Liberty Silk Satin Christmas Ball Dress

Last night was the Christmas Ball at my dance school, and of course there was absolutely no way I was turning up in a shop-bought dress. Ballroom dancing deserves something special — preferably floaty, glamorous, and swishable — so this year I made my own dress using a very precious Liberty silk satin. Watch my latest YouTube video to see it in motion and learn more tips for sewing silk satin!!

I’m feeling a little tired as I write this, but in the best possible way. The Christmas Ball is one of my favourite events in our dance calendar. Nearly 100 people share the floor, there’s festive cheer, a bit of buffet grazing, and a real sense of celebration as everyone reflects on how far they’ve come with their dancing.

James and I have been dancing together for three years now, and it’s become such a lovely thing to do as a couple. We dance every Monday evening and usually fit in a monthly social dance too — think tea dance vibes with a lot more concentration. It’s romantic, challenging, and a brilliant way to exercise both your body and your brain.

The Fabric: Liberty Silk Satin (and a Very Good Find)

If you’ve been following along for a while, you might remember a video where I took James shopping in Abakhan back in May. While we were there, he spotted a section of Liberty fabrics — something he’s heard me wax lyrical about many times. Liberty silk satin is usually around £70 per metre, so it’s very much a luxury fabric.

On this particular day, though, it was reduced to £20 per metre. James immediately decided this was happening and bought me two metres as a present. Even better, he chose a print I probably wouldn’t have picked myself — a gorgeous bronzy orange base with navy flowers called Poppy Dawn. It turns out he has excellent taste.

The fabric is beautifully soft, shiny, and floaty — basically perfect for dancing. Silk satin moves with you, catches the light, and feels incredible to wear, which made it worth every bit of extra preparation.

Choosing the Pattern

The dress I wore to last year’s Christmas Ball was actually one I’d originally made for my brother’s wedding — green being a significant colour in Afghan weddings. A strappy dress works so well for dancing (anyone who’s watched Strictly Come Dancing will know how warm things get), so I wanted something similar this year.

After playing around with a few ideas — draping, flounces, even gathering inspired by my wedding dress — I decided this fabric needed simplicity. I went back to a tried-and-tested favourite: Vogue 1428. Although it’s designed as a lace dress with a slip underneath, I reused the bodice pieces to create delicate spaghetti straps and a clean, elegant neckline with slanted bust darts doing all the shaping.

For the skirt, I chose a flared pattern from my stash. Almost any flared skirt would work here — Vogue 9000 and Butterick 6843 are both great options. I love how a flared skirt moves on the dance floor, highlighting every turn and spin.

Preparing and Cutting Silk Satin

Silk satin is best handled with extra preparation. Before I even thought about cutting, I treated the fabric with gelatine — a technique I’ve shared in a separate video. This gives the silk more body and stability, making it far easier to handle, pin, and sew.

The process adds time: soaking the fabric for at least an hour, drying it flat for a couple more, then carefully pressing it with a cool iron. It’s worth noting that gelatine treatment and washing can slightly reduce the shine and depth of colour on highly pigmented satins like Liberty, so keep that in mind if sheen is non-negotiable for you.

This particular Liberty print is a one-way design, helpfully marked on the selvedge. Satin also reflects light differently depending on direction, so a one-way cutting layout is essential. I used fine silk pins within the seam allowance, a microtex needle, and a shorter stitch length to avoid puckering.

Letting the Bias Drop

One of the most time-consuming parts of a dress like this is waiting. Any flared or bias-cut skirt needs time to drop – especially in a fluid fabric like silk satin. I assembled the skirt pieces, pinned them to my mannequin, and left them hanging overnight. The next day, I laid everything flat and re-cut the hem before attaching it to the bodice.

It’s a step that’s easy to skip, but it makes such a difference to the final shape.

Construction Details

Because I’d made this pattern before, construction was fairly quick, though I did need to tweak one of the French darts, which can distort easily as they sit on the bias. Gentle handling is key.

I made the spaghetti straps on the straight grain for strength — everything hangs from the shoulders in a dress like this, and while rouleaux straps are beautiful, they need the bodice of the dress to have more internal structure (which creates support) than I wanted here.

The concealed zip has a lightweight mesh tape, ideal for soft fabrics. It naturally has more flexibility. And I stabilised the centre back with a narrow strip of interfacing. I constructed almost the entire dress by machine, tack-stitching the lining in place with bright thread before washing out the gelatine.

The Scary Bit: Washing It All Out

Washing a silk dress you’ve just spent hours sewing is always nerve-wracking. I limit water exposure to three stages only: pre-wash, gelatine treatment, and gelatine removal.

The dress was submerged in a gentle detergent solution, rinsed thoroughly, then laid flat on a towel to dry. Wet silk is incredibly delicate, so GENTLE HANDLING is essential. Once dry, a careful press restored that beautiful fluid drape.

After that, I spent a peaceful Saturday afternoon hand-sewing the lining in place — a detail that felt right for such a special dress.

Styling for the Ball

On the night, I paired the dress with black dance shoes (still on the hunt for glittery ones), a nude pink lip and nail, and the most gorgeous mossy forest-green velvet hair bow by Beaded by Laura. The green worked beautifully with the orange and navy tones of the fabric.

It was a masquerade ball, so James wore a bronze mask and bow tie to complement the dress perfectly. I skipped the mask — anything touching my face for that long would have driven me mad — but he wore his for several dances like a trooper.

A Perfect Night

We had the best time. There’s something so glamorous about being dressed up and waltzing together. The showpiece performances were incredible — two young dancers from our school performed competition-level routines that left us all cheering (and definitely hoarse).

The dress was everything I hoped for: floaty, elegant, and an absolute joy to dance in. It took time, patience, and plenty of stopping and starting, but it was completely worth it — especially when that skirt swished across the dance floor.