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This dress is part of series and my challenge for the year: one wedding dress per month! Not just any wedding dresses, but let’s make them Taylor Swift themed dresses! Taylor has 12 albums now, there’s 12 months in a year, so it will work out perfectly! Follow along on this Taylor Swift themed crocheted wedding dress year-long challenge!
The fourth wedding dress design of the year, the Red Wedding Dress, is ready to be introduced! I’ve decided that it’s too much to finish an entire wedding dress, edit the pattern, take photos, and publish said pattern within a month, so I’ll settle for just finishing the dress in a month and the rest can come afterwards.
Taylor’s fourth album is called “RED”. Red was always an amazing album to me. It felt so different than her previous albums as it leans a bit more pop than is does country. However, I really fell head over heels in love with this album after she released “Taylor’s version” in 2021 and “All Too Well” the 10 minute version became my favorite song by her and remains so to this day. I love the raw emotion that she portrays in this song and the album overall.
Red was originally released in 2012 and features songs like “We are Never Ever Getting Back Together, “I Knew You Were Trouble”, and “Everything Has Changed”. To me, this is a double-sided album and invokes two very different feelings at once: the burning excitement and chaos of love, and also learning to stand on your own and becoming the true version of yourself.
To the right, you will find my sketch of how I was originally envisioning this dress. I wanted to capture a balance of becoming and burning, where confidence meets heartbreak, and structure meets feeling. However I was up against a big challenge for this month: we were moving the yarn shop! If you’ve every moved before then you know how time consuming it is. I wanted a design that brought both sides of RED together, but would still allow me time to complete the move. This is how I came up with a crocheted bodice only.
At first, I doubted this design because it wasn’t fully crocheted. But then I realized that the whole purpose of this series is to explore all the different ways crochet can exist in bridalwear. Not every crochet wedding dress has to be fully custom or months in the making. Sometimes crochet can be layered in thoughtfully—adding texture, storytelling, and artistry in a way that still feels wearable and achievable.
After much internal debate I decided to move forward with this design. It features a bridal scarf (because of course for RED!), a clean strapless silhouette, vertical panels using the flame stitch that brings bold strength, while the soft fabric of the underdress moves like something soft, something that remembers all too well.
Below you will find the free pattern guide for the RED Wedding Dress!
If you would like to support my very lofty yarn dreams then you can purchase a PDF of this pattern from my site, or Ravelry.
Pattern Notes:
- This is a pattern guide, rather than a regular pattern.
- This pattern guide is made to measure. Any adjustments listed in this pattern are how I did mine to fit me. You will need to make your own adjustments.
- Because of how custom this is, this pattern guide is for an advanced level crocheter.
- Measure the underdress ON your body. I cannot stress this enough. The corset will stretch to you so if you don’t measure with it on, then your crochet fabric will be way too small.
- Handmade by Stacy J is where I got the instructions for the flame stitch.
- The dress is crocheted in panels, then a border is added to each panel. The panels are then single crocheted together. A Top border is added and then everything is hand stitched to the under dress.
- I chose an underdress with an asymmetrical aspect at the hips. This determined how long each panel was because I was matching the hip hemline.
- The scarf, of course is optional. The scarf is worked in long rows so that the direction of the flame stitches matches those of the vertial panels of the dress.
Materials:
- Aunt Lydia’s Size 10 Crochet Thread or lace #0 weight cotton – Sample used approx. 1 skein or approx. 1000 yards.
- An underdress of some kind – I used this one from Amazon.
- US size C/2.5mm crochet hook
- Stitch Markers
- Metal Tapestry Needle – must be metal, plastic will not work here.
- Optional: Blocking Mat – not necessary, but very helpful!
- Optional: Adjustable Dress Form – not necessary, but very helpful!
- Soft Tape Measure
- Sewing pins
- Scissors
- The RED Wedding Dress Pattern Guide: either free on this page, or paid on my website, or Ravelry.
Abbreviations:
- Ch – Chain
- Chsp – Chain Space
- Fsc – Foundation Single Crochet
- Sc – Single Crochet
- Dc – Double Crochet
- Dc2tog – Double crochet 2 together
- St(s) – Stitch(es)
- Tr – Treble Crochet
- Sk – Skip
- RS – Right Side
- WS – Wrong side
Chart:
Gauge:
Gauge is not important for this pattern.
Pattern Instructions:
Try on your underdress and measure from the top to where you want your panels to end. If your hem is asymmetrical like mine, then measure the shortest point from top to bottom, and the longest point from top to bottom.
Bodice Panels:
Row 1: Ch 12, sc in 2nd ch from the hook, ch 3, sk 3, sc in next, ch 3, sk 1, sc in next, ch 3, sk 3, sc in next. Turn.
R2 (RS): Ch 1, sc in 1st, ch 1, sk next ch3sp, place (dc2tog, ch 3) four times into next ch3sp, dc2tog once more into same sp, ch 1, sk next ch3sp, sc in last sc. Turn.
R3 (WS): Ch 7 (counts as Tr + ch3), sk next ch1sp, sc in next ch3sp, ch 3, sc in next ch3sp, ch 3, sk next ch3sp, Tr in last sc. Turn.
Repeat rows 2-3 until you have your desired length. End with a R2. I did my longest panel first.
Border: Once you get to the end your panel, turn 90 degress and work along the side edge. Place 1 sc in each sc row end, and 4 sc in each Tr row end. Place 3 sc in the corner and turn 90 degrees, sc in each beginning ch, place 3 sc in the next corner and turn 90 degrees, place 1 sc in each sc row end, and 4 sc in each Tr row end. Fasten off when you reach the other end.
Continue in this manner making these panels for across the front of your dress.
You can see mine vary in length to match the asymmetrical hem.
As my dress went under my arms, the upper line of the bodice changed. I adjusted my panels accordingly but doing one less shell for the next panels so that when I sewed them together and added the top border that it would lay correctly against the underdress.
Then when I connected all the panels, I adjusted how they were sewn together so that the shorter panels would follow the natural line of the dress. This mean that some of the shells didn’t like up under my arms, but overall this is not noticeable.
So as you’re working your panels be wary of how the bust line and hem work together.
In this photo you can see how the bustline changes as it goes around me, and lowers under the arm.
Stitching the Panels Togther:
Once you have completed enough panels, block them if desired.
Now it is time to connect them!
There are many ways to do this, but personally I chose to single crochet the edges together. In the photo you can see that I used both loops of both single crochets on either side. I did this so that there would be limited stretch as I didn’t want there to be a lot of stretch in this form-fitting piece. I also don’t care for slip stitching things together as I feel like it causes puckering.
You could use a tapestry needle and whipstitch the edges together if you prefer. I still would recommend grabbing both loops of both stitches.
Top Border:
Once all your panels are assembled, attach to the top edge with a sl st. Ch 1, sc around. Sl st to 1st. Repeat this round however many times you wish until you are happy with it. I did 3 rounds total.
Sewing Your Work to Your Underdress:
I used sewing pins to pin the crocheted work to the top edge.
Use a metal tapestry needle to stitch your work to the top edge of the dress.
Loosley stitch the bottom edge to the bodice hem.
Weave in all your ends & your done! Optional Scarf instructions are below.
Scarf:
Row 1: Fsc the length you want the scarf. Turn. I went with a length about double my overall height. The longer it is, the more dramatic.
R2 (WS): Ch 1, sc in 1st, *ch 3, sk 3, sc in next, ch 3, sk 1, sc in next, ch 3, sk 3, sc in next. Repeat from * across until you don’t have enough sts to complete the next repeat. Take out the first few foundation sts that don’t fit in your repeats.
R3 (RS): Ch 1, sc in 1st, *ch 1, sk next ch3sp, place (dc2tog, ch 3) four times into next ch3sp, dc2tog once more into same sp, ch 1, sk next ch3sp, sc in next sc. Repeat from * across. Turn.
R4: Ch 7 (counts as Tr + ch3), *sk next ch1sp, sc in next ch3sp, ch 3, sc in next ch3sp, ch 3, sk next ch3sp, Tr in next sc, ch 3. Repeat from * across. Turn.
Repeat rows 3-4 until you are satisfied with the thickness of your scarf. End with a R3.
Repeat this criss-cross beaded pattern until you are happy with the height of the bodice fabric. End where you want the edge of the pleats to meet this fabric. End after a RS row.
Enjoy your new RED Wedding Dress!
I hope you love your new RED Wedding Dress! Comment below if you have any questions, and what you think of this RED Taylor Swift-inspired look!