[KellyNYC]

I’m making this dress for my daughter to wear to a wedding in a few weeks. I had thought of making it in silk dupioni to maybe add some fullness to the skirt, but I really have my heart set on Liberty. Will a thin fabric such as lawn give the skirt enough fullness to add some drama and fancy? Should I line it with a thicker fabric, make the lining shorter, shorten the elastic around the skirt? Any tips greatly appreciated!

And finally, your opinion – do you think this dress in a liberty print would be fancy enough for a wedding?

Thank you!

Kelly

[E1izabeth]

If I were you I’d go with the dupioni if you are looking for a nice, full bubble. The Liberty is so drapey. I have worked with other lawn fabrics that are more stiff but Liberty has such a silky drape that I think the bubble would not turn out as full as you might want it. As for the dressy factor – I’m not sure how formal the wedding is that you are attending. I think a bubble dress in a Liberty print would be perfect for a spring time wedding especially if it was an outdoor wedding but if it is a more formal wedding I’d lean toward the dupioni. I think you would get a beautiful dress with this pattern with either of those fabrics.

[Rebecca W]

I haven’t worked with Liberty (want to SO badly),but I did use an Anna Maria Horner voile to make 2 bubble dresses for my daughter’s to wear at Christmas. I imagine that Liberty is similar, if not softer and more drapey. While I like the dresses quite a bit, I don’t think that they accentuate the bubble at all.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39449645@N06/5183372942/in/set-72157623710638777/

[Liesl Gibson]

Kelly, the Bubble Dress isn’t a very full bubble, but if you want to make it fuller you could easily add fabric–just position the center fold line an inch or so from the actual fold of the fabric, taking care to keep it parallel. This will add width to the skirt and make it a bigger bubble. I wouldn’t suggest shortening the elastic at all because it may restrict leg movement. Be sure to do exactly the same thing with the lining. I think that simple change would make a big difference.

I think Liberty would be great for a wedding. It will be a darling dress. Keep in mind that Liberty is a wider fabric, too, so you’ll need less than the amount called for on the pattern envelope. You may want to mock up a layout of the pattern pieces so you’ll know how much fabric to purchase.

[Nicole]

I love this pattern Kelly and I blogged it here http://fiveandcounting-motherof5.blogspot.com/2011/01/bubbles-for-little-one.html if you would like a peek!

Adding some fullness would work beautifully,but I also would love to see one in silk!

[KellyNYC]

Thank you, everyone, for your helpful comments! Elizabeth, it is an outdoor wedding in FL so I do think the Liberty would be fine, but perhaps I will add a silk dupioni sash to tie in a big bow in the back. Is that not “proper” to mix fabrics like that? Craftalittle, those dresses are beautiful! I do love that AMH print and how perfect for a Christmas dress. I have borrowed your idea for the sash, hope you don’t mind! Nicole, thank you, that post was very helpful, and I have long admired the bubble dresses you’ve made for Little One and your skirts do seem to have the true “bubble” look I am going for. Liesl thank you so much for the tip about adding extra fabric, I will definitely do that.

And as for not having to purchase as much of the wider Liberty, I always conveniently “forget” this when fabric shopping so I can have the happy accident of extra scraps! 🙂

Thanks, all. Can’t wait to share the finished product.

[E1izabeth]

Kelly – I think it would be great with the big bow. Make sure to post pictures to the flickr when you are done!

Also, I think the AMH voile and liberty are VERY similar in feel and drape. The biggest difference that I notice is that the AMH voile is a little more sheer. They are both a dream to work with. Lately I’ve been collecting tons of the AMH voile (see picture here: http://threecitymice.blogspot.com/2011/03/anna-maria-horner-how-i-love-thee-let.html

[meleliza]

I found this pique fabric that looks about right to me but I haven’t actually worked with pique before. What do you think about this for the bubble dress for Easter? Which is early this year, so it might actually be chilly…

http://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=4367a4b2-e6e7-4cea-a470-1156d4525556&CategoryID=017ce623-6aae-4ba6-9dbe-61c3d9ee850d

[Nicole]

That is a dreamy colour,could you line it with a fine wool for warmth? You may pick up a tiny remnant of wool suiting….

[meleliza]

I hadn’t thought of that. It would have to be very fine, wouldn’t it? Like cashmere?

[Nicole]

There are some very fine wool suitings available,if you don’t mind second hand,you may pick up a vintage skirt that you could cut up?

[JohannaO]

I bought some “Super 120” wool suiting that would be wonderful as a lining- moves easily, but would be warm. Could you look for that?

[sewinginthecity]

Hi Everyone,

I’m back! After a long break from sewing, I had a sudden inspiration and made a bubble dress in silk dupioni in one night. Home renovation has been keeping me away from sewing, but when I found out my little girl needed a special Christmas outfit, I decided to make a whole dress instead of just a skirt. I’m really happy with how it came out and I’ll post pics on flickr soon.

The tip I want to share with someone sewing this in dupioni is shorten the skirt lining 1″ or lengthen the skirt in the main fabric 1″ because the poufiness of the dupioni makes the lining hang down lower. I didn’t do this and it’s pretty easy to see the lining. Also, consider serging the lower edge of the bodice before attaching the skirt because it unravels so easily. I ended up with a spaghetti mess of threads that I had to keep trimming. Otherwise, it was pretty easy. I love this pattern!

[meleliza]

Fabric.com has some liberty on sale right now. Not a huge selection, but still, liberty. On sale! I ordered some for an Easter bubble. Thwt blue pique that looked good online was horrid in person and I sent it back.

[KarenK]

I’ve done this dress both in dupioni and in double gauze. The silk definitely had more fullness to it, but double gauze also has a nice soft roundness in the way it hangs around the hem. The silk I did was red and I lined it with the same color so the hem line showing didn’t matter quite so much.