Red Evening Formal

  I was 15 years old when I sewed this; it was also the first formal I ever sewed.  It’s my own original design that I created and sewed as a project in my sewing class.  I used a pattern to help me get the basic outline of the dress but I moved the zipper to the back of the dress because of the sleeves that I added. I also added the shear, gathered fabric around the bust.

Baroness Elsa Scraeder's Ball Gown

 

 

 

I'm on the right!

 

  I was in my theater group’s performance of The Sound of Music; I played the role of Baroness Elsa Scraeder!  I bought most of my costume pieces from Goodwill.  But her white ball gown I knew I needed to make.  The original pattern had no straps but to match the movie I added some.  I also added the sheer fabric around the top like in the movie.  I made the corsage out of sheer fabric and a safety-pin so I could take it off the dress to store it.  In the movie her corsage is on the left; but somehow I made the top of my dress lop-sided so I had to pin mine to the right to hind the unevenness.  I almost didn’t finish this dress because I had one complication after another; luckily my grandmother, who is an amazing seamstress, helped me save it just in time!                   

Belle's Pink Dress

The girl on the right played Belle in our musical!

  I used the same pattern for this dress as Belle’s blue dress.  The pink part of the sleeves is the original pattern but I added the sliver part to make it look more old fashion.  Believe it or not the lining is actually yellow!  Because the pink fabric was so sheer it needed a lining.  I didn’t have time to run to the store to get some, and because I had so much yellow lining left from making Belle’s yellow dress, I used it to line this dress!  Normally I dislike mix-matching fabric and lining color; but sometimes when you are in a bind and you can’t match them always go with a lighter color lining! This costume was also used in CYT’s production of Beauty & the Beast!

Belle's Blue Dress

The girl on the right played Belle in our musical!

  The original pattern had much shorter sleeves; but to get the sleeves to look like the ones in the movie I had to custom make them by lengthening the original pattern! I made an apron also.  This costume was also used in CYT’s production of Beauty & the Beast   

Belle's Yellow Dress

The girl on the right played Belle in our musical!

  I made this costume for CYT’s production of Beauty & the Beast.  I looked all over but I was not able to find a pattern for Belle’s yellow dress; so I had to mix several patterns to get it just right! 

It’s actually in three pieces:  The bodice and the scalloped skirt are one piece.  Then the plain skirt underneath with an elastic waist is another part. Then a hoop skirt under all of it! I did not make the hoop skirt though.  The reason I did it this way... One: I could not make the two pieces attach without making the waist line bulky. Two: it more convenient for the fast changes during the musical.      

  

Denim Summer Dress

  This is the first denim dress I made!  

A Summer Dress

 This is the first dress I ever made!  I was 13 years old when I made it!