Thursday, January 9, 2014

Nikk's Wedding Gown

Sewing has provided a lifetime of projects.  I remember as a little girl making clothing for my dolls. Experience and family has provided several opportunities to make apparel for family members.  Nikki has previously enjoyed two prom gowns that were guaranteed to be one of a kind.   Now, I have been granted a life time wish...to make Nikki's wedding gown.

 My goal is to document my project and provide pictures for those who are interested.

The pattern:

Nikki likes the style of the dress shown in the Vogue 2788 pattern but also wants long sleeves.  So we will be adding long loose sleeves with a row of buttons to tie in with the design of the back of the dress.


Model:


Nikki's twin (Mary Jane) arrived today!  She hasn't quite been sculpted to Nikki's measurements. This will really help while making the gown since we have quite a few miles between us.



Fabric:


The shopping for material has started.  The body of the dress is using Ivory Ribbon Taffeta fabric.  The sleeves and veil will be made from a Crystal Organza fabric.  The lining is ivory satin.  TheSample squares are on their way....pictures to follow... 

      

Shopping

     First we checked out the the Fabric Barn Outlet in Long Beach.  This was an amazing experience.  Isles and isles of fabric.  Unfortunately, they didn't have the chosen fabric.  The hubby was awesome and volunteered to take me to the Fabric District in Los Angeles. At this point, it was evident how useful it was to have the sample material.  We walked in, showed the sample and were quickly moving on.  Just about the time that my confidence was failing, we walked into California New Star on S. Wall St., showed the sample and were quickly directed to the main fabric hanging on the wall!  My heart soared!  Within an hour, we were on our way with a savings and more than the required amount of fabric.



The above two photos were taken at the same time but with different cameras and angles.  Neither of them do the fabric justice.  In the top photo, the center fabric will become the lining and the organza on the right has a crystal shine to it.  That will make both the sleeves and the veil.

First Fitting Trip.

After a couple of conversations with Nikki regarding measurements and a difference of 10" between the measurement I took and her measurement, I opted for a trip to ensure accuracy.  In hine sight it was a great choice.  I had assembled the outter fabric for both the skirt and the bodice.  It turned out that Nikki's bodice size is about 4 sizes smaller than her skirt size!  The bodice was a complete redo....better now than right before wedding day!  Phew!!!  Disaster averted

Here are some pictures to show the progress....
Testing the pattern size

Alterations

The skirt before first fitting and adding of lining.

Hemmed and lined

Hemmed and lined.

Bodice lined...not attached to skirt yet.

I am currently working on the custom sleeves. Once the sleeves are created, they will be attached to the bodice and then the bodice will finally be attached to the skirt. Then there will, of course, be more pictures!!!

The buttons have arrived, but unfortunately their coloring is very different than the dress.  I am in the process of ordering  custom buttons from Vogue Fabrics.  These buttons will be created with the material used for the lining.

July 19th.
The dress is pretty much done...I have a the back buttons to finish and we may add to the back but that depends on how the dress fits.  Nikki will get to try on the completed dress next week and work with a friend to decide if there are any additional alterations she would like.  But for now this is what it looks like.











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