the fall/winter wedding dress project...

Ok, so it's been a while since I last posted about the progress on the wedding dress... but I thought I would update you all with some of the picts I was able to capture over the project duration.

 

Layer 1: Lining

 

Layer 2: Bustier

 

Layer 3: Crinolyn

 

Layer 4: Bridal Satin

Layer 5: Lace

 

Layer 7: Tulle & Ribbon

Last step: Bustling

 ______________________________________________________

THE FINISHED DRESS

 

Skirt alterations...

I've been working on a lot of alterations recently... mainly taking in and/or hemming skirts and dresses...

This is one of my recent projects... it's my husband's co-worker's skirt. It had to be taken in around the waist for a better fit. To do this I had to take it a little from each panel at the waistline. This project required the client to come over so I could fit the skirt, as well as a fitting after the skirt alteration was completed, to ensure fit.

My other skirt alteration was from a friend of mine. With her skirt the invisible zipper had broken, so I had to replace a new one for the broken one. This project required no fittings, just a simple fix.

A Sneak Peak At Kathrine's Dress...

My friend's wedding (who I was making the wedding dress for in a previous post) is just around the corner, so I thought I would show you a sneak peak before the big day...

These two photos show the lining, crinoline and bustier (with boning).

Here's the bridal satin layer on top of the lining/crinoline/bustier layers. More layers to follow :)

Stay tuned to see the final wedding dress...

Sewing a wedding gown... fit for a princess

For about a week now, I have been working on a wedding dress for my friend, Kat P. Last week we went down to the fashion district in LA and picked out all the fabrics she wanted (about 39 yards in total!)

A couple days later I started working on cutting out the pattern for the bustier (adjusting it to match her measurements).

Sewing them together with the boning...

and then finally seeing what it looked like finished. My friend then came to try it on to make sure it fit. I made the adjustments I needed to and then I was off to sewing again...

After finishing the bustier I started working on the lining. Today Kat came over to try everything on. It looks like we are all set for the next step... cutting and sewing the crinoline on the lining.

Right now I only have the bottom layers complete... so you all wont even see the above mentioned steps on her wedding day... the best is yet to come!

... to be continued...

How to... hem a prom dress

I recently hemmed my cousin's prom dress and thought to my self "this would be a valuable skill for young people to know how to do, especially if they don't have the money to hire a tailor." Since most of us don't have that special interlock machine that will finish the hem of the dress, I came up with a simple technique that looks pretty professional in the end.


Step 1: Fold under 1/8" further down from where your desired length would be. Pin to keep in place. Press (with med to low heat iron) a creaseon the fold of the hem.Step 2: Sew 1/8" closest to the folded edge. Taking out the pins as you go.


Step 3: CAREFULLY cut off the extra unneeded hem length with a sharp pair of sewing shears. Try to cut really close to your finished stitch line you just sewed, but try not to cut more than 1/16".


Step 4: Fold under about 1/8" to 1/4" pressing and pinning as you go, so that no raw edges are exposed.Step 5: Sew as close as you can (1/8") from the inside edge, so that you attach the rolled under edge to the inside of the dress.

Congratulations! You have mastered this important life long skill, and saved a bit of money too.

If you would like to see more handmade or vintage products of mine, please feel free to check out my sproutsmaternity shop (for maternity, children and accessories) or my jnsweeney shop on etsy.com (for vintage items).