Sari Dress

This is very special occasion sewing, indeed. My friend Krupa is getting married later this month, and it promises to be a spectacular, multi-day Indian wedding. Another dear friend gave me this beautiful sari from India a little while back, and I just knew it had to be one of the dresses I wore for the weekend. After attempting to hunt for a suitable vintage pattern for months with no luck, I finally decided to draft something up myself. I wanted a dress where the sari was the star of the show, and I think I've done it!

As I'm sure you can see, I chose the border print part of the sari for the skirt. I gathered it so that I could use it exactly as is, without having to do any additional hemming. For the bodice, I used the heavily embroidered section of the sari. I loved the neckline from the wiggle dress I made last November and decided to use that as my guide. It's a lovely boatneck in the front and deep V in the back, perfect to show off the gorgeous print.

I originally had much different ideas for construction. I had planned to underline the bodice, but I found that it sewed fairly well on its own. I used a size 10 needle for the entire time, and just took it very slowly, test stitching on scraps before I attempted anything with the finished fabric. I ended up lining the bodice in a cranberry silk sateen. It feels lovely! 

For the skirt, I thought I would need a lining, but realized it was completely opaque once I got it constructed, so I skipped that step. This section of the sari gathered wonderfully, but didn't take to seams particularly well. It bunched a bit, something a steam iron would normally press out, but I was concerned that high heat would melt it. I used a lower heat and a press cloth, which worked OK.  

The interesting, and wonderfully delightful, part about the sari was each piece felt and sewed so differently. The bodice felt like sewing a brocade, but the skirt felt more like some sort of nylon. It was a thrill to work on, and I can't wait to wear it to the big event!