How to Add Lace Sleeves and Shoulders to a Strapless Lace and Silk Taffeta Gown

Before

After

When I added my first post regarding adding sleeves to a strapless dress, I had not taken enough pictures to be able to take you on a step-by-step process of adding shoulders and sleeves.  I recently went to Los Angeles and visited FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design Merchandising), an amazing place, and bought this used silk taffeta and lace dress at their scholarship store.  I bought it so that I could teach my bridal couture students how to make a strapless bridal gown into a modest gown with shoulders and cap sleeves.  I am all about promoting modesty.



There are many ways to obtain fabric to add to a dress.  Many times my clients have purchased extra matching fabric at the bridal store where they purchased their bridal gown.  We can try to match fabric from a fabric store, but that is very limited.  You can also take fabric from the train, the fullness of the skirt, etc.  This strapless dress has a flat lace stitched into the waist seam.  This is where I took the "extra" lace from.  I also cut off the train and some of the hem to give me the silk taffeta, underlining and lining for the shoulders and sleeves.

Before I do the "fill in," I make a mock up out of muslin.  In order to do this, I need to know the bust size and the measurement at the top of the strapless dress.  This will help me determine what commercial pattern size to use for the mock up.  I will cut a bodice front, bodice back, and two sleeves.  I make the bodice about 1-2" below the armscye and I use 1" seam allowances.

Sew the muslin shoulders, side seams, sleeve, and armscye.  Try it on the client or the dress form as shown, with the strapless gown.  Adjust fit and pin muslin to gown.

Once it is a good fit, I take the dress off while the muslin is still pinned to the dress.  Then I draw on the muslin right where it needs to be sewn to the edge of the strapless gown.  I have also added back darts for a better fit.

See below for the markings.  I have also decided to make the neckline more modest by bringing up the neckline 1".

Here I am experimenting with some options with the flat lace I removed from the dress at the waist.  I have also unpicked the lace trim at the upper edge of the gown so that I can reattach it when I add the fill in.

I am very limited with the length of flat lace I have to work with. I want to raise the back neck as well so I will sew the lace in diagonally so that I will have enough to cover both the front and the back.  I want to be able to use the beautiful "eyelash" edge of the lace.  It is important to think creatively and come up with several options to work with.  Many times the bride knows exactly what she wants and you can help her see what will work.

Here I am cutting off the train to give me some silk taffeta, underlining and satin lining.  Some of it is damaged from use, so I barely have enough for what I need.

I am making my muslin pattern and adding 1" seam allowances.  Below is the bodice back.

This is the bodice front.

Here is the cap sleeve.

Cutting the bodice front and bodice back.  I was not able to put the bodice center front on the fold, so I will sew a 1/4" seam allowance.  I am okay with this since I know the taffeta will be covered with lace appliques.

Here I am cutting the sleeves out of what remains of the cut off train.

Now I am basting the flat lace pieces to the bodice front and back, enclosing them in the shoulder seams..

I am making a sweetheart neckline so I am staystitching 1/4" wide twill tape to secure the grainline and prevent the neckline from stretching out of shape.

Now with the twill tape stitched on the neckline, I am sewing the taffeta bodice (the "fill in") to the bodice lining.

After clipping and grading the seam allowances, I am understitching through the lining and the seam allowances at the neckline.  This will help keep the lining in place.

I do not have enough re-embroidered lace to cover the fill in, so I took some of my daughter's white wedding lace and lightly dyed it.  It didn't quite come out the same, but enough that it will work for this demo for my students.  I am free-motion basting the dyed lace to the cap sleeves.  To do free-motion, you use the darning (or quilting foot), drop the feed dog, and move the fabric under the needle as you stitch.

Once all the lace appliques are stitched on the sleeves, trim the excess off the fashion fabric.

Pin the lining to the sleeve and sew at the bottom hem.

Clip the concave curve and trim seam allowance if necessary.

Press the seam allowances towards the satin lining and understitch.

Then sew the sleeve seams.  I didn't quite have enough original edge lace from the dress, so I "stole" some more lace from the lace bodice back of the dress, knowing that I could fill in that area with the dyed lace.  I then handstitched the edge lace to the sleeve edge.  Ease stitch around the sleeve cap seamline with a long stitch length, pull on these threads, and begin easing in the cap for shaping.

Here is the attached bodice front and back, where I have placed the edge lace along the front neck edge.  Some of the lace edge will be handstitched and some will be machine stitched.  I do not like to machine stitch through all the layers so leave the lining free.  Leave the lace at the bottom of the bodice detached so that it can be sewn on when the "fill in" is attached to the strapless dress.  This will make the "fill in" appear seamless.
Front View:

Back View:

Finish filling in the fashion fabric with the dyed lace appliques.  This is the back view.

Sew the sleeves to the bodice at the armscyes.  Trim down the seam allowance to 3/8".  Cut 2 1/2" wide bias cut lining the circumference of your armscyes, plus an extra 1".  Press the bias strip in half, lengthwise, and press.  Place the bias strip on the back side of the armscye and pin on.  Stitch through the seam allowance, catching the bias strip.  Stitch all around the armscye and overlap your bias strip with the edge folded under 1/2" to enclose raw edges.

Now roll the bias strip to the other side of the armscye and pin in place.

Using the seam ripper as your guide (and to protect your fingers), edgestitch around the bias strip through all layers to enclose the raw edges in the bias strip.  This is the professional way to finish the armscye in bridal gowns.

Coax the seam allowance into the sleeve to nicely shape the cap.

Once all the edge lace and lace appliques are in place, you are ready to sew the "fill in" to the strapless dress.

If I am fitting a client, I would have them try the dress on once again to place the "fill in" exactly where it needs to go.  Pin mark where the dress will be sewn to the "fill in."

At the back of the dress you can see where I took some of the original bridal lace.  This will eventually be filled in with the dyed lace.

Place right side of dress edge to right side of 'fill in" and pin in place.  Keep the dress lining out of the way for now.  You will hand stitch this in place afterwards.  Stitch right along where the original dress seam was.  This seam will be concealed by the lace appliques.

Some areas may be too bulky for the regular presser foot, such as the seam allowances.  If this is the case, switch to the zipper foot, with the needle to the far left.  This will allow you to stitch as close as possible.

Once the dress is sewn to the "fill in" you are ready to sew in the zipper.  I chose a bridal invisible zipper, purchased from Wawak.com.  Prep the zipper by pressing the coil open to relax the curl.

Pin right side of zipper tape to right side of dress back opening.  To get over the bulk of a seam allowance, I am using an adjustable shem under the presser foot to keep the foot level.  Sew from top to bottom of open zipper.

Once the first zipper side is sewn, close the zipper and mark with pins where seams need to be matched, such as the waist ruching area below.  Pin the other zipper side on, matching the seams.  Then open zipper once again and stitch side two from top to bottom.  Notice the stitching holes left from the previous zipper.  These can be rubbed out later.

Close zipper and change the foot to the regular zipper foot with the needle to the far right.  Stitch next to bottom of zipper to finish the center back seam.

Now pin the bottom of the zipper tape to the seam allowance and tack in place with the zipper foot.  This will prevent the zipper tape from curling up when closing the zipper.

Now you are ready to finish off the lining of the original dress in the bodice area.
  Trim and grade the new seam allowance where you sewed the "fill in" to the dress.

Turn under the lining and pin to the "fill in."

Hand stitch across the lining.

Here is what the lining looks like on the inside.

Here are pictures of the finished dress. 

It doesn't quite fit on the size 8 dress form and I didn't want to strain the zipper.

In this picture you can slightly see the difference between the original ivory lace and the dyed lace.  If it had all been matching, you would not be able to tell that this was a "fill in."

I am very happy with the results.  Good luck in trying it yourself.  I hope this tutorial is helpful.

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