Candice's Example
Nebraska, USA
Click on pictures for enlargements.
Eowyn's
White Wool Dress
One day I decided it would be fun to make this dress, and then to wear it
to my senior prom. I did most of my research on your site (Thanks so much!)
and decided to use Simplicity Pattern 9891 (naturally!).
I modified the neck to make it a V-neck (with help from a very kind aunt
of mine) and added just a little bit of a train. The pattern doesn't call
for a lining on the sleeves because I guess you're supposed to use a very
sheer material, but that wouldn't work for Eowyn's dress so I added the
lining too. (The directions didn't call for blind hem, but I did that too).
Well, I don't have the funds to buy fine wool (nor did I care to sweat in
it at my prom) so I found a polyester weave that had a nice texture to it.
Much cheaper ($5.49 US per yard), and I think it looks fabulous. For the
lining of the sleeves I found a cream brocade ($9.99 US per yard). At
Walmart they had some perfect cream rope cording stuff for the elbow ties,
and I trimmed the neckline with a gold and cream ribbon (on sale! woohoo!
the wallet of a high schooler is a wee bit tight, if you can't tell).
The belt was tricky. I didn't want it to look cheap; after all I'm
wearing it to my senior prom. I found a silver belt at a mall that was the
PERFECT shape. It's not exactly like Eowyn's, but similar enough from a
distance (and it even has little stars on it!) The only problem was the
shade of silver was WAY off; it was that really dark blackish silver. So I
painted it with model car paint, and now no one can tell. For the cloth part
of the belt, I used the same stuff as I made the bulk of my dress from, and
trimmed it in cording (gold and silver braided. very nice). I had to hand
stitch the loopy stuff on the strip that hangs down... invisible thread is a
lifesaver!
I
tacked on the elbow ties. I had my mom tie them on me the way I wanted, and
then had her pin it, and then I took off the dress and put a few stitches in
too keep it in place. In the long run I think this is easier than tying and
untying those babies everytime you put the dress on or take it off.
With school and extracurriculars, I didn't have as much time as I would
have liked to do this. I have sewn a few things before, but I do consider
myself an amateur still. I started this in mid-January 2003, and didn't
finish until mid-April 2003. Yikes. But I got it done in time for prom, and
that's all I care about!
I am majorly pleased with how I did. It's not exactly exact, but in my
eyes its perfect! My prom was a BLAST; everyone adored my dress and
recognized it (well, the cool people who have seen LOTR did anyways) They're
putting a picture of it in the yearbook. Booyah! And I can't wait for Return
of the King to come out; I am SO gonna be there stylin in my creation!
