Places I've Been Featured Today I'd like to show you how I fit my breastosauruses into my eight year old, much too small, wedding dress. In case you're wondering why I would even want to attempt getting into my wedding dress again. Inevitably enduring the pain and suffering of realizing my body will be that perky or thin again, please refer to yesterday's post- I trashed that dress! Yes, it's all the rage these days. Slipping back into your wedding dress after the event to get a couple really artsy, really fun shots you never would do the day of your wedding. In all honesty, it IS a lot of fun! I enjoyed climbing trees and getting into frigid water all for that perfect shot. But wait, lets back the truck up! When I first decided to use my retired wedding dress to do this photo shoot, I had to come up with a way to fit my post four babies body (most importantly my post four babies boobs) into a tiny little dress. In my extensive google search for DIY alterations, I came across a blurb on corset back dresses.

In it, a woman with a friend in the alteration business said corset backs were a common solution for fitting into a dress that was a bit too small. It did warn that corset backs only work if all of the other parts of the dress fit. Arms and extreme differences in waist size would require a bit more, but when dealing with the old "I can get the dress on, but I can't zip it up" problem, a corset back will do the trick! The article was very vague, but with a little imagination I knew this was the perfect solution to my mammoth breast problem. Without further ado here is how to sew a corset back... Yeah, it's exactly how it sounds. The modesty panel goes behind the corset so no one sees how squishy the back fat is. The back of my dress was adorned with a plethora of non-functioning buttons. Anything like this needs to go, so put that seam ripper to work! Before ripping zip the zipper down to about the waist. This varies from person to person. Gauge this by by how far up you can zip it up comfortably.

If you can't zipper it up at all, then completely remove  it. Because I could zip it to the waist, I have to put something on the zipper track to keep it from coming undone. red long sleeve mermaid prom dressA knotty stitch will do the trick.80 prom dress halloween costume Step Three: Sewing the Loops and Ribbonprom dresses for youth Part Four: The Ribboncheap mermaid prom dresses uk I actually already responded to Sarafina's e-mail, but then I decided to go back and add visual aids to my thrift store shopping advice, which I think makes it more useful. Then I might have gotten a little carried away... so I figured I'd make the whole thing a post in the hopes that it might help someone else out there looking for a more formal steampunk look.

So with those caveats, here goes: I'd start by looking for a vintage bridesmaid dress that you could modify or add to. Look for solid color jewel tones like a rich red, purple, blue, emerald, etc. (Although black is always classic, too.) Ruffles and full skirts are ideal. Then look for a second full skirt in a complementary color, and pin up the dress to show the skirt underneath. (Or put the skirt on top - whichever works.) You could also pair a blouse with full skirts instead of a dress, so keep an eye out for peasant-look blouses or high-necked Victorian ones. (Also note the layered/pinned skirts.) If your skirts are short, then consider wearing some fun patterned tights: stripes are classic, as are fishnets and scrolly patterns. Since a corset really does add a lot to the look, you might try DIY'ing an under corset/waist cincher like I did for my own steampunk costume: (More pics & details here.) All you need is a little vinyl, grommets, & shoe laces or ribbon to lace it up.

Total cost is less than $10 - and the best part: no sewing required! Add the under corset on top of a good ruffly dress, and that's half your outfit right there. Another alternative to a corset is a good vest buttoned snugly, or an extra wide leather belt. A nicely fitted jacket can also work wonders: Steampunk is mostly about the accessories, so once you have your foundation pieces grab lots of leather belts (or one extra wide one) from the thrift store, and play with layering them low on your hips. Hang things like pouches and little bottles and old keys off them for extra detail - but don't go overboard. Keep it a little more formal by sticking with two or three items, tops. Also look for pocket watches (cheap ones are everywhere these days - you can get them on ebay for less than $5) which you can wear as a necklace or on your waist. If you're wearing a high-necked blouse, look for some fun jewelry or a lace handkerchief to pin at the neckline: A little top hat or a pair of goggles is ideal for headwear, and fortunately the little hats aren't too hard or expensive to make.

(There are tons of tutorials and free patterns out there - just google "tiny hat tutorial.") Feathers look great on hats or by themselves in your hair, too. For your feet, leather granny shoes with low heels are perfect, or find some slim fitting boots. Failing that, you can also wear regular heels and make simple felt spats to fit over them (look online for patterns/ideas) to give them a more Victorian look. For a purse, look for a pretty embroidered or satin evening bag, or make a drawstring pouch out of a nice fabric and hang it from your belt. Because this is a prom, I'd leave the steampunk weaponry at home this time, so icks-nay on the modded Nerf guns and rocket packs and such. (Save those for your next convention.) And, most importantly: HAVE FUN WITH IT! Remember to put a little "punk" in your steampunk: a bright color here, a crazy accessory there. Spend some time online looking at steampunk outfits for inspiration; that will be your best resource. (DeviantArt and Flickr are great for this.)