Without going too much into my history and boring people to tears.......
(Most of you know I ruined my dress by dyeing it)!!!!!
So I am looking to make my own dress or skirt.

I have a big enough job on making the 4 bridesmaids dresses, but i have time so I am going for it.
But I dont know what to make, do I make a whole dress? (With a dress theres a bit more time needed as the bodice takes a while to get perfect sometimes).

Or do I just make a skirt? I have ordered a beautiful satin bodice off Ebay and it should be here today hopefully, (I plan to wear it with jeans if i dont think its suitable for my wedding dress)
But also, if this bodice isnt suitable, they are easy to buy so I could just look for another bodice.
Theres also the extra cost too. If I make a skirt I will need 3 metres of fabric, to make a complete dress I need 5 metres.

For those of you who tried both dresses and seperates on, what would be the pro's and con's in your opinion?

For me I think a big pro is because I have larger boobs, I need a size 18 up top, yet a size 14 bottom, so this could be beneficial, I just need to make a size 14 skirt.
Also If I have a skirt , then the weight of it will be pulled by my waist. going to the loo might be easier too. (pulling skirt down instead of fighting through layers whilst pulling it UP)

How many of you chose a complete dress and who bought a skirt & bodice? was there a reason you chose one over the other or was it because it just looked the nicest?

I think I will be going for a skirt/bodice, just for ease and speed, but I really do like them.

I am torn between just a long straight skirt, an A line skirt, or a A line box pleated skirt. But no train on either of those styles.
And as we get married in August, I think I might opt for Taffeta as its lighter and cooler to wear.
Another thought that sprung to mind was that if I make the long skirt for the daytime, I could also make a shorter 50s style skirt with petticoats for the evening, and still wear the same bodice.

Has any of you girls got any advice? on style, fabric or anything? any advice would be much appreciated.

Yeah me too thank you, I just spoke to someone at a fabric store and they said that Taffeta is very expensive there.....like £8.99 per metre! and I need 3 metres, (5 if I make a complete dress) BUT where I bought my bridesmaids dress fabric from,
(Calico Laine) it was lovely quality Taffeta and was only £5 per metre and so i think i am ordering from them again. It took only 2 days to get here, and the fabric feels really lush....

But until my bodice comes I cannot tell which colour to go for. Its Oyster silk with a pale cream lace trim, its very pretty. So I thought I would go for pale cream skirt.....but If i dont get a good match It wont look right. (i thought it might come today but it hasnt)

Sooooo, to cut a long story short......I am ordering 5 metres of the pale cream taffeta, and if it doesnt go with the bodice then i will just have to make a bodice aswell, (in fact it'd be easier to just make a complete dress rather than a bodice AND a skirt).
I have ordered a swatch of the Taffeta and it should get here around Tuesday.....and hopefully the bodice will arrive soon too.

this is the bodice......bad picture i know but took it off the sellers ebay listing


and this is the fabric I am getting

OK so This obviously IS meant to be......
I sat here thinking.....as ya do......and then I couldnt sit anymore and went to my cupboard because i KNEW i had to have a pattern for the skirt, I somehow remember having one, and YES......here it is......It might need the odd modification but its here, and thats all I care about.....LOVE the jacket BTW, I might make it sometime to go with jeans, in a nice red fabric!

I actually think that if it only takes 1 metre to make the jacket, I would probably be as well to make the jacket too, in case of bad weather. its only gonna cost £5 to make it......Hmmmmmm

yep........thinking cap is on now.....

my sister had separates for her wedding dress and i have to say was a lot easier to help dress her then it is with a dress and look great to that bodice is lovely and would great with an A line skirt xx

I have found the exact style of skirt I will make, i really like the waist detail on this so will do mine the same...I will try and get lace to match the bodice, if I cant then i will do it anyway, just leave out the lacy part. I think it gives the illusion of being slimmer....AND my bridesmaid dresses have a ruched waistband too, so thats another thing to match in with the whole look.
I like the 4 inch pleats aswell, this is what I will go with.



So basically i am all set to go........just got to wait to get the fabric until payday, (next week) ....and by that time hopefully the bodice will be here.

I went for a corset and skirt for my dress as you say much easier option for the loo. Pictures are in my album if you want to look glad you've finally got an idea sorted :) x

Thank you yes it is :)

I love the bodice & it all sounds absolutely gorgeous... I really can't wait to see the finished results after you have worked your magic :-)

Bloody hope so. I anticipate it will be a short job, maybe an afternoon. after all it IS only a skirt isnt it?
If I end up making a dress it will be longer. but a skirt is easy to make, this one will just be longer thats all.

I just need the bodice here and the swatches, then i can decide whether thats the colour fabric I need....I hope so cos I really like that colour....looks like a pale gold/champagne to me. and I bought my bridesmaid dress fabric from there and it feels gorgeous to the touch and very easy to work with.

Well they sell on Ebay but they also have a shop, and I actually prefer to ring the shop to talk to them and they are really nice and helpful too. And last time, I was looking at their fabric online whilst talking to them and I ordered it over the phone, it was here the next day!
They are sending me a swatch purely for the colour matching, I know the quality is really good because I already have some of their fabric for my bridesmaids dresses.

I will post their ebay link on your wall, and in their listing they have a website button, and go from there.
Mind you.....if you order over the phone they charge p/p, but ordering it through ebay the p/p is free. thats because the Ebay p/p is economy and take 3-5 days, but £2.95 p/p is here the next day so it depends how much in a hurry you are to get it.....
I can never wait so I pay the £2.95 LOL

You're welcome.
Are you making stuff too?

If you ring them they will send you a swatch of fabric, but to be fair its only small, like 1 inch by 3 inches. If you send your address to me in an email I can send you a better sized piece for you to have a feel of.

OK how hard/easy is it for beginners to make things? My MIL has a sewing machine that broke so fil got her a new one as it was just before xmas, she thinks it could just need a new bottom needle so if i try that i can have the machine xx

I meant sewing in general i want to make my kids name cushions if that makes sense tried doing it by hand but im out with my lines if you understand what i mean? xx

I agree with RaggedyAnne. I have been making things for nearly 7 years now and the only reason why I am making bm dresses is because I made dresses both at GCSE and A level so have had some practice and they turned out well! But if you are talking just cushions etc then I say go for it! Get used to the machine and its stitches first using just some scrap pieces of material and have a bit of a mess around with them, learn how to do different types of hems and seams (there are plenty of online pages and videos that can take you through these) too as you will need these to make anything! It will take some time to get right, but like everything, when you have done it once it just gets better and quicker! Good luck! xxx

so pleased for you anne cant wait to see the end results xx

The bodice sounds amazing!! Glad it is all coming together for you in the end :) xxx

That is gawjus! What a find hun! x

just looked at the bodice in more detail and because it is lower at the back and front, the skirt I make will really have to be a V shaped Yoke skirt, so that the pleats arent bunched up making it uncomfortable underneath the waistband....which is fine.......yoke skirts are lovely

like this if you are unsure what I meant.. (my skirt will be full and pleated, this is just to shoy you the yoke, the waist part)


This is a better explanation, but my yoke will be V shaped, as is my bodice.

oooh I wish I could make dresses, I got a wee sewing machine for xmas last year and Ive got loads of bits to go with it. I am good at sewing things by hand but not quite cracked the machine yet. I cant wait to see your outfit, the bodice is stunning.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Do love the style of that jacket!

And I would too....I am making a dress for someone on UKBride who lives a long way off.....doing it by post and toile....(mock up)

Why dont you give it a go? really its easy. just start off on easy stuff like cushion covers and progress from there. Its a great skill to have, and its fun too....