Okay, so today I tried doing that purple dress Kate Middleton wore a while back. You know the one? Bright purple, short sleeves, seemed kinda fitted? Saw the photo online and thought, “Hey, I can probably make something like that.” Famous last words, right?
Step 1: Gathering Stuff – Chaos Ensues
Right. Needed purple fabric. Obvious, huh? Went to that store downtown first thing. Big mistake. Their purple section was basically scraps of velvet or this weird see-through stuff. Not happening. Ended up driving clear across town to another place. Found this cotton blend in this bright royal purple color. Grabbed about 3 yards. Felt it in my hands, seemed good enough. Also got matching thread and a zipper… kinda guessed the length, maybe 12 inches? Eh, close enough.
Step 2: The Pattern Debacle
Got home, all fired up. Dug through my pattern stash. Found this old one labeled “fitted sheath dress”. Looked kinda similar shape. Cut out the pieces – size 10. Spilled coffee on the bodice front piece immediately. Typical. Tried to wipe it off, made a weird stain. Decided to wing it based on the back piece shape. How different can it be? (Spoiler: Very.) Pinned it all onto the purple fabric like I meant it. Cut it out with my big scissors. Wonky? Probably.
Step 3: Sewing & Swearing
Fired up the old sewing machine. Started with the darts on the bodice. Mine somehow ended up way too high, almost near the shoulders. Looked ridiculous. Ripped ’em out with the seam ripper. Took forever and I poked my finger. Started over, pinned them lower this time. Sewed them carefully. Then stitched the side seams together. Held it up… seemed okay? The neckline hole looked WAY bigger than Kate’s. Whoops. Decided it was just a “lower scoop”. Moving on! Stitched the shoulders.
Sewed the skirt front and back pieces together at the sides. Easy part. Tried to attach the skirt to the bodice. Realized the skirt was a bit bigger around. Panicked slightly. Just gathered it slightly at the front waist and eased it in. Seemed to work? Mostly?
Step 4: Zipper Roulette
The terror part. Always hate zippers. Measured where it should go in the back seam. Ironed the seam open. Grabbed the invisible zipper foot. Pinned the zipper teeth to the seam allowance, praying. Started sewing it in. Got halfway down and the fabric bunched up like crazy. Cue more seam ripping action. Second try, went super slow. Actually went in okay! Well, one side was slightly crooked, but the zipper pull hid it mostly. Did a little victory dance.
Step 5: Hemming & The Final “Look”
Ironed the hem up once, then again, pinned it. Decided on just over an inch. Sewed it carefully, actually managed a straight-ish line! Felt smug for a minute.
Put it on. Zipped it up (mostly). Looked in the full-length mirror.
- Purple? Definitely purple. Check.
- Dress shaped? Sort of. Check-ish.
- Neckline? More revealing than intended. Like, a lot.
- Fit? Comfortable? Sure. Kate Middleton level fitted perfection? Not even close. Little baggy in the waist, tight across the shoulders. Darts still weird if you look close.
- Zipper? Closed. That’s a win.
- Sleeves? Looked a bit like bell sleeves accidentally. Oops.
Put my hair up and put on some pumps just to feel fancy. Took a couple of selfies. Is it Kate’s dress? No way. Is it recognizably inspired by it? Maybe? From far away? Or if you squint?
Conclusion: Used a questionable pattern shortcut, bodice is wonky, shoulders are weird. BUT, I made a bright purple dress from scratch in an afternoon, and I can wear it without it falling apart. Mostly. Hey, practice makes… improvement? Yeah. At least I tried. Maybe buy the right pattern next time, genius.