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Handmade dresses are an excellent way to express your individual style and creativity through fashion. The craftsmanship and attention to detail that go into making each piece is impossible to find in mass-produced clothing. The devastating impact of fast fashion and its effects on workers also contribute to the renaissance of handmade fashion.

So in order to get your inspiration up and flowing, Bored Panda wrapped up this list of pictures featuring people’s most beautiful, one-of-a-kind dresses that would make all the princesses jealous in no time.

From never-before-seen designs to unique materials and creative construction techniques, let’s all give a big round of applause for these dressmakers.

#1

I Made And Painted My Own Gown For My Graduation Ball! I Painted Over 80 Flowers, Sewed + Stoned My Dress With My Mama And Designed The Whole Thing Myself

I Made And Painted My Own Gown For My Graduation Ball! I Painted Over 80 Flowers, Sewed + Stoned My Dress With My Mama And Designed The Whole Thing Myself

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#2

I Am Half Scottish And Half Japanese- I Hand-Sewed This Kimono From Men's Dress Shirts And Boxer Shorts

I Am Half Scottish And Half Japanese- I Hand-Sewed This Kimono From Men's Dress Shirts And Boxer Shorts

mayalcaulfield Report

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ShyWahine
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Your upcycled kimono incorporates both your cultures beautifully - nicely done! ❤️ it!

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#3

My Handmade Gown. Please Rate My Work

My Handmade Gown. Please Rate My Work

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Wood Carver
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm not going to tell you how long I looked at the mannequin and wondered why the person had included the weird black body suit

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To find out more about what it takes to create a perfect handmade dress as well as the art of sewing, Bored Panda reached out to Demi, a creator who specializes in retro sewing and who has been doing so for about a decade now. “I lean heavily on Google and internet blogs for sewing skills, as well as patternmaking books in the latter half of my career,” Demi told us.

She quit her job in health insurance to start live-streaming sewing projects because that was her true passion in life. “Now I have side gigs at a local fabric store and also teaching children how to sew, so my entire life revolves around this hobby!”

Having sewn for a decade now, we asked Demi how her skills and designs have changed over time. “I think the major change was starting to worry about how nice the smaller details that people don’t notice looked. I also guess I started with pre-made sewing patterns and while I still do use them on occasion, it’s faster and easier now for me to just draft something for myself that is unique, nobody else in the world has another one of those things, and it fits without adjustments,” the creator explained.

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#4

I Made Myself A Dress For My PhD Graduation

I Made Myself A Dress For My PhD Graduation

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#5

My Mom Made This Entire Wedding Dress, She Added Lots Of Jewels By Hand. Every Day She Spent Her Time Working On It. My Mom Is So Talented And I Want Every One To Know

My Mom Made This Entire Wedding Dress, She Added Lots Of Jewels By Hand. Every Day She Spent Her Time Working On It. My Mom Is So Talented And I Want Every One To Know

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#6

Finally Finished - Formal Dress For A Wedding I’m Attending

Finally Finished - Formal Dress For A Wedding I’m Attending

clrodrig06 Report

Being in crafty circles for a long time, Demi argues that DIY fashion is a lot more popular these days than it used to be. “Especially when people have been more educated about fashion sustainability and some no longer wish to support fast fashion. Some turn to thrift shops and some turn to the craft side!” Demi’s only tip for any creative hobby, really, is to be more tenacious. “Do the work, look things up, don’t be scared of anything. That’s what Google and test runs are for.” The creator argues that there’s no magic trick or technique involved in starting from nothing and ending up with a beautiful dress.

“The only thing that prevents people from succeeding in this hobby is needing constant help and guidance from others without trying things out themselves first. When I start a project, I look at all the pain points of the project, all the skills I need, and I spend a long time researching different techniques and figuring out if I can do things better or smarter than how I’ve been doing them. That’s me, anyways,” Demi concluded.

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We also asked Demi what it takes to make this beautiful dress she made for St Patrick’s Day. “To make a dress like this, you need a damn well-fitting basic bodice pattern and ability to think in 3D to transform photos that you see online to lines on paper and then to fabric,” the creator said.She added that there’s nothing original under the sun. “A lot of my designs are copied from vintage dresses from the '50s and '60s, this one included!”

#8

I Made My Wedding Dress

I Made My Wedding Dress

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#9

Made An Infinity Dress With The Leftover Satin I Had At Home, Self-Drafted Pattern. Had Fun Playing With This

Made An Infinity Dress With The Leftover Satin I Had At Home, Self-Drafted Pattern. Had Fun Playing With This

munkus_ Report

Bored Panda also spoke with Kyoko Caulfield, an NYC-based artist who went viral after sharing this jaw-dropping kimono they made on Reddit with the caption “I am half Scottish and half Japanese- I hand-sewed this kimono from men's dress shirts and boxer shorts.”

Kyoko told us that their love for sewing started with making Halloween costumes as a child. “Every year, my dad and I would go to the fabric store and flip through the pattern booklets until I saw something I liked, and then we would spend a month or so sewing it together. It was a great bonding experience, and from there I started making my own clothes for everyday wear (although sometimes they still look like Halloween costumes).” Today, Kyoko works across a variety of artistic mediums, and you can follow their creations on social media here, here and here.

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#10

Engagement Photo Dress I Designed And Constructed. This Is My First Post, Hopefully You Guys Like It

Engagement Photo Dress I Designed And Constructed. This Is My First Post, Hopefully You Guys Like It

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#11

My Handmade Dresses For Mom And Daughters. Do You Like It?

My Handmade Dresses For Mom And Daughters. Do You Like It?

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Mandapanda93
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I really need to learn how to make clothes so I can make clothes for my children. You did great- the dresses are beautiful

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#12

My Heart Was Heavy The Past Few Weeks And Naturally That Pours Out Into My Work. So I Made This Dress. I Hope Everyone Is Hanging In There Mentally, Change Will Come

My Heart Was Heavy The Past Few Weeks And Naturally That Pours Out Into My Work. So I Made This Dress. I Hope Everyone Is Hanging In There Mentally, Change Will Come

munkus_ Report

“The concept behind this kimono was to create a textile piece that visually represented my somewhat unusual mixed-race heritage of being Scottish and Japanese. Like many mixed-race people, I often struggled to reconcile the two halves of my cultural identity growing up, but eventually reached a place where I felt I could celebrate it,” Kyoko told us when we asked about the idea behind this kimono.

#13

Friends, What Do You Think Of This Dress I Made?

Friends, What Do You Think Of This Dress I Made?

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Mandapanda93
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd love this in a small version for my daughter. You have a calling for this

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#14

Belle-Inspired Ballgown For An 8th Grade Project (First Sewing Project Ever)

Belle-Inspired Ballgown For An 8th Grade Project (First Sewing Project Ever)

CharacterMight1485 Report

#15

Made Myself A Strawberry Dress Of My Dreams, Along With A Matching Shirt For My Husband

Made Myself A Strawberry Dress Of My Dreams, Along With A Matching Shirt For My Husband

QueenAkemii Report

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Mandapanda93
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love all the dresses on this post, but this is my favourite. It just suits you and its just so fun and cute. I'd love it! Well done

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Kyoko said they chose to use men’s shirts and boxer shorts to represent Scottish tartans and a kimono silhouette for the overall vessel.

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“From there I hand-sewed all the pieces together. A lot of aspects of this piece were born out of a lack of resources; I used men’s shirts because I couldn’t afford to order swatches of real clan tartans, and I hand-stitched them together because I didn’t have access to a sewing machine at the time.”

The artist believes that in the end, all these obstacles made the piece stronger. “They forced me to think outside the box and invest more of myself into the garment.”

#16

I've Made My Christmas Party Dress The Last Three Years In A Row. Here They Are

I've Made My Christmas Party Dress The Last Three Years In A Row. Here They Are

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#17

This Is My Cousin. She Made This Mesmerizing Dress Using 36 Recycled Clothes. She Has Made Hundreds Of Dresses As Cool As This One, Always From Recycled Clothes

This Is My Cousin. She Made This Mesmerizing Dress Using 36 Recycled Clothes. She Has Made Hundreds Of Dresses As Cool As This One, Always From Recycled Clothes

Segundaleydenewtonnn Report

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Destiny Gilbert
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She looks like a gypsy or a beautiful Forest witch in some kind of fantasy book

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#18

Hi, I Made My Prom Dress By Hand. It Took Me So Long And I'm So Proud Of It

Hi, I Made My Prom Dress By Hand. It Took Me So Long And I'm So Proud Of It

juliboo22 Report

Kyoko believes that if you have the time, interest, and ability, you should absolutely handmake at least one clothing item for yourself. “No matter how it turns out, the care and effort that you put into it will make it a special piece in your wardrobe that you’ll always come back to.”

“Sewing is a skill that has a very low barrier to entry because, in the end, all you need is an idea, some fabric, a needle, and some thread. Besides utilizing the help of my family members, I am mostly self-taught, so I would recommend utilizing all of the free resources available to you on the internet via sewing blogs and YouTube,” the artist concluded.

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#19

17th Century-Inspired Gown. The Dress That Almost Killed My Remaining Brain Cells

17th Century-Inspired Gown. The Dress That Almost Killed My Remaining Brain Cells

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AJay
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ok I feel like I should probably know this, but how does a dress like that not just slip off? How does it stay up if there is nothing going over shoulders? Sorry if this is not an appropriate question to ask, I'm just curious.

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#20

I Made My Own Wedding Dress. I Feel Just Okay About It, But I Thought I'd Share Anyway

I Made My Own Wedding Dress. I Feel Just Okay About It, But I Thought I'd Share Anyway

sd1272 Report

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Mandapanda93
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thank you for sharing, even though you didn't feel it was 100%- it's brave to put yourself and your talents out there. It's a beautiful dress and it's unique. More wedding dresses should have a bit more personality like yours does.

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#21

I Made A Dress For My Eldest Daughter Evangeline

I Made A Dress For My Eldest Daughter Evangeline

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#22

Made A Non-Conventional Wedding Dress

Made A Non-Conventional Wedding Dress

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aoscroft93 avatar
Mandapanda93
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Beautiful handmade wedding dress- love the matching dark red tones.

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Aria Whitaker
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Beautiful! And I love how his colors match hers so perfectly! Bless them.

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Frances Pitchounetta
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Always love non-conventional wedding dress! 😍 Apparently it's only since Queen Victoria's wedding that wedding dresses have traditionally been white.

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HorseMuse
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Perfect! Love the color coordination with Hubby’s

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Hendo
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is just beautiful! You both look so happy and relaxed. Congratulations and best wishes for a long and happy marriage to you both :)

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GoldfishCrackers
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Both your outfits compliment each other so well. Beautiful job!! Congrats!

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Jude Laskowski
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Absolutely stunning and fun! Congrats to you for your creativity.

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Margaret H
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A nonconventional dress for a nonconventional bride. Both are beautiful.

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Donna Mayotte
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I expect you are just as unique as your gown. It’s pretty and very flattering.

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Alex S
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This maybe the dress that brought me around to the whole cold shoulder trend, which normally I hate. Absolutely stunning.

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#23

R2D2 Dress My Wife Made

R2D2 Dress My Wife Made

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#24

I Created A 3-In-1 Wedding Dress For My Best Friend

I Created A 3-In-1 Wedding Dress For My Best Friend

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#25

Sewist On Low Budget Recreating Expensive Dresses. I Was Inspired By This Teuta Matoshi Dress

Sewist On Low Budget Recreating Expensive Dresses. I Was Inspired By This Teuta Matoshi Dress

Paurovas Report

#26

I Made This Dress. What Do You Think Of The Bodice?

I Made This Dress. What Do You Think Of The Bodice?

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#27

This Is A Prom Dress My Aunt From Nigeria Made For Me Back In 2019. We Designed It Based On Two Different Dresses. The Pattern Of The Fabric Is My Favorite Part

This Is A Prom Dress My Aunt From Nigeria Made For Me Back In 2019. We Designed It Based On Two Different Dresses. The Pattern Of The Fabric Is My Favorite Part

haveaSmiletoday Report

#28

I Made My Friend's Wedding Gown And Finally Got Pictures Back

I Made My Friend's Wedding Gown And Finally Got Pictures Back

busbikesandknitting Report

#29

Tried To Recreate A 60’s-Inspired Dress From The Queen’s Gambit

Tried To Recreate A 60’s-Inspired Dress From The Queen’s Gambit

Paurovas Report

#30

Dress Made From Over 2000 Pennies

Dress Made From Over 2000 Pennies

crescentshay Report

#31

My Friend And I Made This Upcycled Aqua Lace Faerie Dress

My Friend And I Made This Upcycled Aqua Lace Faerie Dress

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#32

I Made The Dressing Gown That Bilbo Wears In The First Hobbit Movie

I Made The Dressing Gown That Bilbo Wears In The First Hobbit Movie

sewing_magic Report

#33

I Made My Dream Dress For St Patrick’s Day And I’m So Proud Of How It Turned Out

I Made My Dream Dress For St Patrick’s Day And I’m So Proud Of How It Turned Out

CarbonChic Report

#34

I Made My Own Wedding Dress And Veil

I Made My Own Wedding Dress And Veil

No-Efficiency68 Report

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DEW
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mom made mine and it was beautiful! Your's is beautiful too!! I'm hoping one of my daughters want it someday. I can make pillows, curtains, and blankets!! Not a wedding gown. So your kids may want you to make them for them or just wear yours. I love stories where a wedding gown is passed down for generation's and just doing a little alterations. I don't know where you stand on Christening dresses for boy or girls but I would love to see your work on that too!! May your marriage be blessed from beginning to the end!!!

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#35

I Sew For A Hobby, This Is My Princess Belle Ball Gown I Made. She's My Favorite Disney Princess And I Finally Got Up The Gumption To Attempt Her

I Sew For A Hobby, This Is My Princess Belle Ball Gown I Made. She's My Favorite Disney Princess And I Finally Got Up The Gumption To Attempt Her

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#36

I Made My And My Friend's Prom Dresses

I Made My And My Friend's Prom Dresses

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#37

Made A Dress For The 'Gilded Glamour' Met Gala Theme

Made A Dress For The 'Gilded Glamour' Met Gala Theme

asherwani Report

#38

My Favorite Sewing Project To Date

My Favorite Sewing Project To Date

cosplaycyanide Report

#39

Hello, I Made This Dress Out Of Two Table Cloths (One Fabric, One Lace)

Hello, I Made This Dress Out Of Two Table Cloths (One Fabric, One Lace)

ktkn0423 Report

#40

I Designed LED Wearable Dress

I Designed LED Wearable Dress

BornAChampion Report

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Susy Drizel
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This might just be my favourite dress on the whole thread, but its such a close race.

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#42

Couldn't Afford A Vivienne Westwood Cocotte Dress, So I Made One

Couldn't Afford A Vivienne Westwood Cocotte Dress, So I Made One

12thHousePatterns Report

#43

I Made My Own Wedding Dress

I Made My Own Wedding Dress

QueenAkemii Report

#44

My Mom Has Been Working On My Sister’s Dress For 2 Months, She’s Almost Done

My Mom Has Been Working On My Sister’s Dress For 2 Months, She’s Almost Done

Bobby_phat Report

#45

I Made Sophie Hatter's Dress From Howl's Moving Castle

I Made Sophie Hatter's Dress From Howl's Moving Castle

Time_Traveling_Nerd Report

#46

This Is What Happens When Your Fancy Event Gets Canceled. Chores In An Evening Gown

This Is What Happens When Your Fancy Event Gets Canceled. Chores In An Evening Gown

M7683. Made it for a black tie wedding but sadly the bride and groom caught Omicronbie&Fitch leaving me with nowhere to wear it. So instead I got all dressed up and did Sunday Chores.

carpecupcake Report

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Domi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The photos are amazing, you enjoy everyday life in beautiful clothes.

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#47

A Girl Spent Four Years And Used 10,000 Starburst Wrappers To Make This Amazing Dress

A Girl Spent Four Years And Used 10,000 Starburst Wrappers To Make This Amazing Dress

Emily Seilhamer Art Report

#49

My Handmade Dresses For Flower Girls

My Handmade Dresses For Flower Girls

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Upstaged75
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My grandmother made my cousin and I flower girl dresses for my aunt's wedding in the 80's. She was so gifted. All my dolls had the most amazing clothes too.

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#50

I Made My First Gown. I Completed This A Few Months Ago And Finally Had Time To Take Pictures

I Made My First Gown. I Completed This A Few Months Ago And Finally Had Time To Take Pictures

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AJay
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love how at the bottom, all the feathers just go POOF!

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Note: this post originally had 135 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.