04 AM

    Your daughter looks stunning in her dress and she will surely remember you making it for her forever! I would love a tutorial on the internal waistband as the smooth fit on this is something I’m always trying to achieve. Really excellent work.

    ReplyDelete
  6. K ReevesMay 21, 2023 at 11:27 AM

    Elegant simplicity at its finest, perfect fit, and age appropriate too! She looks gorgeous in this dress!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Penny sipesMay 27, 2023 at 2:29 PM

    Turned out Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousMay 30, 2023 at 8:15 AM

    What a gorgeous dress, it suits her so well in all aspects - color, style, line. Brilliant technique too. I am so glad you were able to do her proud! She looks like a princess.

    ReplyDelete
  9. mad14ktJune 12, 2023 at 8:29 AM

    NICE!!!! And she is such a beautiful young lady!!!! I pray her many right open doors before her :) FIESTA!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousJune 20, 2023 at 3:15 AM

    She looks gorgeous! You did a beautiful job (daughter and dress!).

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Recent Posts You Might Like

Return to work wardrobe in ITY – which is your favorite?

By
In June of this year, after spending nearly 11 years at my place of employment and after restructuring and cost cutting, I took a separation package. I was so fortunate to be able to take a few months off, and also to very quickly find a position with a new company. I start my new job on September 14th and I’m super excited!  This new position is also different for me in that it is local to my area (whereas before I worked remotely and traveled to the office every few weeks) – so I’ll be going into the office three times a week. So of course I needed to sew up some new outfits! I’m a huge fan of ITY knit fabric ; ITY stands for interlock twist yarn, which describes the way the yarn is knitted together. I love it for tops, dresses, skirts, and even pants: it’s comfortable, easy care, low wrinkle, and comes in so many beautiful prints. I sewed up three new outfits over the last two weeks and I’m excited to share them with you today! Oh, and also – I need help choosing what to wear fi...
18 comments
Continue Reading »

Sometimes The Fabric Chooses The Pattern

By
Have you ever fallen in love with a fabric and immediately envisioned exactly what you wanted to make, only to realize halfway through the planning process that the fabric had other ideas? That’s exactly what happened with this project. I used Fabric Mart’s Black/Dark Cobalt/Smoky White Poly Foliage Print Chiffon , and while I initially had plans for a detailed dress, the fabric ultimately led me in a completely different direction—and I’m so glad it did. When I first saw this gorgeous chiffon print, I was immediately drawn to the rich color palette and beautiful movement. The dark background paired with the cobalt and smoky white foliage creates a striking look that feels both dramatic and versatile. My original plan was to make a dress with princess seams, buttons, and more structured design elements. However, after spending time with the fabric, I realized that all of those seam lines and construction details would compete with what makes this chiffon so beautiful: its drape, moveme...
6 comments
Continue Reading »

Hillhouse Nap Dress Dupe with Fabric Mart Fabric!

By
I have been wanting a Hill House Home Nap Dress for the longest time, but when I saw the reviews that the fabric was too sheer and the price tag—often well over $200—I decided it would be much more fun to make my own! I found this gorgeous abstract navy and white cotton voile from Fabric Mart and knew it would be perfect for the light, floaty dupe I had in mind. Cotton voile is soft, lightweight, and beautifully suited for a shirred dress like the infamous Nap dress. This abstract print gives the finished dress a more modern feel. I love a floral fabric, but I was excited to find this abstract print in my favorite color of navy.  Rather than using an entire dress pattern, I followed Just Lauren Johnson’s YouTube tutorial on how to create a Nap Dress from rectangles. Lauren walks you through how to use your own measurements to calculate the dimensions of the bodice, skirt tiers, and other pieces. I loved this approach because I could create the dress specifically for my measurement...
7 comments
Continue Reading »

Sewing With Intention: New Look 6106 and a More Coordinated Wardrobe

By
Sometimes a sewing project begins with a beautiful piece of fabric or a pattern you just have to make. This one began with my closet. Recently, I did a major closet purge. I took a good look at what I actually wear, what I kept reaching for, and—maybe more importantly—what was missing. Once the pieces I no longer loved or wore were gone, something became very clear: I want to be more intentional about what I sew next. Instead of sewing individual pieces that I love but don't necessarily wear together, I want to build a wardrobe where my handmade garments coordinate with the clothes I already own—and with the pieces I'm planning to sew next. For this month's Fabricista project, this beautiful lightweight shirting from Fabric Mart turned out to be a wonderful place to start. The Fabric That Started It All Fabric Mart provided this beautiful oatmeal and black heathered shirting , along with the matching thread for my project. One of the things I love most about this fabric is ...
9 comments
Continue Reading »