help - pattern for floor length formal dress with short sleeves

Hi,

My daughter's high school band has decided that all the girls need to
wear black floor length gowns for their concerts -- short sleeves,
midway between shoulder and elbow. The neckline also must be discreet
(not plunging). (The boys get off easy by paying $50 to rent tuxes for
the year.)

I just came from the mall (where I KNEW I would not find anything
ready-to-wear) and from JoAnns (where I HOPED I would find a pattern).
No luck with the pattern -- looked at recent McCalls, Simplicity, Burda
Butterick books. Does anyone know of a suitable pattern?

TIA,

--Ann

AnnP wrote:

Hi,

My daughter's high school band has decided that all the girls need to
wear black floor length gowns for their concerts -- short sleeves,
midway between shoulder and elbow. The neckline also must be discreet
(not plunging). (The boys get off easy by paying $50 to rent tuxes for
the year.)

I just came from the mall (where I KNEW I would not find anything
ready-to-wear) and from JoAnns (where I HOPED I would find a pattern).
No luck with the pattern -- looked at recent McCalls, Simplicity, Burda
Butterick books. Does anyone know of a suitable pattern?

TIA,

--Ann

How about this:

http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin...&UK=3 3596833

Just leave off the floaty part of the sleeve and make the front neckine
higher if you must.

This could easily be made floor length with the addition of a few inches...
http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin...&UK=3 2915097

And I've done the same surgery on this one as a bridesmaid gown (it's on
my web site) and it worked very well indeed:
http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin...&UK=3 2915097

Good luck!
--
Kate XXXXXX
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

Thanks so much! They all look like good possibilities (now let's hope
the teenager thinks so). I didn't know about this online resource.
Much appreciated.
--Ann


Kate Dicey wrote:
AnnP wrote:

Hi,

My daughter's high school band has decided that all the girls need to
wear black floor length gowns for their concerts -- short sleeves,
midway between shoulder and elbow. The neckline also must be discreet
(not plunging). (The boys get off easy by paying $50 to rent tuxes for
the year.)

I just came from the mall (where I KNEW I would not find anything
ready-to-wear) and from JoAnns (where I HOPED I would find a pattern).
No luck with the pattern -- looked at recent McCalls, Simplicity,
Burda Butterick books. Does anyone know of a suitable pattern?

TIA,

--Ann


How about this:

http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin...&UK=3 3596833


Just leave off the floaty part of the sleeve and make the front neckine
higher if you must.

This could easily be made floor length with the addition of a few inches...
http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin...&UK=3 2915097


And I've done the same surgery on this one as a bridesmaid gown (it's on
my web site) and it worked very well indeed:
http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin...&UK=3 2915097


Good luck!

Remember if there is a JoAnn's around you, the Butterick patterns will be
99-cents next week.
This evening at Wal-Mart, I saw a dress similar to B4018, done in dark red
velour with sleeves a bit longer than the blue one pictured. It had to have
been Simplicity or McCall's because I don't think they sell Butterick. Two
teens were looking at it, one called her Mom over and said something about
that was what she wanted for the Christmas party. I don't know the people,
only observed them.
It is very similar to a pattern I used in the early 70s, when one of my DD
was in her friend's Quincenera and
I made all 15 of the girl's dresses. They were of deep turquoise gabardine
like fabric, especially ordered by the friend's parents, with black beading
at the raised waistline and on the almost-short sleeves, just above the
elbow. The party was in early December.
I have the other one B4017 for myself and love it. Of course, I am not sure
young ladies would like it.
Emily

AnnP wrote:

Hi,

My daughter's high school band has decided that all the girls need to
wear black floor length gowns for their concerts -- short sleeves,
midway between shoulder and elbow. The neckline also must be discreet
(not plunging). (The boys get off easy by paying $50 to rent tuxes for
the year.)

I just came from the mall (where I KNEW I would not find anything
ready-to-wear) and from JoAnns (where I HOPED I would find a pattern).
No luck with the pattern -- looked at recent McCalls, Simplicity,
Burda Butterick books. Does anyone know of a suitable pattern?



There are some great ideas here on sewing gowns that are really easy.

http://www.modestprom.com/sewagown/

--
Where no oxen are, the crib is clean,
But much benefit is derived from the labor of the ox.

Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply wrote:
AnnP wrote:

Hi,

My daughter's high school band has decided that all the girls need to
wear black floor length gowns for their concerts -- short sleeves,
midway between shoulder and elbow. The neckline also must be discreet
(not plunging). (The boys get off easy by paying $50 to rent tuxes for
the year.)

I just came from the mall (where I KNEW I would not find anything
ready-to-wear) and from JoAnns (where I HOPED I would find a pattern).
No luck with the pattern -- looked at recent McCalls, Simplicity,
Burda Butterick books. Does anyone know of a suitable pattern?




There are some great ideas here on sewing gowns that are really easy.

http://www.modestprom.com/sewagown/


THANKS!! That's the perfect style!
--Ann

AnnP wrote:

There are some great ideas here on sewing gowns that are really easy.

http://www.modestprom.com/sewagown/


THANKS!! That's the perfect style!
--Ann


The great thing about it is that you take each girl's measurements and
they get something that fits PERFECTLY, and the pattern software is only
$25. (You wouldn't really need the extra plans if you think you could
do it yourself.)

--
Where no oxen are, the crib is clean,
But much benefit is derived from the labor of the ox.

Vogue V7960, lengthened
V7966 (tucks in or out!), lengthened
V1149 (the pink view and checked view work up very well, and move
well in just about anything, though you may want to raise the
neckline a bit. That one does well with numerous variant collars,
which can just be basted in, so she's got different looks)
That one also takes flutter sleeves very nicely.

Take a look at V2609... the godets inserted into a princess line skirt --
that's an easy variant for any princess seamed skirt.

Also consider a very plain dress, something on the order of V1149, with
various jackets, boleros, etc. of interesting sparkly fabric (if that's
allowed). Never really goes out of style because all you have to do is
switch buttons and jackets.