Wedding Post #1

What to write about first!  Ahhhh the dilemma! 

Well, let me say that the wedding  was perfect.  I mean, if seeing some relatives who was sweet enough to come to the wedding mass, and inviting them to the reception – thus needing to find 2 seats for them- was the biggest glitch, then I would say this wedding was a breeze.  And doing some last minute alterations while getting my hair done.  And looking up at the sky all day, begging the rain to stay away (it listened!)  But you don’t want wedding details- and if you do want them, flip over to FiveBlondes where Erica is doing a series on the wedding day- you want sewing details!

I have been looking for photos of the day that properly show the dresses – so I can review them.  Apparently my pleas of “fashion shots Please!” went unheeded, as I can find no full length photos of me in my outfit!  Even though in his speech, the best man wondered if he was at a wedding or a Couturesmith fashion show! If Erica’s amazing photographers read this post- I may want a fashion shoot some day!   

I have one really nice photo of the family, however I really don’t want to show that photo until I get all the reviews done, so  a dress form photo will have to suffice for now.  Let’s start with my outfit.  AKA “the MOB gown”  The pattern I finally chose was from the December issue of Burda Fashion. 

On to the review…

Pattern – Burda Fahion 12- 2008 Style # 133- bustier, and 134 – skirt

Pattern Description:   “Bustier” style top with faux wrap and trumpet style skirt.

Pattern Sizing:   This is a plus size pattern that I graded down to fit.  I am a 40 on  top and a 42 from the waist down.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?:   Yes.  No?  Okay, somewhat!

Were the instructions easy to follow?:  Mheh. You know Burda.  You have to know how to sew. 

What did you particularly like  or dislike about the pattern?:  I liked the glam.  I was finding it difficult to find a style that would work if it was a warm spring day, didn’t want long sleeves, but wanted some coverage.  And I adore that silhouette- off the shoulder kinda thing.  I didn’t especially like all the fabric coming together at the centre front, but more about that in a minute.

Fabric Used: Fabric for the top is sooo hard to explain without you actually seeing it.  It looks tweedy in the pics, and in real life has a tweedy feel, but it is very airy and light.  There are gold  and bronze strands running though it.  The gold strands wreaked havoc on scissors by the way!  I cut it on the crosswise grain to take advantage of the way it ravelled.  Emmaonesock “provided” this fabric.  I used a deep bronze coloured silk organza for the underlining.  The skirt was gold coloured silk dupioni underlined with light silk organza, and lined with um, um um…gold bemberg lining?

The design and construction process:    I started with the collar.  I figured that the bodice was just a regular corset, and the whole look hinged on the way the collar would look, so after a fast and dirty muslin to check fit, I worked on that collar thingy.  Since my fabric was so light as well as ravelly (you know- it ravels easily!)  I opted to both underline it with organza and added a layer of netting to ensure that the pleats stayed put. 

The difficult part was trying to figure out
A.  Which way was up, down, inside out etc and
B.  how to insert the somewhat bulky collar into the lower front seam.
The collar is supposed to be sewn into the lower front of the top , and attach via hook and eyes behind the neck.  We could not – for love nor money, get it to sit properly.  I ended  up making it look right at the back and sewing the back seam permanently, and did a nice hand job of finishing the front edges, tacking them together and tacking the whole thing in place.  It made for less layers and less bulk.  I also made a flower from the organza and sewed it on as well.
The bodice itself was easy.  I thought it would add interest if I sewed the seams inside out, exposing and fringing the fabric and organza.  There were two camps on this effect.  Younger people seemed to like it, while the older crowd went “whaat?” 
The top called for a back zipper( I think), which I moved to the side.  I also left off the straps.  They looked out of place. The collar helped make sure that there were not wardrobe issues during wear.

On to the skirt.  For the front I used the Burda pattern, and I altered the back to incorporate a small train.  I both underlined and lined the skirt, and used horsehair on the hem.  Pretty basic.  I really liked the way the trumpet skirt looked although I could have  done without the shinyness of the silk.  I underlined and finished the edges in one step, following an email conversation with the fabulous Summerset.  Here is a link to her blog and the tutorial on the underlining method.  Pins and Needles  Thanks Summerset!

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  To tell you the truth, I didn’t like the way this outfit was going up until a week before the wedding.  That’s when my mother came over and helped me edit it.  Thanks mom!!   The tweaking that we did made it work,  and in the end, I am pleased with the way it turned out.  Won’t make it again, as I only need one of these,  but would reccommend it for a dress up occassion. 

Conclusion:  Just make sure you don’t need to throw your arms up in the air too often!  The wrap portion ensures that you look elegant with your arms down!  With modifications, it is a pretty glamourous ensemble.  On to bridesmaid and wedding dress reviews!

The photo’s do not do it justice.  The gold strands shimmer wonderfully.  I can’t seem to get the camera to pick that up.