I think I have kept you all in suspense for quite long enough. This evening is Jessica and Tom’s leavers prom and so I am allowed to reveal the dress I have been working on for the last few weeks.
I was feeling a bit poorly today so Mr Ooobop, like the knight in shining armour he is, set off with his new birthday camera without sparing the horses. The following photos are some of the loveliest he has taken. And I think you will agree that the beautiful subjects contribute somewhat to the awesomeness too.
Meet Jessica. The most wonderful 16 year old daughter of my friend Tina. Can you now picture the pressure that was to create her a prom dress fitting for such a beautiful princess?!
Tayla Harris was in-house hairdresser for the evening and styled Jessie’s hair beautifully. Complete with little jewels to match her necklace.
And ooo… look. A cheeky first glance of the bodice! Such a tease, I know!
With make-up, hair and outfit complete, enter Jessie’s Prince Charming – the lovely Tom. I’m so pleased he liked his tie. He didn’t really have much choice in the matter, bless him. It was delivered seconds before this photo was taken. I only finished it this morning! And here we also have a side view of the prom dress. I’m getting there, honest!
The tie was made to match Jessie’s sash as you can see. And Tom did a much better job of tying it than I did!
So now they were both dressed to impress, Mr O worked his magic and took some awesome shots of them together. Don’t they look adorable?
I would love to be a fly on the wall tonight and take a picture of them dancing together. The dress is a circle skirt underneath 10 layers of gathered polkadot tulle so you can imagine just how twirly and frothy it would be.
Jessie came to me with a firm idea of what she wanted and luckily for me there was a very similar pattern in one of my old Burda magazines. I’ve got quite a hefty collection now. It’s always a joy to go through back issues and see patterns you didn’t notice first time round. But this one was on the money! The only thing I had to do, knowing how standard the sizing works, was to do an FBA. And I had to learn how to do it pretty quick!
Thankfully for me, and for Jess, I had recently come across a great set of instructions on the By Hand London site. These totally took the fear factor out of the whole process. And I learned so much. Not least of all to come down 2 sizes for Jessies petite body and then doing an FBA. It took just 4 fittings to get it right but oh it was so worth it.
The strapless bodice section of the dress is boned. For good reason! This was a first for me too. Though I did discover some fantastic boning in my local haberdashery department that sold pre-cased boning. I just had to sew it directly onto the open seams.
The front and back have rouched tulle stretched taught across 2 panels. I love the way they ‘butterfly’ out from the centre seam. And I love how classic and timeless they both look here. Reminiscent of the 1950s.
The tulle overlay is ivory in colour and works so well to soften the pink. Kind of like a frothy strawberry milkshake, don’t ya think?! Of all the techniques involved in making this dress, funnily (or not so funnily) the most tricksy part was gathering all those 10 metres into a 27 inch waist. I even made several gathering threads to avoid breakage but it was still a nightmare. I ended up gathering small sections at a time and pinning it on the underskirt, on the mannequin and then hand tacked it all together before I even thought of taking it to the machine!
The bodice and skirt are lined in full with a slightly darker pink lining. That was one of the easier bits! Unlike the Burda instructions, I sewed the circle skirt lining to the waist seam and then once the bodice lining was seamed at the top, I turned under and hand-stiched the waist seam of the lining over the raw edge of the skirt lining.
Oh yes! How could I forget? The shoes!! Check out these amazing Kurt Geiger shoes that Jessie snapped up in the sale for a mere £29! Pink patent leather with bows and bling!
Have you got loveliness overload yet? I think I have. But hang on I forgot to show you the back. Pretty bow sash and all
And so the ‘royals’, unfazed by their impromptu photoshoot, bade their farewells and headed off to the prom.
I would so love to have seen everyone’s faces as they walked in together.
A massively big thank you to Mr Ooobop for these amazingly professional photos. I would never have got these together myself. I also have to thank Tina for asking me to make this dress for her beautiful princess. It has been such a huge learning curve for me. I don’t deny there was a fear factor involved. I had no choice but to get it right. But that’s how we learn fast, right?!
And last but not least for the ever obliging Jessica and Tom. You make just the perfect models and have brought such beauty to my blog! I am being totally honest when I say that these pictures brought a tear to my eye. I hope you guys had the time of your life! x
It’s absolutely gorgeous! And what lovely photos, too . . . a night to remember! 🙂
They had an amazing evening, and my princess looked an million dollars. 🙂
Thank you PALM! She totally did it justice! 🙂
Beautiful dress and gorgeous girl! Wow wow wow!! You did such an amazing job on this dress.
An amazing dress!! 🙂
Thank you Leila. Probably the most challeging to date 🙂
What a lovely couple and gorgeous dress! You really did a beautiful job!
She certainly did do an amazing job on this gorgeous dress and made my daughter and her Tom have a night to remember. 🙂 am a proud mummy
And so you should be, Tina x
Thank you Marjorie. Aren’t they just. I am very pleased with this one. 🙂
Memories are made of this…..
🙂 🙂 🙂 and there were certainly loads of memories made.
Thanks Jots. For me too!
Swoon! 10 m of tulle! Very interesting to read about the pre-made boning. Mr OBs photoshoot really showcases your gorgeous creations …. On two very gorgeous people!
Indeed! Not sure I’ll be doing that again in a hurry! I’m so proud of how quickly Mr O has mastered photography. Even though he claims not to be a creative sort!
stunning!
Thank you 🙂
Simple stunning. You talented clever oopbops! Gorgeous. Xxxxxx
Awww… thanks so much Mee Mee xxx
Fantastic dress (and tie) and the young couple is adorable!!
Thank you Johanna. They sure do make my blog look good!
Blooming heck. I’m pretty close to speechless. You have outdone yourself – you’ve outdone all of us! That is absolutely amazing. What a beautiful dress (and tie). I can’t even begin to imagine making something like that. And – oh, youth! To be young and in love…
Thank you so much, lovely. It makes me beam from ear to ear when I get a comment like this from someone like you. This dress is a real landmark piece for me, highlighting how far I’ve come and how much I’ve learned. Mostly from such inspirational peeps as your good lady self xxx
Wow wow wow and more wow. What a fabulous dreamy dress. Just beautiful!
Thanks so much Lizzy xxx
Wow what an amazing job!
Thank you Alana x
What a gorgeous dress. I couldn’t imagine gathering 10m but it turned out beautifully.
Thank you Claire. I’ve since learned that I could have used some tape to help the gathering stitches be more responsive! Living and Learning what it’s all about! 🙂
absolutely stunning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Alex 🙂
All beautiful – the couple, the dress and the photos. You have excelled yourself. I do hope the princess didn’t spoil herself later in the evening by swigging out of a bottle of champagne like the model in the Burda pic!
Thanks so much Tialys. I knew I was pushing boundaries with this one. Was a little bit scary. But so glad I went for it. They are so cute together and Mr O captured them perfectly 🙂
I’m blown away by how gorgeous the dress is. It’s beautiful and just perfect for Jessica. All that tulle is fabulous and I love the way the pink shows through. There just aren’t enough superlatives!! Well done 🙂
Thank you Louise. It was a pleasure to work on 🙂
Wow, what a stunning dress! Love the shoes. 🙂
Thanks Shirley. The shoes are amazing, aren’t they?!
Wow, wow and WOW! What more can be said?
Thank you Susie 🙂
What a BEAUTIFUL dress! Oh to be able to wear pink tulle again …
Thank you BS. I feel a bit ripped off that I didn’t have a prom!
Oh they look wonderful! The dress is just beautiful!!!
Thank you Jayne. Just so relieved it all worked. 🙂
It’s a gorgeous dress! So beautiful with the tulle on the pink satin. And I love how Tom’s tie matches 🙂 Great pictures too, Jessica and Tom are a wonderful couple.
Thank you so much Elise. I can feel more ties coming on. But not so many more prom dresses!
Wow, what a gorgeous dress (and model of course)…you clearly put everything into it Janene and it shows! I love that you didn’t back out of the challenge even if it did involve loads of new techniques…kudos to you lady!
Thank you Marie. I’d be lying if I said there weren’t a few tears along the way. None that stained the satin though!! 🙂
OMG, they are both so lovely. Oh for the innocence of youth!!! And the dress is so wonderful. I am quite in awe…
Thank you Chris. 🙂
I am so impressed – what a beautiful dress for a beautiful girl! And the matching tie is delightful!! I think that the reason I like the dress so much is that it is the perfect blend of youth and sophistication for a 16 year old. Just delightful!
Thank you for your lovely comment. I’m so glad she went for this style. The other girls that Ive seen wore very modern clinging dresses which helped Jessie’s to stand out even more! 🙂
Beautiful dress! Oh to have a daughter! Love the color, perfect for a princess.
Thank you MET. I have two daughters but neither would ever give me such a great opportunity as they hate pink. But all thanks to Jessie and her lovely boyf!
Oh soooooo pretty!!! She does look like a princess. You did an amazing job on that dress. It looks stunning! I hope the two had an amazing time at their prom.
Thank you so much Bea. They did indeed. And I do feel very proud 🙂
Wowee!! Absolutely gorgeous dress and a beautiful dress wearer! Love the sheer layers and touches of pink. And good on you learning how to add boning to the bodice! Such a lovely couple, I’m sure they were thrilled with their outfits.
Thanks so much Gjeomety. It’s so funny how I thought the boning would be the difficult bit and the gathering the easy bit! 🙂
Absolutely amazing – I am SO impressed!! She must have been completely thrilled!
x
p.s. so lovely to see you yesterday!!
Awww… thanks so much, Emily. And OMG Congratulations! You look beautiful (in the photos your’e not allowed to show) and your bridesmaid dresses are awesome!!! Great to meet you at BHL’s party. Seems a lifetime away now. Must do something more soon x
Wooooah this turned out so beautifully!!! Be afraid though, you might be inundated with dress requests once friends and family see this
Thanks, lovely. And you are not wrong! 😉
O. My. God. I want one!
That is a gorgeous dress! And they both look so pretty! She’s such a lucky girl to have you make the dress. Just wow!
lol… thank you Rachel. Its very inspirational to have a gorgeous model 🙂
You did an amazing job with that dress, it is so beautiful, and what a sweet couple they make. It’s so lovely to see all the gorgeous pictures. I hope you get to see more pics of the dress being danced in!
I feel exactly the same about my Burdas, they’re an excellent resource for patterns.
Thank you Angela. I really should have sent Mr O off to the ball with them! 🙂
Oh my. Oh my oh my oh my, that is absolutely exquisite. I am in awe at your patience with gathering tulle! And the combination of the spotted tulle over the pink – a gorgeous frothy vintage milkshake indeed. Love it! 🙂
Thank you Kat 🙂
Total loveliness overload!! Awesome work on the dress, I’d love to be a princess for an evening in it hehe. And the photos, sheesh, Mr Ooobop does such a good job, I’d have thought they were professional!
Thanks so much Zo. Will pass on your lovely comment to Mr O too. I think he is well on his way too. But it always helps when it comes from someone else! 😉
oh my god this looks amazing! brilliant job janene! she is lucky she has such a ;talented sewist to make for her!
Thank you so much Jo. I’m so chuffed with how she’s made my blog look so pretty!! 🙂
STUNNING!!! You’re a genius – I’m speechless (which is rare, believe me LOL) 🙂
Thanks everso 🙂
OMG…this dress is gorgeous and so is your daughter! Beautiful! You must be so proud.
What a gorgeous daughter and gorgeous dress! How perfect! I’m so envious – I’,m a mother of boys! Sigh…, They are gorgeous boys too but oh to be the Fairy Godmother and sew for Cinderella!
Ha! I know this article was written four years ago, but funnily enough I was browsing earlier today my old Burda issues, and I spent a fair amount of time drooling over this pattern. Burda had it styled as a wedding dress but in my opinion, it’s a dreamy gown in a colour other than white. Your alterations were amazing, and they made a lovely couple those two, very classy. That girl is so pretty she could wear any High Streetr dress and look gorgeous, but of course it’s so much better to wear a custom made frock.
I’m only a beginner sewer, I hope I can reach that level in time when I’ll be able to make this dress, kudos to you.
Thank you so much, Stacey. Such kind words. Everyone’s a beginner sewer in the beginning. All it takes is a bit of passion, lots of practice and you’ll be able to make anything you set your heart on! The only tricky bit about this dress is the fitting of the bodice. If only we didn’t have boobs, waistlines and hips… it would be so much easier!!