Vogue 8998 + McCalls 6987: DIY Guipure Lace, Chiffon Georgette, Embellished Ball Prom Dress

Vogue 8998 + McCalls 6987 DIY Ball Dress

Hello Dear Friends,

Last night I attended the PTA ball at my daughter’s school. The dress code was black tie and I wanted to make something special to wear for the occassion. What do you think?

Vogue 8998 + McCalls 6987 DIY Ball Dress

The bodice of this dress uses Vogue 8998, which I made previously here. The skirt is made using the skirt portion from McCalls 6987: the high-low hem view.

All the materials were purchased from eBay. There was absolutely no chance of me finding anything appropriate/ suitable fabric wise anywhere local to me so I ordered everything online.

I started with the guipure lace first, which I ordered 1 metre of, sight unseen. I was fairly confident with this seller and the photographs etc that I wasn’t going to be disappointed, and I wasn’t. This lace is stunning, and is also almost identical to the lace used in this Eliza J dress currently on sale for £150. Just saying. It is a gorgeous coral/ watermelon colour. Beautiful.

Vogue 8998 + McCalls 6987 DIY Ball Dress – close up of guipure lace

I then ordered samples of the lining fabrics and the crinkled georgette chiffon and made sure I was happy with them before ordering. The linings and the chiffon georgette are polyester. I can live with that.

The bodice is lined with a polyester lining and the skirt is lined with a soft polyester mix jersey fabric. The dress is fully lined (bar the sleeves which I cut to take advantage of the scalloped edges) and an invisible zip inserted. All the seams of the chiffon skirt were french seamed. I used my serger to finish edges inside where necessary. I underlined the bodice and midriff section (with silk organza) – you can read about that in the review below, and I made a rolled hem for the chiffon on my serger. I left the jersey lining unhemmed.

Vogue 8998 + McCalls 6987 DIY Ball Dress – lining

Vogue 8998 + McCalls 6987 DIY Ball Dress

Vogue 8998 + McCalls 6987 DIY Ball Dress – rolled hem close up

Vogue 8998 + McCalls 6987 DIY Ball Dress

I have to tell you about the belt, which I felt was the perfect finishing touch to the dress, and just gave the outfit that little bit more pizazz. The belt is the Paloma Silver Crystal Rhinestone Belt made by a lovely lady called Rachel who was amazing, and after I sent her samples of my fabrics, colour matched the grosgrain ribbon for the belt. I have lightly tacked the diamante part to the midriff of the dress so that I can remove it for cleaning purposes. You can see all of Rachel’s items in her eBay shop here: lots of lovely sparkly things! If you are considering making a special occasion dress or adding something to a RTW dress I highly recommend checking her shop out and she also does custom orders for bespoke designs. I do have to say that Rachel was kind enough to offer the belt to me on a complimentary basis in exchange for me providing a review of the item on my blog.

Vogue 8998 + McCalls 6987 DIY Ball Dress – close up of diamante belt detail

Pattern Review

Pattern Description:

Lined dress has close-fitting, interfaced bodice with princess seams, inset band, skirt variations (horse hair finish on hemline) and back zipper. A: cap sleeves. A, B and C: skirt seam detail. D: collar. D, E and F: gathered skirt with princess seams, and side pockets. F: band and skirt overlays. Separate pattern pieces are included for cup sizes A, B, C, D.

Pattern Sizing:

6 – 22

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

The dress I made is an amalgamation of Vogue 8998 for the bodice and McCalls 6987 for the skirt. I have made, and reviewed, Vogue 8998 previously.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

I didn’t really use them, but from before, yes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I have already written why I love this pattern: this second version makes me love it more. For me the bodice and midriff pattern is just great. Nothing to dislike.

Fabric Used:

A gorgeous coral coloured guipure lace for the bodice and a polyester crinkled chiffon georgette for the skirt. I used a polyester lining for the bodice and a polyester mix jersey for the skirt lining. The bodice and midriff sections were underlined with silk organza.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

The dress I made is an amalgamation of Vogue 8998 for the bodice and McCalls 6987 for the skirt.

• I pinched out 0.25 inches either side of the front neckline (removing a total of 0.5 inches) to stop the straps from sliding off my shoulders.
• I shortened the back bodice by 1 inch, tapering to nothing at the sides
• I raised the front armhole curve by approx. 0.5 inch
• I did not line the sleeves but cut them to take advantage of the scalloped edges
• I used an invisible zip. Both layers of the skirt hang free below the zip
• The bodice is underlined with a layer of the chiffon georgette and a layer of silk organza
• The midriff is underlined with a layer of lining and a layer of silk organza
• I added a centre back seam to the skirt piece
• I added 5 inches to the length of the outer skirt and about 3 inches (?) to the length of the lining

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

I don’t know if I would sew this exact same look again but I would not discount using the bodice again. Yes I recommend.

Conclusion:

I felt suitably attired for the ball and it was a great night of enjoying time with friends and dancing. My head felt a bit sore this morning but it was worth it. Have a great week ahead everyone!

Vogue 8998 + McCalls 6987 DIY Ball Dress