The Redemption Wedding Dress

Last year the lovely Leisl from Jorth and Nichola from Handmaker's Factory put on a special night called 'The Dressmaker's Ball'.

The evening was a fabulous get-together for seamstresses alike to wine, dine and make merry while wearing beautiful frocks that they had made themselves.

Of course I used the opportunity to get dramatic ... and make what is basically a wedding dress.

#divaforlife

THE DETAILS

Fabric

The bodice is made up of the most beautiful guipure lace that I purchased from Tessuti Fabric years ago and had saved for something special.

It has such a beautiful pattern that is a little different to the typical 'floral' pattern that a lot of laces feature. But the best part is the selvages! It has two different finishes; a beautiful scallop on one side, and a delicate fringe of lace on the other.

The skirt and the underlining of the bodice is made from a drape-y polyester/wool that I purchased from The Fabric Store which just seemed to match the style and the colour of the lace perfectly.

Racer back tan for life

The Pattern

The bodice is one of my own designs, with a lace back, and an underlined lace bodice front.

The skirt is Vogue 2931 from the waist down and fully lined. I've used the pattern before for the skirt of this dress:

The princess seams of the skirt add a flattering silhouette, while the low lace back and front adds drama and a little bit of sexiness.

Oh hey sports bra tan!

Construction
The seams of the bodice and lace are finished with bias binding. The dress is closed down the centre back with an invisible zipper
I added the long delicate fringe edge of the fabric along the waistline for a soft, dreamy look, which helps create a flow from the bodice to the skirt.

Conclusion
This dress turned out just how I hoped and I love the dreamy, bohemian feel of it.

I got married back in 2011 just after my two year sewing anniversary. At the time my sewing was still pretty green so I purchased a wedding dress and made a dress for dancing in at the reception. Our wedding dance was a salsa routine so there was no dancing in a full length wedding gown!

Though I loved my wedding dress, there was a little part of me that was sad that it wasn't made by me.  It's like a rite of passage for seamstresses and usually the most special dress you get to make. I was still pretty new to sewing then and hadn't yet developed my style, so it was probably a good thing I didn't make my dress!  This dress is in a way my redemption wedding dress, five years later.

The Gabriola Maxi Skirt by Sewaholic Patterns

Hello sewing world! I'm busy dusting off all the cobwebs in this ol' blog because it's been like THREE months since I last did a blog post. Whaaaaaa? Bad Julia!

Even though I've been absent on the posting front, I promise I have still been in a working relationship with Jan my Janome. In fact, I've got a whole bunch of outfits to share with you in the next few months to prove it!

The Pattern
And here is the first one, the Gabriola Skirt by Sewaholic Patterns. I made this skirt quite a while ago and I can tell you I have worn it a zillion times already!

Fabric

The fabric is a stunning silk from Tessuti Fabrics. The moment I saw it on their website I knew I had to have it.  It has such a beautiful drape and is so dramatic in this maxi skirt.

What I love
This has to be my favourite of the Sewaholic patterns that I have made so far. The full skirt is perfect for the wider hip, and the delicate yoke pieces at the waist make for a close fitting but comfortable mid section.

Changes

I shaved some of the flounce out of each skirt piece near the hem to narrow the circumference of the hem by about 20cm. It was an alteration out of necessity as I didn't have enough fabric for the wide pattern pieces and had to compromise. Thankfully the skirt still has lots of fullness.

Look out for

The waist/hip yolk pieces buckled slightly along the side seam. I think that next time I make this skirt (because I plan to make many more!) I might cut those pieces on the straight grain to see if that changes the issue. It's not very noticeable and a good press does help, but I'm always looking to avoid bumpiness on my hips!

Conclusion
I love this skirt! It is swooshy and feminine and I feel l'm the star in a romantic movie when I wear it. KnowwhatI'msaying? This pattern will definitely be making another appearance in my sewing room.