Make Nine 2021: Tim Burton Wilder Gown
Jumping off from my Lydia Deetz project I was still living my Tim Burton aesthetic dream. Combined that with my Make Nine 2021 plans I decided to make a Burton-esk Wilder Gown from Friday Pattern Co. The Wilder Gown was definitely a bold step for me. While I was making my list for 2021 projects I chose this dress because it was so out of my style comfort zone. like way way way out of my style comfort zone. As a busty lady to get anything ‘loose fitting’ to fit my bust ends up making me look like I’m wearing a circus tent. I don’t quite have the skills yet to get the adjustments just right so I’ve tended to just avoid these types of projects altogether. But let’s face some sewing fears this year and make a Tim Burton Wilder Gown!
ABOUT THE WILDER GOWN
The wilder gown took the sewing community by storm, or at least that’s how it seems to me. There are so many amazing versions on Instagram. You can have a look yourself using the #WilderGown hashtag! It’s a loose-fitting tiered dress with raglan sleeves. It’s easy enough to sew up. I especially liked that the PDF version doesn’t come with a skirt piece. Saves on printing by just giving you the dimensions for each panel.
You can see some really great reviews, to see if you want to make it for yourself, on The Fold Line.
And of course, you can purchase your own copy of the pattern here: Friday Pattern Co.
TIM BURTON INSPIRATION
I’ve mentioned it before but early Tim Burton is my dream aesthetic. Little teen Hannah was completely obsessed and not much has changed in 2021 Hannah. One of the really key aspects of Burton’s aesthetic is monochromatic stripes.
This key aspect of the aesthetic has been missing from my wardrobe. Naturally, this is an easy place to start when incorporating a Tim Burton feel.
DRAFT AFTER DRAFT AFTER DRAFT AFTER DRAFT…..
This dress actually took way more fittings than I ever expected. I guess I assumed little adjustments were the way to go when really I needed to make BIG adjustments. It’s a good thing this dress comes together so quickly otherwise I would probably have cried quite a lot. Please enjoy this hilariously ill-fitting first draft. This purple one was the exact pattern with no adjustments.
In the second draft, I lengthened the bodice at the bottom, added about an inch to the centre bodice, and attached elastic at the waist seam to see if I liked the closer fit.
On the third draft I was feeling more confident I was close to the right fit so I used some special fabric. I hand-dyed this material ages ago to make a garland and had an odd amount of cuts left. For the most part, the fit adjustments were minimal. At this point, I am pretty discouraged. I am by no means an expert at fitting adjustments so I mostly just stumble in the dark and hope for the best.
My favourite part of this draft was mimicking the folded over raw edges from the slit in the front and used that for all the raw edges on the wilder gown. This process takes a lot longer but it was such a unique and polished look.
FINAL WILDER GOWN PATTERN ADJUSTMENTS
After all those drafts the final pattern adjustments I landed on were these: I started with an unaltered size L (10-12).
FRONT BODICE
- 0.5″ added to bottom hem
- 1″ added to the bottom of the front seam tapering off towards to top of the bodice
- Bust opening lowered 2″
BACK BODICE:
- 0.5″ added to bottom hem.
- 0.5″ added to fold line for a total of 1″ added across the back.
(I really should have added to the skirt panels so I had more gathers but it did not occur to me.)
TIM BURTON INSPIRED FABRIC
With that in mind, it was time to get out the real project fabric! I found this perfect stripey fabric at my local shop. Of course only after searching what felt like the entire internet. There are plenty of black and white striped fabrics out there but I wanted an uneven ‘hand drawn’ look. The fabric I did find has a bit of a stretch to it which if you choose to use may need some further adjustments to the pattern. (yuck I know) I bought the stretch fabric because I didn’t think there was any chance I would find a fabric I liked as much and it was on sale for $5 a yard.
If you don’t have the perfect striped fabric in your local shops an option is SpoonFlower. The fabric is definitely more expensive but the selection is unparalleled. I’d recommend using this one: SpoonFlower Black and White Stripe
FINAL PRODUCT: TIM BURTON WILDER GOWN
The battle I raged with the fit of this dress was worth it. I have a larger bust and so I decided to add an elasticated waist to add some definition. It took a week or two before I could wear this after it was sewn up. The process of getting the fit just right really took it out of me. But now that I’ve had a breath I love it! Who knows maybe I’ll even make another version in some summer colours.
In some of the other drafts, I used wide ribbons that have a more dramatic look. For this Tim Burton Wilder Gown I used a black velvet ribbon, it felt more gothic. While I love the feel of this ribbon the downside is that it doesn’t bend or drape very well. In the future, I might swap it out for something else.
This dress is everything I wanted, granted I needed a couple of weeks away to forget the frustrations of the project, but as soon as I wore it out I was in love. The little Tim Burton fanatic in me is geeking out hardcore! I want more stripes in my life for sure! Could possibly have timed this project a bit better as we are heading into spring/summer and this is more a fall dress in my mind. I do enjoy it so much I might just wear it all year round regardless.
Ready to be a spooky outcast in my Tim Burton Wilder Gown.
Hannah
p.s. Want to see my other Tim Burton inspired sewing project? You can read all about it here:
Lydia Deetz Blouse (Fibre Mood Victoria)
