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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 369197" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Janet, find a source of wholesale fabric and trims, it will make things easier for you.</p><p></p><p>I have a membership with a NZ-based company called Lutterloh which sells a system to help you draft patterns to your own designs. You draw your sketches then look for patterns that will adapt to the sketch. For example, this bodice might be right, with that skirt and those sleeves. You put them all together, plug in the customer's measurements and draft the pattern very simply (I use newspaper). Yes, there are children's ranges too. I used this system to make my own wedding dress. We were working with this system to make easy child 2/difficult child 2's bridesmaids' dresses until a friend found an already-existing pattern that was almost exactly right.</p><p></p><p>Sewing on your own beads and sequins is a great ay to relax. I remember sewing red sequins onto a sports bra top for easy child once (dance costume - "Big Spender" number), while I was waiting in a doctor's waiting room. I did have some explaining to do with the other patients!</p><p></p><p>The basic pageant dress like that lovely black one, is simply a gored skirt (multiple layers in this case - taffeta under, netting overlay) gathered at the waist and attached to a separate bodice. To duplicate the skirt component, lie it down flat and try to trace around one of the skirt gores. Try to analyse the bodice component, maybe draw some different bodice shapes. Explore fabric shops, see what you can find.</p><p></p><p>When making a really special dress, find some cheap fabric (instead of using plain calico, use something prettier but just as cheap) and make the dress up in that. Then deconstruct the cheap dress and use each part for pattern pieces. When you're finished, make up the cheap dress and she will have a lovely play dress tat will look gorgeous but she can make mud pies in it if she wants to.</p><p></p><p>We did something like this for easy child when she was 6 years old - we were travelling the continent and knew she would need a summer dress, but wanted something pretty but also cheap. I went to a seconds shop for a bedlinen place and bought some gorgeous remnant fabric, then used this to make her dress for her, inventing the pattern as I went. And in Europe, she wore this dress everywhere, got it muddy (we didn't care) and rolled down hills in it (we didn't care) and even fed the goats while wearing this dress (again - no problem).</p><p></p><p>If you want advice on how to make a proper ballerina tutu (which work really well as the sort of stiffening petticoats under gored skirts for pageants) let me know and I'll post the info here. Again - no pattern. Just a matter of sewing long strips of tulle to a band of matching fabric. I just made a red rose tutu for easy child 2/difficult child 2, a costume for a play we were both in. I made it in the same manner I'd made her first tutu when she was Keyana's age.</p><p></p><p>I don't like pageants as such, but I accept that you do and so does Keyana, so if I can help save you some money then so much the better. I AM all for originality and not being extorted by the ridiculous prices of these dresses!</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 369197, member: 1991"] Janet, find a source of wholesale fabric and trims, it will make things easier for you. I have a membership with a NZ-based company called Lutterloh which sells a system to help you draft patterns to your own designs. You draw your sketches then look for patterns that will adapt to the sketch. For example, this bodice might be right, with that skirt and those sleeves. You put them all together, plug in the customer's measurements and draft the pattern very simply (I use newspaper). Yes, there are children's ranges too. I used this system to make my own wedding dress. We were working with this system to make easy child 2/difficult child 2's bridesmaids' dresses until a friend found an already-existing pattern that was almost exactly right. Sewing on your own beads and sequins is a great ay to relax. I remember sewing red sequins onto a sports bra top for easy child once (dance costume - "Big Spender" number), while I was waiting in a doctor's waiting room. I did have some explaining to do with the other patients! The basic pageant dress like that lovely black one, is simply a gored skirt (multiple layers in this case - taffeta under, netting overlay) gathered at the waist and attached to a separate bodice. To duplicate the skirt component, lie it down flat and try to trace around one of the skirt gores. Try to analyse the bodice component, maybe draw some different bodice shapes. Explore fabric shops, see what you can find. When making a really special dress, find some cheap fabric (instead of using plain calico, use something prettier but just as cheap) and make the dress up in that. Then deconstruct the cheap dress and use each part for pattern pieces. When you're finished, make up the cheap dress and she will have a lovely play dress tat will look gorgeous but she can make mud pies in it if she wants to. We did something like this for easy child when she was 6 years old - we were travelling the continent and knew she would need a summer dress, but wanted something pretty but also cheap. I went to a seconds shop for a bedlinen place and bought some gorgeous remnant fabric, then used this to make her dress for her, inventing the pattern as I went. And in Europe, she wore this dress everywhere, got it muddy (we didn't care) and rolled down hills in it (we didn't care) and even fed the goats while wearing this dress (again - no problem). If you want advice on how to make a proper ballerina tutu (which work really well as the sort of stiffening petticoats under gored skirts for pageants) let me know and I'll post the info here. Again - no pattern. Just a matter of sewing long strips of tulle to a band of matching fabric. I just made a red rose tutu for easy child 2/difficult child 2, a costume for a play we were both in. I made it in the same manner I'd made her first tutu when she was Keyana's age. I don't like pageants as such, but I accept that you do and so does Keyana, so if I can help save you some money then so much the better. I AM all for originality and not being extorted by the ridiculous prices of these dresses! Marg [/QUOTE]
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