Handmade 1920s Inspired Mother of the Bride Dress

Hello everyone, happy Friday!

For those of you who haven’t heard, the youngest T3 partner and contributor, Hannah, is getting married in just a few short weeks. Sharon has been busy, OK, busy is an understatement…she’s been kicking BUTT between gardening, sewing the wedding dress, gathering supplies for the big day, and on top of it all, she managed to make herself a fantastic dress to wear. The pattern is vintage reproduction from the 1920’s and she ordered it from the Australian website, Eva Dress (it’s this pattern, specifically, for those interested).

Like most things Sharon does, this dress goes above and beyond. The fabrics are from Stone Mountain & Daughter in Berkeley, California. The natural colored fabric is a 100% linen, and the blue is a 100% silk. The lace hanging from the jacket sleeves, jacket tie, and the dress neckline, is a phenomenal antique beaded lace that a dear customer donated to the Thimble (if you’re reading this, your lace is SO loved and inspired this whole dress!). Sharon painstakingly repaired the silk backing, re-sewed beads and worked to stabilize the lace to keep it from disintegrating further.

The pattern was incredibly simple, with just three pattern pieces for the dress. Sharon added darts at the bust and back to eliminate so much of the fullness that was typical of 1920s style. Slimming the silhouette of the dress definitely makes it feel more modern, and less costume-y, which is something Sharon was concerned about. She also added small lace motifs, that she salvaged from the same antique lace, to the belt and to the seamline where the silk ‘ruffle’ meets the rest of the dress.

The jacket body was sewn with the wrong side of the silk facing outward, because she didn’t want it to be so ‘shiny’, while the bottom band and front facing were made with the right sides out, to tie in the sheen that’s visible on the dress.

Coming soon: Hannah’s wedding dress! Have a lovely weekend, everyone.

Have you sewn with a pattern from the 1930’s or older? What was your experience with the pattern? Sharon would love to hear from you!