Handmade Couture – Sewing my aso ebi gown for a Nigerian Wedding
A stunner of a gown for a splendid occasion! I attended a fantastic Nigerian cultural celebration this summer, my friend Fatimat’s wedding. In the modern tradition, friends of the bride and groom all use the same “aso ebi” fabric to create a tailored gown for themselves. The women, in their uniforms, parade into the reception hall and surround the bride and music and dancing starts the party. And every woman looks fantastic in a style that’s well-suited for their unique body and personality. I was so design and sew my own gown to participate!
The fabric Fatimat chose for the aso ebi is is a sparkling lace net with sequins and cording that makes a pattern almost like a crocodile belly. The dark green fabric has glints of teal in the sequins and silver thread to finish the abstractly scalloped selvages. When I first saw the fabric, I knew I wanted to play up the teal and accentuate the scalloped edge. But other than that, I had no clue how I would work with such a sheer, delicate fabric. After weeks of research on Pinterest and Instagram, I came up with a design that had the elegance and appeal I was looking for with all of the design elements I admired in aso ebi trends at Nigerian weddings.
There was the design, and then there was my ability to execute the look. Well, I made changes. Part of the changes came because of the demands of the fabric. Before finalizing the design, I’d bought stretch silk charmeuse for the lining. The gorgeous, thin silk did not have the structure to support the neat draping I wanted nor did it have the thickness needed to sit atop the textured lace. The glittered lace also was a bit scratchy against my skin so glimpses of sheerness on my legs was a no-go. Practicality forced some adjustments and I’m happy I made them.
The other changes to my design happened because of my experience and my inexperience. In my experience, I understood that the best outcomes are often the product of editing. It doesn’t take a completely unique design to stand out from the crowd. Quality and elegance are often communicated through refinement. Fit is also crucial and I know how to make a garment fit! In my inexperience, I knew that I did not know how to execute draped elements. I also didn’t have much experience with evening gowns. I’ve only made one before and it was vastly different from this structured design. So I focused on absolutely nailing the elements that I could execute well, and saved the flourishes for my next project.
I’m very proud of what I created – the fit, the style, and the glamour from the floor to the top of my gele. I hemmed the gown by cutting along the design where it hit the ground in my heels. I kept the high split for the design of the skirt, overlapping two ends of the decorated selvage across a narrowly wrapped silhouette. The silk of the fully lined skirt feels luxurious against my skin while the split allowed all of the movement and air through the hot summer evening. The strapless bodice is supported by boning, wiring, foam cups and many layers of interfacing, interlining, underlining, and lining in addition to the aso ebi lace. It looks like a simple gown but it absolutely is not…
There are 98 pieces to this gown!
This is absolutely the most complex garment I’ve ever made. But it’s just a start to my exploration of structure and tailoring on this level. I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of sewing this and, while I can’t say I’m looking forward to my next gown right away, I am looking forward to another occasion to wear this dress.
Watch my IG Live to learn how I created this gown
Pattern
- Rose Cafe Bustier Dress by Daria Patterns
- Self-drafted wrap skirt with thigh-high split
- Sewing Difficulty – 5/5
- The YouTube tutorial for this bustier was very clear and detailed which made me feel confident throughout the entire sew.
- I used every skill I have as an intermediate sewist to create this dress.
- Fit Difficulty – 4/5
- I first sewed a full muslin for this bodice to get the fit right.
- Using my skirt block meant a guaranteed fit for the modified wrap skirt.
- I love this gown. It absolutely leveled up my skill level into making a bespoke, couture gown.
Fabric & Notions
- Green sequined lace mesh aso ebi fabric chosen by the bride
- Forest green stretch silk charmeuse for the skirt lining and bodice underlining
- Cotton muslin to interline the bodice and add strength
- Lightweight fusible interfacing
- Teal silk charmeuse (no stretch) to line the bodice
- Rigilene boning is sewn into the seam allowance
- Inside the bust cups is a layer of padding made of 1/8″ neoprene
- An underwire in my cup size was added through a channel made from satin double fold bias tape
- 24″ invisible zipper
Fit & Pattern Drafting Details
- I cut the straight size 8 with D cups for the bodice
- I was able to adapt the skirt based on my standard skirt block
- The back of the skirt follows the skirt block with no changes
- The front of the skirt is cut into a wrap. From the left, I measured to my center front and took out the dart from the side seam. From the right, I measured to the placement of the dart and across. The angle of the split is enough to show my leg but not fly open and show too much.
- I cut the skirt length at 58″ from waist to floor and after the dress was all put together I removed length to hit the floor with heels on
Construction Details in this Gown
- There are 5 layers of fabric in the bodice to provide structure to the garment. I hand basted all but the lining together with long running stitches to keep them from shifting as I sewed.
- After stitching the bodice seams, I opened up the seam allowance and cut away as much net as I could from in between. This significantly reduced bulkiness.
- All of the seams of the bodice have the topstitching called for in the pattern. I also used topstitching along skirt seams to help them lie flat and tight.
- To keep any scratchy bits from touching my skin, I used French seams along the sheer skirt. I also used French seams to finish the waist line with a smooth silk finish.
- I strengthened the stitching along the invisible zipper with thin strips of stay tape. Topstitching along the zipper line provided even more strength and helped everything to lay flat.
- To line up the scalloped selvage with the angled split, I had to disregard the grain line. The netted lace won’t stretch or distort.
- After sewing the skirt and lining, I stitched a straight line from the waist to the top of split to keep it from opening as I walked and danced
- Instead of folding over and stitching the hem, I maintained the scallop shape by gently melting the polyester over a candle
Tutorials that were helpful
- YouTube tutorial for Daria Patterns Boned Bustier with Foam Cups
