Finally, the wedding dress pictures!

So, I kept procrastinating this over and over, thinking I'd put some pictures up here when I had done more photo editing, or that I should take more pics of the details first, or after we send the thank you cards, or, you know, something else. I've been married for over six months now! Where does the time go?

So without further ado, this is how my self-designed, self-sewn wedding dress came out:

It had a few fit issues that I wish I would have realized in time. (But you don't get a trial run, you just look in the mirrors, right?)

One thing is that because I made it a two-piece, figuring it would be easier to get in and out of, the top hikes up, bunching in the back waist and at front under the bust.

Also I apparently have a much - much - better posture standing in front of a mirror than when not thinking about standing straight. Lots of weird hunchback moments according to the pictures! Darn! You can see it in the following detail pic of my flowers and side/front of dress - those folds/wrinkles under the bust are not supposed to be there!

The back looked quite nice though, I especially love how the lace, gold trim and button details came out! And by the way, yes, that is the same gold trim incorporated in my hairdo! Also: The sleeves were once part of 1970's curtains!

The skirt is four layers full circle! It was hard work, but the feeling was pure princess! The vintage lace detail on the waistband was a last minute decision but came out nice. I put two sets of hook and eye on the inside of the waistband to take some pressure off the zipper (God forbid it would break after one slice of cake, right?). And yes, the zipper seams are crooked, but by then I was so tired I just figured that what the heck, it's a side zipper, no one is gonna see that!

Hemming seven meters of hem per layer was... tiring. Not to mention the one layer with all that trim, took a good couple hours, actually!

In the end, I am 90% happy with the outcome. Not bad I think!

I had a few questions about what this cost me. Materials came up to around 2000 SEK (that is circa 235 USD today), the shoes (I had two pairs, flats and these pretty awesome five-and-a-half inch heels), the clutch and the lace umbrella came in at circa 700 SEK (about 82 USD). I also had to replace my old dress form, so there was another 1500 SEK (176 USD).

Then there's the amount of time spent sewing... After finishing the dress I know I wrote the approximate number down someplace... somewhere I can't remember. But as far as I can recall we are talking around 70-80 hours of cutting and sewing. Maybe 20 hours of research, sketching and planning preparations.

Not sure I will ever take on a project as big as this again! (Basically, family and close friends, if I am to make yours, please have less complicated ideas than me, haha!)

Well, anyway, to finish this post up nicely, here are two of my favorite wedding pictures of me and my husband. I guess we're just not the pose-y couple, we're the happy weirdos!

Wedding dress progress and details

Just a few quick snaps on the work in progress on my wedding dress!

Getting closer now, counting the weeks, days. So much to sew, so little time... And so much cursing my complicated construction ideas and thousands of details.

But, I'll get there in time... (Might need a shortcut or two in the end though).

Had to fill out the poor new dress form, she was lacking a bit on the boob front. The blue tape is used to mark out potential seam lines.

Seriously messy workspace.

Fitting the lining

Finally cutting into the slightly expensive dupion silk (which I only had a limited amount of)

Trying the vintage lace on the back

Contemplating fake buttons in the back (there is no opening but they look nice). The friends/family/internet vote is yes so far.

That's it for now! More to come...

Wedding dress inspiration

The wedding dress sewing is slowly coming along. I have been delayed - quite a bit - by the fact that my DIY dress form had, over the past four years, developed a pretty bad case of scoliosis... Or something similar, in the world of mannequins...

So, que panic purchase of fairly expensive new store-bought adjustable dress form, and the five day wait for delivery. Oh well, I guess it's a good investment.

Anyway, no new progress pics, but for those of you interested, here's a couple of my favorite inspiration pics I used when deciding what to make!

Vintage lace and more wedding dress planning

So, the sewing is coming along fairly well, despite a few oh-I-should-have-bought-this-and-that... As always. Little Miss Last Minute (soon to be Mrs Last Minute, as my future husband is pretty much as bad as me).

One of the more lovely issues of the moment is which of, and if so how much of these vintage lace ribbons I will use. Also, the heavy woven fabric at the top may or may not become part of the waistband for the skirt of the dress... 

Also I have some leftover gold and silver trimmings from a dress I made for one of my best friends for her graduation a bunch of years ago. It has been sitting in my stash since and I was wondering if this might not be the time to put it to use...

I have this lace that I most likely will use on the dress... and I think, that with the gold/silver trimming weaved into it, would look even better (second picture)? (Yes I know the lace is "wrong side out", with the nice edge towards the seam. Good thing it's only pinned in place for comparison!) 

What do you think?

The great white...

It's alive! Long time since I both sewed and/or blogged anything but it's time to shake some life into forgotten skills... Since I am about to make the greatest of all dresses: my wedding gown! Stay tuned for updates and enjoy some sneak peaks of some of the fabrics I'm using!