"I Do" Another Mockup

I made a quick mockup of another pattern It is actually an illusion neckline which doesn't show up here well. It needs some boning in the side seam of the waist. Its also hard to imagine the lace, I'm thinking about cutting out some scrap lace just to get the look. The pattern worked pretty well over all, its a great bias cut skirt pattern, the top is of my own design. I will have to make the underskirt before I adjust the pattern completely.

I have been taking time off these mockups because I have been making paper flowers. I finished my bridal bouquet recently, it is  a cascade style bouquet.

"I Do" Indecisive

A note about the direction intended for my dress.

I pulled these pictures off of Pinterest. They have my desired neckline treatment for my dress. I love the lake on the lace on the illusion bodice however I am finding myself being pulled in two directions. I adore this lacy flowing ballgown of a dress but at the same time I really want to make something with a bit of  turn of the century flair. At this point I am highly considering dropping the vines in favor of beading the edges of the tulle petals. I think this is because I cant get the vines quite right and because beading the edges of the tulle would. give it such great swing. I have also been considering altering the skirt so the lower portion is bias cut, If my fabric was wide enough I would cut the whole dress on the bias because of how beautifully it flows. Just some random musings this morning. I probably wont get to work on my dress again until Friday.

"I Do" A 'Test Fitting'

This is the test fitting for the under dress.Now I need mark the stitching lines and then rip out the seams to make a paper pattern. The paper pattern will consist of a fashion fabric layer a facing layer and a lining layer. After that is done I will make another muslin mock up using the entire pattern and then prance around like a pretty princess for at least the second time this week.

"I Do" Pattern Drafting

After a couple weeks of drafting and looking at further inspiration pictures I have decided on a game plan and drafted the under dress. the over dress will be made entirely of tulle. It may or may not include the silk vines... I sew very "creatively" and by that I mean I work very sculptural. I need to construct and add elements as I go. That is why it is so important to construct in steps and create tests out of muslin and test tulle.

"I Do" dress shopping

I found my dress in 2011. In the winter edition of Where Women Create. At the time I remember thinking, "that's the dress!" and then quickly putt it out of my mind. The dress in question was used to display jewelry in a cute little boutique/ studio and... it was made of curtains. Very cute curtains, but curtains! Honestly I had never really planned my wedding when I was a little girl, it really never crossed my mind too either. So when my fiance (then boyfriend) asked me not to plan it or even think about it I was more than happy to oblige. In fact it wasn't until the engagement was official that I remembered the curtain dress from four years ago.

Yes that's the dress.

 

and those are the matching curtains.

But hey, when you find "the dress" does it matter what its made out of? Needless to say there wasn't anyway I was going to have an easy time getting my hands on this dress. So I decided to head to Davids Bridal with my bridesmaid Katie. 

After trying on a few dresses I couldn't rate any of the higher tan an 8 with my lowest being a 6. I couldn't get  the curtains out of my head. So I played around with the d=idea of buying a simple dress and adding the tulle and vines. Too bad there weren't any dresses I really liked the bodice of either... So to the fabric store?!?

Since I made the decision to sew my own dress many a cutting assistant has gasped at my answer to "What are you making?". Apparently, wedding dress wasn't the expected answer, despite the rather pale yardage being cut. But hey, I didn't go to two years of school for costume design only to change my major the next summer for nothing! Furthermore, Katie all but has her costume design degree and between the two of us we have made enough sturdy Victorian gowns to fill a London socialites closet for at least a full year! Surely a modern and fairly simple ballgown shoudn't give us too much trouble, even if it is white. 

Well, whiteish...

Can the groom see the dress if its on the bolt? how about a muslin mock-up?

Why my fiance keeps me in stitches

When I think of my fiance I mostly think of laughter. Sam has this incredible ability to make me laugh, smile, cry and get angrier than anyone has ever had before. Sure we have had our up and downs but when I think of him its smiles and laughter that stand out. So in short he keeps me in stitches, of laughter. Sometimes it hard to explain how I feel about Sam but whenever I ask him about why, even during a rough patch, he loves me he brings up a line from Peter, Bjorn, and John's song Objects of My Affection. 

"I laugh more often now. I cry more often now. I am more me."

To me that line has become a miniature anthem for our relationship. Sam and I allow each other to grow and celebrate our own lives, as well as each others, more intensely than ever before. There is certainly more laughter with him in my life. Together we have found an abundance of everything, tears, joy, support, and accomplishment that I truly don't believe we could have found alone.

Thank you Sam for making my life overflow with every emotion because with you I am more me.