New Look 6723: Alterations

Myra and I went to see Brave for my birthday. So fun!

I mentioned in the last post that I would talk about the alterations that we made to New Look 6723 to arrive at the bridal gown that Bre envisioned.

Of course, the first step was getting the fit just right. I don't always find a catalog of fit changes that someone made helpful, since my body will be different, but for reference, Bre is quite petite, so we shortened the bodice significantly, with most of the length coming off above the bust. We also raised the neckline and tightened it up to remove some gaping, which is a problem I often have with New Look patterns. The back neckline also gaped quite significantly, so I curved the center back seam to get a close fit there.

For modesty, we raised the neckline quite a lot. As drafted, this neckline is LOW, particularly on Bre's petite frame. We also added lace trim to the neckline all around. Although this was a little fiddly to do, as the lace borders are scalloped, it really added to the overall look of the gown, so it was worth the effort.

In back, we added a small keyhole above the back zipper. This little detail adds so much to the dress! I really love it. Again, the lace trim was very tricky, since the scalloped lace borders curved in the wrong direction. The lace had to be carefully shaped with judicious clipping and applied by hand. I used Susan Khalje's Bridal Couture to help guide me through a lot of the lacework. If you are sewing bridal or formalwear, this book is a must have.

The skirt of the dress is gathered, but not particularly full. I didn't want to add bulk at the waist, so rather than just adding width to the entire skirt, I slashed and spread at the hem only, without adding width to the waist. This gave the skirt about a 3/4 circular shape, with just a little gathering at the waist for looks. There is also a lot of structure built in to the skirt, which I'll detail better in my next post. I also added length to get the finished length of the lace layer to just below the knee.

In back, we added pearl buttons and loops overlaying the zipper. The sleeves were shortened to elbow length and slimmed so that they fit quite closely. The undersleeve is cap length.

Next up, construction and structure. Stay tuned!