How to make your own wedding guest outfit: Part 1

I’ve been rambling on a fair bit about sustainability recently. We’ve covered everything from home making and market shopping to bathroom swaps to reduce plastic. Given we’re opening up again and friends are getting hitched, I decided to challenge myself to sew my own wedding guest outfit. I’ve been dreaming of a romantic 1930s-inspired summer dress for a while now, and this seemed the perfect opportunity to up the ante in my sewing endeavours. And after all, surely if you make your own clothes it would be more sustainable? Little did I know what I was getting in for!

Step one: set yourself up with big dreams and high expectations

I’m a big one for setting high expectations in my life, and sewing is not exception. While my sewing skills are still rudimentary, I’ve decided to select a pattern that has minimal instructions, loads of expensive fabric and the need for incredibly on-point seam skills.

I was torn between two equally gorgeous patterns from Lady Marlowe, but convinced myself to start with what I hope will be the more simple of the two. That said, I’m concerned by how deceptively simple the pattern seems to be at this point. Only eight pattern pieces? What’s the catch?

Step two: realise how impossible it is to find good fabric without selling an organ

When did fabric become so expensive? Or rather, when did nice fabric become so expensive? I’ve been shocked and appalled by the lack of variety at Spotlight, I must say. Such ugly patterns or plain, poor quality fabrics! More niche shops like The Fabric Store offer better quality (by miles) but unfortunately the prices go up in direct proportion to the quality. I’m still finding it difficult to find a fabric that speaks to me.

Part of the issue is that I want to keep this outfit versatile. I could do the whole thing in satin and I’m sure it would look gorgeous. But that does throw it firmly into the after-8-only category. While I’d love to pretend I’m someone who is out ballin’ every weekend, I am decidedly not that person. I’m looking for a fabric that will allow this dress to sashay from a wedding to dinner party and possibly even a Sunday brunch without looking too ostentatious.

Step 3: decide to make your own outfit anyway

I’m committed to the cause. I’ll give you an update once I’ve found the fabric of my dreams, provided I haven’t had to cut my internet to pay for it all. To avoid any costly mistakes, I’ll be making a toil as the first stage of the actual sewing process. I’ll share a little progress report of how that goes in the next couple of weeks, provided nothing gets in the way!

The great thing about this self-imposed madness is it will spectacular as either a triumph or a failure. We’ll just have to see which one it is …