Making a 1st Communion dress, am I nuts?

I'm a relatively new sewer, but pretty fearless and have a good sewing machine. I'm thinking about making my daughter's 1st Communion dress. Has anyone attempted this? Can you suggest a source for a pattern? Fabric? Is this over my head? Any and all thoughts are most welcome. --Michelle

I think you can do anything you set your mind to if you have confidence in yourself. I am also a new sewer but I'm going to "attempt" to make my own dress for my brother in-law's wedding which is in May. I have faith that I can do it, so I'll try. You should do the same. Just leave yourself with enough time to get something from the store if need be. 

Burda 9654 is a first communion dress. I've never made one myself, but I saw it listed at Pattern Review: http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/patterns/sewingpatterns.pl?patternid=13906

If you can find the envelope scanned online or on the burda site, it might help with materials.

Amy

I also did a quick check on Etsy checking supplies for "communion dress pattern" and came up with several other patterns that might work for you:

http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=tag_title_supplies&search_query=communion+dress+pattern

My favorite being this one from the 1950's: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_18&listing_id=12318088

I think if you take your time and go slowly that it is definitely achievable.

Amy - I love that pattern suggestion.

My one piece of advice, if you are pretty new to sewing, stay away from satin. It is so slippery and does not like to stay where you put it. A pretty cotton lawn or eyelet would be great easy to sew with. If you want something fancier, silk dupioni is pretty easy to work with as well.

Definitely try it!  I am looking forward to making my daughter one but I have about 4 years more to wait!  I agree to avoid slippery materials or those that fray very easily if you are a beginner.  Another nice fabric choice might be dotted swiss.  My mom had a great idea when I received my first Communion.  She made a white dress and a pinafore to go over it.  The pinafore was a pretty spring print.  With it on, I had an Easter dress.  With it off, it was my first Communion dress. 

Thanks to everyone for the encouragement and suggestions. I actually have more than a year before her first communion, but this is how I am.... I'll think about it for the next six months, hope my skills improve dramatically, then dive in. -Michelle

Hi there.  I just want you to know that I have made 2 communion dresses for my neices and am about to start my third.  I have sons and so no one to make dresses for.  For the first one I used Butterick Pattern 3762, and used my sister's wedding dress for the fabric - pretty challenging but well worth it.  Although the pattern did not call for a lining I fully lined the dress and bought Butterick pattern B4058 to use the bow pattern to add a bow to the dress.  For the second dress I used the B4058 pattern - very pretty but has french seams which I had never done before.  For the third dress I am going back to the first pattern and using store bought shantung silk with a lining - I have a month to get it done - going to get started soon.  Best of luck on your project.  It is really amazing when she comes down the aisle in church in a dress made just for her.  Heather

Go for it! I was a new sewer when I had to make 2 flowergirl dresses for my daughter. I used a simple tank style dress pattern that could be dressed up/embellished as I dared to do. Little pleats or pintucks make a dress look sweet, and are easy to do if you do them across the bottom of the skirt BEFORE cutting out the pattern pieces. Sometimes simple is most beautiful, so don't feel compelled to get lost in lots of fancy details.

You go!  Once you know the sewing basics and know your machine well you can do anything just by following the instructions.  Have fun!!!

I say give it a go!  At the very worst you end up buying a dress but learning a lot, but likely you'll end up with a very special keepsake dress for a very special day.  Good luck! 

That's always me!  I always pick a project just out of reach, and makes me feel a little bit uncomfortable, because the feeling of accomplishment when it's done keeps me going on to the next project.  I think it's great you're trying something out of your comfort zone.  That's how we get better!

Go for it!

I made my daughter's flower girl dress. I asked for help along the way, but the entire experience was well worth it!

I am the same way. I would suggest using a very fine quality cotton. You can get really nice results that way plus cotton is very easy to sew with. "sew beautiful" would be a great source for this (by Martha Pullen).

Also, you will probably get much more use than you expect out of a dress like this. It is great for photos. I put my girls in white dresses and my son in khaki shorts and a white linen shirt and take them to the beach (or you could take them to a lake or pond) and shoot away. It makes really nice pictures.