Prom Dress Patterns

Skill Level

Before you decide on the perfect dress pattern, it is important to honestly assess your skill level as a seamstress. How much experience do you have sewing? Have your experiences been limited to making an apron or potholder for home economics class? If so, you need to choose an easy pattern for your first dress. Luckily, these simple prom dress patterns are easy to find in the pattern catalogs at your local fabric store. The patterns themselves are usually labeled easy on the envelope so you can find them quickly in the pattern file drawers.

For those individuals that have a little more experience sewing, more difficult patterns can be chosen. One important consideration before choosing a pattern is… do you know how to put a zipper into a garment? If you don’t know how to do this, and there is no one else to help you, skip patterns that require zippers. There are still plenty of patterns to choose from that only require snaps, buttons, hook-and-eye closures or even Velcro. Zippers are challenging, even for the most experienced seamstresses.

Choosing the Right Prom Dress Pattern

Size Does Matter

It is important to know your exact size before you head out to buy your prom dress pattern. Have someone measure you across the chest, waist and hips. Write these measurements down and bring them with you to the fabric store. Even if you normally buy off-the-rack garments, your size may vary from the sizes determined by a pattern manufacturer. European sizes are a lot different from those in the United States. Don’t risk being disappointed by making a garment that is too small or large. Compare your measurements with those on the pattern envelope to ensure a perfect fit for your gown.

Budget Considerations

You may love that designer gown pattern, but will the cost of the pattern (usually between ten and twenty-five dollars) and the materials break your budget? If a pattern calls for five yards of velvet, check out the price per yard of velvet first (which, by the way, is very expensive). Most patterns tell you which types of material are recommended for the particular dress. If the materials are too costly, choose your second favorite pattern and find the least expensive materials. When in doubt about which materials to use, talk with a sales associate in the cutting area of the fabric shop. They can help you decipher the instructions on the back of the pattern envelope.

Timing is Everything

Don’t wait to pick out your dress pattern until a week before the prom. Prom dresses are like wedding gowns, they take a lot of time and effort to make. It may take a month or two to have the dress ready for a fitting, depending on the degree of sewing difficulty involved. Start looking now for the pattern that suits you. If you don’t find the pattern you want right away, don’t despair. New pattern books come out several times a year, usually right before the seasons change.

Where to Find Patterns

Are you new to sewing? There are many places to shop for dress patterns. You may even find a few other patterns you’d like to try while shopping, and if you time it right, patterns can be on sale for as little as one dollar! Stores that sell dress patterns include the following:

• Hancock Fabrics
• Jo-Ann Fabrics
• Wal-Mart
• McCall Patterns
• Vogue Patterns
• So Vintage Patterns

Finding Help

Even the most experienced seamstress has trouble occasionally. Make sure you have someone lined up to assist you. People that can assist you include 4-H leaders who have sewing clubs, a seamstress who works at your local dry-cleaning store, those who teach sewing at fabric stores or a relative that has sewing skills. You’ll find that many people will try to help you make your prom dress a success, so don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it!