EEk- If you posted a comment in the last few days and are a titch miffed that I erased it – whoops sorry!! I have been hit by a boatload of spam comments and I think I went a bit overboard spamming them! Sorry and please be reassured that I adore comments- unless they come from John*1* or anything to do with certain member enlargement devices!!
cb
This weekend I finally got some work done on Miss Erica’s dress. FYI- we are using Vogue 2931 for the basic shape. The bodice will be completly different, but we liked the style of everything from under the bodice down.
Emily of All Sewn Up is using the same pattern for her wedding dress. It will be interesting to watch what we each come up with.
Erica’s dress will have a form fitting silhouette flaring out starting out just above the knees with an empire style bodice, and free formed shirring on the bodice. The dress will be floor length with a detachable train. I really like the idea of a detachable train. Lots of impact in the church and for photo’s, but practicality for movement and dancing afterwards.
Fitting was remarkabley easy. This girl of mine is tiny! 5″10 and not 120 lbs. I cut out a 6 and had to take the dress in at almost every seam about 1/2 an inch! That and add about 4 inches to the length. Other than that the fit is dreamy.
We discovered today- okay I discovered- that my baby girl is deformed! Her hips are noticeably different in shape! One side has a nice gently curve- and the other does not! Since I fitted her mockup on her inside out, I am going to have to be verryyy careful that I place the pattern pieces correctly on the silk!
It does look lovely on her though. I think it is starting to be what she is envisioning.
For the mock up I am using Polyester Poie de Soie. I got a bolt of it for $20 at a garage sale!!!! At that same garage sale I scooped a huge industrial sized roll of tracing paper for 5 dollars. It will ast me a lifetime, I’m sure.
NOTICE TO MR DENIS
Spoiler pictures ahead – abort reading this blog
I repeat – go play with your Wii !!
So it is back to ye olde sewing machine for some fit finesse and a redrafting of the bodice, which, in my opinion, sucks. And my opinion counts here!
A question for y’all- I think I am going to do only a partial inner corset. One that just encompasses the empire bodice. I am really afraid that lines are going to show under the dress.
The pros- no lines. natch!
The cons- Erica is tiny. Like 5′10 and under 120 lbs. None of that is bosom! And not an ounce of fat. Keeping the baby tight enough to stay up without a waist stay may be dubious.
So what would you do??
Moving on to other dresses…
Bridesmaid dresses are on a slow burner. I think that I have concrete ideas for Kate and Leah. Lauren is a bit more difficult – I have the concept in my head but have not been able to make it work yet. I am trying to talk Micaela into some thing like this Badgely Mishka dress – which I adore. I could make it work using this Butterick pattern and some alterations, but really it has to be what she wants, not what I want.
See girls – I am learning! But Mic really- what do you think?
Even though this wedding is not until next May, I really want to get most of the work done early. I do have Micaela’s dress and wedding to think about too you know!
Today’s postscript…
I never take pics of myself. Quite honestly I hate photos of me-the girls got their photogenics (damm is that a word??!!) from their dad! Last night I quite liked what I was wearing when I went out with some friends to go Line Dancing. Line Dancing??!! Yup Line Dancing. It was fun! So here I am- with not one Couturesmith item on! 
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh yes!!! The 80’s have returned
. That wedding dress is beautiful. Mine was very similar, a Butterick pattern in a mermaid style. It’s still hanging in my closet. Couldn’t bear to have it professionally boxed up, airtight and everything because then I wouldn’t feel free to pull it out, look at it, and remember all the days that went into creating it. In fact, one of my sorority sisters from college just said to me yesterday, “Remember when you were always working on your wedding dress at the house?”
Mom I was watching The Price is Right today and they had like that EXACT green dress in purple, and I liked it, so I was trying to find one like it. But definitely not on me!
Connie, try putting the waist stay where the waist is in this dress – the empire waist. A waist stay is designed to support the skirt, and there is a significant amount of weight here with all that skirt, so you really can’t skip it, but you can try it up around the ribs. The problem is, she may feel as if she can’t breathe before the night is over.
Another thing to think about is not attaching the waist stay to the corselet, but instead just attaching it at the side seams at the natural waist and having it float inside the dress. I’ve done that, with success, on vintage cotton summer sundresses.
For Lauren’s dress I just made that has an empire waist, I used an empire waist placement, and used an elastic bra-strap hook thing on the ends of the ribbon, to give just a bit of breathing room in the waist stay.
This is such a fun part of the project. Lucky mom!
Hi While searching for Blogs about Wedding Dress I found your site ng dress progress – at last! : Couturesmith. Thank you for the effort you have put in.
i am in love with that green dress. where can i find it or one similar and with that same color?? im getting married in august and i really want that dress! lol thank you for any and all answers!
Hi,
I just came across your blog searching for green bridesmaids dresses on Google. I need a dress for my sisters wedding and i absolutly love that green one, but i cant find anymore info about it. Could you maybe tell me where it is from? Any help you could give me would be great!
Thanks,
Valerie