Do you know how to sew?

[Alyssa]

i am looking for reliable places to get dress patterns - i did some searching on the Internet and don't know where to start.

 

i have been going back and forth on these BM dresses - buy them, make them, hawaiian sarongs, etc. FI really wants something a bit more formal and i really do not like the idea of asking my girls to buy a dress. my MTOH is a crafty person and told me last night that if i found a pattern i like she would try to make a sample dress and if it comes out good, make them for all the girls.

 

this would be perfect b/c then i could buy the material and not put any of them out with having to buy dresses.

 

anyway sorry for the long ramble - i am looking for places to buy some dress patterns - something modern, strapless, halter, etc.

 

thanks in advance!

[boscobel]

Hey Alyssa - I don't really sew, but my sister does and she is making our flower girl dresses. (we just got hte material on Saturday, yippppy!) But if you go to Joann Fabrics, they have books and books and books of patterns. They range from easy to difficult, so you can be sure to pick out the level of difficulty that you want. "Simplicity" is one of the main names of the pattersn.

[Alyssa]

thanks carly - i will go over there at lunch and check it out!

[LCBride2007]

I'm not a huge sewer either, but I know my local craft stores have tons of them ... like JoAnn Fabrics or Michaels

[Christine]

JoAnns is the biggest chain you will probably find at least one in your area. Also Hancock Fabrics is another one. I am sure you could find a great pattern, but I warn you that sometimes the fabric and supplies makes it more expensive. If your friend is good and doesn't mind taking that much time to do it its a great alternative. I love sewing when I have time, my mom and grandmothers are great sewers and taught me the basics. My mom actually made my prom dress in high school, it was beautiful.

I used to tell her I wanted her to make my wedding dress but when the time came it was just easier to buy one.

[AmyInMI]

I would also suggest JoAnn Fabrics. They have lots of different books to look through to get ideas. Good luck!

[AmyInMI]

I would also suggest JoAnn Fabrics. They have lots of different books to look through to get ideas. Good luck!

[*JillD*]

I suck at sewing.

 

But I wanted to just offer the suggestion that if you MOH can't make them, maybe you could go somewhere and buy dresses off the rack? that would be a lot cheaper than ordering "real" bm dresses.

[coreyphil]

Hi Alyssa! I agree with the other girls ... go to either JoAnn's or Hancock. You can flip through the books and get ideas. Also - be sure to look at the difficulty level of the pattern you're looking at --- some of them will even give you hour estimates of how long it will take to make ...

 

Here are my general impression of the different brands:

 

Simplicity --- these are some of the easiest patterns to make

 

McCall's --- they have also been around forever and are usually pretty simple

 

Vogue ---- be careful because I've found that their "easy" or "average" patterns are still more advanced than some of the others. Vogue tends to have a lot of details --- pleats, linings, etc ... BUT - sometimes they have nice simple patterns. One of my all-time favorites was a Calvin Klein sheath dress that I made in high school ... I wore it for YEARS.

 

Butterick --- I don't think I've ever used one of these - but they seem to be pretty similar to McCall's and Simplicity.

 

Burda --- I've made Zoe a dress from this group - I think it is a European group ... the style is more contemporary. I'm not sure I've seen very formal patterns from them, but definitely some cute sundresses, etc.

 

Good luck --- can't wait to hear what you find. Just a quick warning ... sometimes the time, money, and material makes it just as expensive as buying one .... If you find something that you love, but would be too much for your mom ... you might check with a local tailor and see if they'll make it for you.

[Alyssa]

thanks for all the info. i have to tell you i am not really that excited about this idea for most of the reasons you all said - time, money, quality, consistency.

 

i figure if MTOH wants to try this so bad then i don't want to take that away from her. but i am looking anyway! i can't really see myself doing traditional BM dresses so i am looking at Nordstrom and Macy's and a couple local boutiques - i am going to pass on this info to her and give her a month to see what happens.

 

thanks!