How To Make A Wedding Dress - Quick Make-Up Guide - The CMT: The Cut Make And Trim

We're really hoping that this booklet will help you out on your 'memade' wedding dress journey. It's a simple 9 page affair - excluding booklet usage instructions.

Inside, you’ll find a simple but super-useful framework to help you:

✨ take your own measurements confidently

✨ tweak your pattern for the perfect fit

✨ make a toile that actually works

✨ research and plan your dream fabrics

✨ jot down notes to keep your ideas flowing

✨ and figure out what your masterpiece will cost

Think of it as your behind-the-scenes wedding dress assistant—helping you stay organised, creative, and totally in control from first stitch to final “I do.”

CLICK ON IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PDF QUICK MAKE-UP GUIDE CALLED THE CMT (The Cut Make & Trim - Booklet 1)

If you're in two minds, then take a look at the instructions below - they lay out how to use this simple little booklet.

MEASUREMENTS

Page 4 - Take your measurements, paying particular attention to bust, waist

and hips.

COMPARE & CONTRAST MEASUREMENTS

Page 5 - After taking your measurements, compare and contrast them

with those of the pattern. Remember you’ll need ease, so think hard

about how much ease is required. When fitting a new toile in the studio

we often start with a 2”/ 5 cm ease. For very close fitting garments we

often work to around 1”/2.5 cm ease.

FABRIC: OUTER (SWATCHES)

Page 6 - Use this page to stick swatches of your ideal fabrics for your wedding

dress make. Remember to make a note of Fabric Composition - will help with

dry cleaning information; Fabric Width - will help with fabric lays and

influence amount of fabric to be purchased; Price per Metre - following from

last point, the price per metre will help you with costing the dress.

FABRIC: LINING (SWATCHES)

Page 7 - Use this page to stick swatches of your ideal linings/interlinings or

even interfacing. As above, consider composition, fabric width and price per

metre.

NOTIONS: ESSENTIAL HABERDASHERY

Page 8 - Make a list of your Notions: the essential items needed to make

your dress. These could include machine needles for jersey fabric and an

invisible zip for example. Record cost per item/unit, the amount needed and

multiply these two elements together to give you the cost per group of items.

After you’ve made your list of notions and costed them individually, you’ll add

all the different items/units together at the bottom right of the page to get the

Total Cost of your notions.

TRIMS: NON ESSENTIAL DECORATIVE HABERDASHERY

Page 9 - Make a list of your Trims add a sample or picture to jog your memory,

the trim’s name and its composition, the cost per unit and the units needed.

To get your Total Cost for each Trim simply multiply Cost per Unit by Units

Needed.

SEWING NOTES

Page 10 - Make notes, draw diagrams on any difficulties you have during

making your toile. This information will help jog your memory when making

up the real thing.

COST CHECK

Page 11 - The Cost Check will help you keep track of the cost of your dress.

Quite simply add up the 4 main costs of the dress: Fabric Shell, Fabric Lining,

Notions and Trims. This will give you a sum (excluding your time) of how

much money your dress is going to cost. If it’s out of budget you could always

use a cheaper fabric or trims. If the cost is lower than expected you could

increase the cost/quality of your trims for example.