The Wedding Dress

Oh, I will always remember 2013 as the year I made my first wedding dress.  In 2007 and 2009, I birthed babies.  In 2013, I birthed a dress.

Photographer: Lisa Frederick, Angel Photo

Back in the spring, the friend of a client contacted me about making her wedding dress for an October wedding.  My heart started racing the moment I read the email.  Did I have the balls to take on a WEDDING DRESS when I had never even sewn with silk? Or underlined?? Or used scissors on anything anywhere near as expensive as vintage Chantilly lace???

Photographer: Lisa Frederick, Angel Photography

Yes. Apparently, I do.

Photographer: Lisa Frederick, Angel Photography

And Kristen, the bride, clearly knows how to gamble, because she trusted me to do it.

Photographer: Lisa Frederick, Angel Photography

Of the various challenging things I have done in my life, making a wedding dress most reminded me of what it was like to train for a marathon. At each stage of the process (making a boned bustier, cutting and sewing silk charmeuse, underlining, working with lace, putting all the parts together) I wasn't sure I could actually do the next step. I would study, think about it, procrastinate, think some more, make a cup of coffee, and then overcome all my anxiety by picking up the scissors (or the needle or the boning) and willing myself into action.

Photographer: Lisa Frederick, Angel Photography

I had back up, and that helped a lot. Rhonda Buss of the blog Rhonda's Creative Life agreed to be my consultant.  She came to the first muslin fitting and she made her self available by email and phone to answer ALL of my questions.  Every single one.  And there's a good chance I asked some of them twice.

Photographer: Lisa Frederick, Angel Photography

Dress stats

• 1.5 spools of black Gutermann thread
• 4 yards of vintage Chantilly lace from Supreme Novelty Fabrics in Chicago
• 80 hours of labor - here and here
• 3 yards of silk charmeuse from Fishman's Fabrics in Chicago
• Susan Khalje's Bridal Couture book
• 1 yard of silk satin (Fishman's)
• 3 sleepless nights due to deadline that could not be moved
• Gingher serrated scissors, borrowed from a friend
• 3 yards of Bemberg lining (Fabric.com)
• pair of wire cutters
• 4 moments of feeling utterly sick with worry
• a new found love of couture sewing
• 3 muslins
• 4 yards of black cotton batiste (Fishman's)
• wrist injury (handsewing)
• 3/4 yard Petersham ribbon for waist stay
• waxed tracing paper from Richard the Thread
• Vogue pattern 2237 (as a starting place)
• 1.5 tracing wheels (the first broke, mid-project)
• borrowed dress form
• 37 nights of anxious sleep, spread out over 2 months
• three irons (two died, one lived)
• 1 Pinterest board
• 1/2 package of royal blue bias tape from one of my thrift store hauls
• 1 yard 1/8" piping for piping between dress and yoke
• Couple yards of spiral steel boning (Richard the Thread)
• gross of pins
• 1 button
• 1/2 yard satin hook and eye tape (Ebay)
• The biggest runner's high you can possibly imagine.

A BIG thank you to my friend Lisa Frederick of Angel Photography for trudging out on a dreary day to take photos of the dress!  Thanks, Lady! They are beautiful!!

See more photos from the wedding on Outer Focus Photos' wedding album.  Brigette (Sullivan) Supernova does fantastic work!