Long Awaited Wedding

 

What seems like a very, very long time ago, my friend Fliss asked me to make her wedding dress. She was due to get married last August, but with ever changing COVID restrictions the wedding date was changed. Fliss and Carl got married last week and had a fantastic day. 

Fliss sent me some photos from the day and has given me permission to share them here.

We spent several months deciding on the style, fitting a toile and finally making the dress. It was made in a white duchess satin and lined in cotton. the bodice was a simple princess seamed, boat necked style and the panelled skirt was full with a longer back than front. 

The dress was simply embellished by a diamante detail on a ribbon at the waist and small pearl buttons down the back.

Fortunately the dress was just about finished before lockdown hit last year, but it did need hemming before Fliss collected it last May. Fliss is the same height as me, so I set my dress form to the correct height and went from there. She was happy with the length, which was a relief.

I checked in with her a few weeks ago just to check nothing needed to be altered before the big day, but all was good. I think you'll agree that she looks stunning and her and Carl look so happy. I'm wishing them all the best as they start their married life.

My Wedding Dress...

...25 years on.

I always planned to wear my wedding dress for our 25th anniversary. But I knew I couldn't wear it in it's original form, so it was time for a refashion. The original dress was made by Laura Ashley and is a printed cotton. I really loved it and it seemed a shame for it to be hidden away in a box going yellow.

The plan was to shorten the skirt and change up the sleeve to something more contemporary. I have always been able to fit into my dress and this seemed like an easy refashion. However, after soaking and washing my dress at quite a high temperature to get rid of the yellowing stains, it had shrunk a bit and although I could still get it on. It would not have been comfortable to wear.

So a bigger refashion was needed. I have always loved fitted bodices and full skirts of the 1950's and wanted to keep the scooped neckline of the original dress. I also loved the back of the Gertie Sultry sheath dress. So after carefully taking the skirt apart, I used the B6453 princess seamed bodice and extended the bodice to include the shoulders and have the same scoop neckline. I overlaid the sultry sheath bodice back and found it matched almost exactly with the B6453.
I self lined the bodice and then added a knee length box pleated skirt to finish off the dress. The zip is a lapped zipper.

On our anniversary I styled my dress with a black net underskirt, black and white spotty kitten heel shoes and a beaded balck and white collar necklace. The evening was warm do I didn't need a coat, just a purple shawl to complement what my hubby was wearing.

We enjoyed a beautiful meal at the House of Tides in Newcastle.

I love my refashioned dress, but i'm not sure I have much call for a white dress, so I'm considering dying it. Some experiments are needed to see how the dye reacts to the printed cotton.

WIP bride re:made

I'm currently refashioning a wedding dress. This is it so far, I'll post more as it nears completion.

...and I have, like, this great big pile of stuff to complete...

So I haven't been posting much about some of the sewing I've been doing recently. I look at my blog posts and think - I haven't done much; but I have! I spent most of last week making 3 corselettes for bridesmaid dresses, checking fit and adding the boning, zips and linings. I am now starting on the shell dresses, now I know that the foundations fit well and I'm hoping to have all but the hems completed this week. The skirts are bias cut and need to hang a little before hemming to ensure an even hem.

I am also developing a design for a grooms coat and trousers. I've never done this before and I'm finding it quite stressful. I'm also making his wife to be's wedding dress, and I have that all planned. I just haven't ever sewn for men and I'm really nervous about mucking it up. The design has a distinct historical influence, I just hope I can do it justice. So it anyone out there can offer any advice on sewing dress pants and coats for men I'd be very grateful.

I will post photos of all creations once the big day arrives. Now - to find something for me to wear to the weddings. Have I got time to make something or is it going to be something from my wardrobe?

Wedding Dress - Done!

The newly married Mr & Mrs Todd - Photo by Allison Davies

 Well it's been a manic weekend, but I can finally share Elaine's wedding dress with you. - whoo hoo.
While the rest of the country is in Jubilee madness, we celebrated the marriage of Elaine and Alan, and the 50th Birthday of John's sister, Ann. - 180 miles apart - on the same day. So it was off to Morpeth Town Hall for the ceremony and then to a sit down reception, before driving the 180 miles to Nottinghamshire and the BBQ for the Birthday celebrations. Sunday was filled with visiting John's parents and my Mum while we were in the area and then the long drive home. Lie in this morning and waking up to the glorious Northumberland sunshine and the keen coastal breeze.

posing for photographs

Anyway back to the dress!
I've been posting little snippets over the last few weeks as I've been making it. There was a lot of time consuming hand sewing in this dress as the fabric was very fine.

the bodice in early stages of creation

 I began by drafting the dress using cotton and draping on a dress form. Then, when Elaine had chosen her fabric the stitching began. it was a combination of drafting and draping, often being pinned and stitched on the dress form to keep the shape.

Adding buttons and button loops

 The Fabric was a fine turquoise polyester georgette, with a top layer of viscose silk - devore style pattern, although there was a lot of backing fabric and only a sparse design. the overall effect was to create a baby blue colour. Exactly what Elaine wanted.

Back view

 I made a fitted inner bodice on which the rest of the dress was supported. this had to be quite substantial as the fabric was surprisingly weighty.

Elaine and her brother

 The outer bodice was added then the dropped waist and finally the skirt - which was draped into place first and pinned before the final stitching took place. The Zip was hidden by a row of pearl buttons and covered pieces of boning which hooked into the bra at the back prevented the dress from slipping and revealing Elaine's bra. I used the same technique on the halterneck dress that I made (and wore) for the wedding.

 Elaine loved it and I'm so glad I could have a special part in her day.