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Wedding dress
May 08, 2009
Thank you so much to everyone who commented and left congratulations on my last post. I really wanted to email everyone individually but I left it too late and then there were too many comments! I really loved reading them all though so thanks a lot.
I have been insanely busy lately, and I have lots of new things to show, but I somehow feel like I have to finish off posting about wedding crafts first before I can address new stuff! Even though by now probably anyone who's interested already looked at my photos on flickr!
I'll try and blitz it in a few posts and see how it goes.
OK DRESS!
As you may be aware, this is the dress that I was trying to copy:
It is by Carolina Herrera. I have no idea how much it cost, but I am pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to afford it. But that's not even the point, I just really wanted to sew my own wedding dress!
I really love it because it is really pretty, but not fussy at all. And I just didn't want a train or anything like that. They are very nice but not for me.
After some initial faffing (I chose a pattern that wasn't really ideal), and 3 muslins, I finally went ahead with V7848. I had to take it in at the bust a lot, and go from smaller sizes at the top to larger ones at the bottom due to my big bum (oh I know it's not big! It's just that it's 12 inches bigger than my waist - which is quite an increase!). Also I adjusted the pattern so it went straight down from the hips, and shortened it a lot. I also took inspiration from my first dress choice, V2237, and fully lined the dress and made a lined foundation as well - I used the pattern pieces from V7848 to create foundation pieces which would be used in the same way as in V2237.
I bought these fabrics:
Silk duchesse satin for the dress, a silk satin lining, and silk organza for the flowers. It wasn't cheap but I really fell in love with the blush colour of the fabric.
In the end, after a lot of debate, I went with the "wrong" side of the fabric to show on the outside. I really loved the right side better (it was incredibly shiny), but I didn't think it was the best side for this particular dress.
So! I made the dress and attached the foundation, and then cut 2 large rectangles, sewed them into a tube, gathered the top, and attached this to the dress to make the full skirt:
I finished it off by trimming the gathered fabric and encasing it with the flat seam allowance to make it all smooth on the inside.
Next I used this website! I needed to make that little pelmet/extra skirt bit that the corsage sits on, and it is a truncated cone, so I had to find a geometry website! It actually worked pretty well!
This was the dress at this point (and badly needing an iron!):
Next I covered and attached 18 11mm cover buttons to the back of the dress - they were just for decoration as it fastened with a zip. You can see them here:
Finally I made the flowers. I bought an ebook from here, and I found it a good starting point, but I did find some of the instructions a little confusing. If you use it as a guide but also use some intuition then it's great.
I made a lot of flowers! Some were also intended for my hair:
I got all those, plus a trial, and had loads to spare from just one metre of organza.
Then I sewed 2 on the dress, 3 on a comb, and everything was finished!
It was actually a bit of a stressful process, not in itself, but because I was trying to do this amongst all the other planning and a very horrible time at work. Luckily Adam did a lot as well! But it was massively worth it, I loved my dress - it was perfect for me and it wouldn't have been if I had not made it myself. Maybe some more experienced seamstresses are looking down at my efforts and I do know my dress is not like some amazing beaded one you would buy in the shops....but I think it's easy to over inflate weddings, and get wound up in thinking everything needs to be "perfect". And I'm not saying that's wrong, I just think my version of perfect is a bit different - my version involves everything being homemade!
Here are some more pictures, I know this is a massive post but maybe it can sit here on the internet and be a handy reference for anyone else wanting to make their own dress, if only to show that it's not some horrifically hard weirdo thing to be doing!
Posted by jen at May 8, 2009 12:45 PM
Comments
You're so beautiful! The dress is amazing!
Posted by: Yulita at May 8, 2009 07:44 PM
I think it's great that you figured out what you and Adam wanted for your wedding and just went for it. The dress is amazing and looks perfect, and you were one beautiful bride.
Posted by: silvia at May 8, 2009 09:17 PM
you look lovely in those two pics. ~I think the final design is very nice on you.
Posted by: Enid Mary Shaw at May 9, 2009 12:27 AM
you look lovely in those two pics. ~I think the final design is very nice on you.
Posted by: Enid Mary Shaw at May 9, 2009 12:28 AM
Amazingly beautiful: the dress and you!
Posted by: Vicki at May 9, 2009 07:24 AM
What a lovely dress! It's perfect. I too made my wedding dress (35 years ago), handsewing the trim the day before the event. The marriage did not last, but I still have the dress!
Posted by: Abby at May 9, 2009 03:18 PM
I'm not a seamstress, but can spot a well-sewn outfit a mile away. I can also see the likeness of the original dress in your work. Best wishes!
Posted by: Mylyne at May 9, 2009 07:28 PM
You looked stunning (I think I said it before, but I'll say it again :D). I can't imagine how long it took to sew all those buttons on, nevermind everything else, but they were worth it!
Where is the organza from? Or do you know the manufacturer? I'm look for some to make something for my friend's wedding in August, and all I can find is sparkly or two tone organza, and I'd prefer plain :/ Which leads me to thank you for the link for flower making :D Thank you!
Posted by: Bryony at May 10, 2009 08:01 PM
You're so right about the over-inflating weddings thing. I think you got it just right. And I know whenever I spend time making something, it helps me remember all the details of what was happening at that time - everything going on around me and what I was thinking with each stitch (or whatever) I'm creating. Even down to what song I was listening too. What a fantastic memory to create for you and Adam.
Posted by: Jyoti at May 10, 2009 09:17 PM
You and your dress look absolutely gorgeous! My best wishes to you both for a wonderful life together!
Posted by: Sandie at May 10, 2009 09:39 PM
Gorgeous! Thanks for the inspiration. I'm making bridesmaids' dresses for my sister this summer and hoping to make my own wedding dress in the not too distant future.
Posted by: Pigwotknits at May 10, 2009 11:28 PM
Wow, you are one talented gal! Congratulations on your marriage!
Posted by: teresa at May 11, 2009 08:29 PM
Wow! Gorgeous dress, Jen! I'm so impressed. Also, congrats on the wedding:)
Posted by: Kelly at May 13, 2009 03:49 PM
Jen.....you look stunning. And so happy! I'm so pleased for you. I'm glad you did your wedding YOUR way...and what talent you have!!!!!!!
Posted by: Michelle at May 21, 2009 09:39 PM