[MY DIY STORY]
How to Make Mothers’ Dresses for Wedding
1) Fabric Research & Shopping
This post is about my handmade journey of creating dresses for my mom and mother-in-law while I was in South Korea. I’ll walk you through the whole process—from buying the materials to sewing the dresses. I hope you enjoy reading it! 😀
-Gina
There was a whole thought process leading up to the decision to make my mom’s dress for the wedding:
Why do mothers only wear hanbok (traditional Korean dress) at weddings?
👉 I should ask if they’d prefer a Western-style dress. (Both said yes!)
Wait, renting formal dresses for the moms is that expensive?! (It costs around $400 to $500 for the dress rental, including shoes and accessories.)
👉 Maybe I should just buy new dresses. (But then I’d need to buy shoes and accessories too, and that adds up.)
I wanted a simple wedding, but why so tiring to decide all the things and why so expensive…?! Finally, I decided to just make the dresses myself.
I double-majored in fashion design but I haven’t used a sewing machine in seven years.
But can I really pull this off? 👀
1. Finding Inspiration for the Mothers’ Dresses
I started to search for mothers’ dresses for the wedding on Google. Most of the designs that came up had a similar vibe: sleek, elegant, and with a bit of shine.
I decided I wanted something like that—probably satin, but a bit thicker. Then I began to search the fabrics for that.
2. Fabric Research
I narrowed it down to three types of fabric: jacquard, satin, and organza. These felt the most appropriate for a classic, elegant look. Here’s a quick breakdown:
-
Jacquard:
A fabric woven with intricate patterns, commonly used for curtains or suits. -
Satin:
Known for its glossy finish, it’s the shiny fabric often seen in formal wear. -
Organza:
A sheer, lightweight fabric with a delicate, transparent look.
3. Trip to the Dongdaemun Fabric Market
After searching the fabrics, I visited Dongdaemun, Seoul’s famous fabric market. Since many stores close by 5 PM, It’s better to go earlier in the day. I showed the store owners some images of what I was looking for, and they called satin by its Korean term, “Gongdan” [공단] —something I wasn’t familiar with because I worked only in the U.S.
Came across polyester-blended satin fabrics, but they were too thin. I kept hunting for a store that had thicker satin, and after searching high and low, I finally found one! Dongdaemun never disappoints.😂
The fabric I chose had the perfect amount of shine and the right weight. I ordered 3 yards as a sample. They told me if I ordered after 3 PM, I could pick it up the next day after 1 PM, so I went back the following day to collect my fabric.
4. Buying the Dressmaking Supplies
The next day, I headed back to Dongdaemun to pick up my fabric and buy the necessary supplies. Here’s what I got:
- Invisible zipper: Finding a zipper that closely matched the fabric color, especially in denim blue, was tricky. Even though it’s an invisible zipper, I wanted it to blend as seamlessly as possible.
- Price: $0.37 each
- Pearl buttons: I also picked out buttons for the dress, opting for pink pearl buttons for now.
- Price: $0.74 each
- Interfacing: Dresses need interfacing for structure, especially in the collar and facings. I didn’t want the thin silk kind, so I chose a thicker one. I also bought lining fabric from the same store to match the fabric colors.
- Price: $1.48 per yard for interfacing
- Price: $1.11 per yard for lining
- Sewing thread: I picked thread that matched the fabric colors from one of the many stores in the basement of the B building.
- Price: $1.11–$1.48 depending on quality
- Various tools: You can also find all the other sewing supplies you need—pins, scissors, rulers, chalk, etc.—in the B building basement.
- Muslin fabric: Lastly, I bought muslin to make a sample dress. I got 6 yards in total—3 yards of 20-count and 3 yards of 30-count.
- Price: $8.14 for 6 yards
5. Total Cost Breakdown
After gathering everything from the Dongdaemun market, here’s a breakdown of the total cost:
- Fabric: 6 yards – $27.77
- Muslin: 6 yards – $8.14
- Lining: 2 yards – $2.22
- Interfacing: 3 yards – $4.44
- Zippers (4): $1.48
- Thread (2 spools): $2.96
- Buttons (4): $5.92
- Chalk: $3.33
- Snippers: $1.11
- Measuring tape: $2.96
- Silk pins: $5.18 (cheaper options are available)
Total: $65.51
If you’re someone who enjoys sewing and knows how to use a sewing machine, this could be a fun project to try… though I’m already feeling a bit worn out!
Next up: Making the sample dress!