Monday 11 August 2014

The Wedding Dress

When it became obvious a while back that Sara could not find a dress that she liked and that fitted the simple theme of the wedding, I stepped up to the challenge and offered to make her dress.  Time was of the essence and I did not want to trawl around fabric shops looking for a pattern or the fabric, so I perused online and sent Sara a few suggestions for pdf patterns and the one she chose was this one. 

So right before Chanda's visit Dave and I spent an entire afternoon printing, gluing and cutting the pattern:










Whilst Chanda entertained Pip I worked on the toile for the bodice using old cotton sheeting and I was glad to have done so, as Sara was in between sizes and in the end needed the smaller size!  So on Thursday evening of last week the dress was cut out and I worked all through the night (yep, I saw the sun rise!) to make the bodice and skirt pieces.  It might seem kind of crazy to work a night shift but Sara was returning to Threave today and I wanted the dress made before she left so that I could make any adjustments as necessary; after all the wedding is exactly a month away!

On Friday morning my friend from prayer group who is also an experienced seamstress came to look after Pip and she cast her expert eye over the proceedings thus far and concurred that the fitting was correct.  The rest of the weekend was spent clipping seams and underhemming thet interfacings so that they would remain in place.  Once I had pieced the whole dress together Sallie popped by yesterday for the final reveal and she declared the job, well done!  Phew!!  So here is the dress as modelled by Gertie:



 Front view with sweet heart neckline.


 Curvy Sleeves.


 Back view ~ the dress wraps at the back.


 Back cross over in detail.


  Close up shot of the butterflies.


The only outstanding job is to hem the skirt but I cannot do that until Sara has purchased some shoes!  I must admit she looks lovely in the dress and the material was just the right choice, Sara loved it as soon as she saw it online.  It is a dress that she can wear again and the natural element totally fits in with the them of the wedding ~ the wedding invites were botanical print notecards, the wedding flowers also contain herbs and other foliage and the tables will each be named after a favourite tree/plant.

I think I can now breathe a huge sigh of relief!  I am working on a waterfall cardigan for me and have bought two very reasonably priced dresses from ebay I am sure one of them is bound to be Ok... I hope!
 

9 comments:

sustainablemum said...

Oh Sandra it's beautiful :). I love the material did you choose it or did she? She is going to look wonderful in it, such a special dress and made by her mum, what more could a daughter ask for for her wedding day:)

Unknown said...

WOW the dress looks fantastic. Gorgeous fabric. Very, very nice. I'm always a little intimidated by PDF patterns but really I suppose they are better than a pre printed pattern as at least you can use 'normal' paper which is more durable than pattern paper. I agree with sustainablemum's comment... how lovely for your daughter to have a wedding dress made by your own hands. xxxx

Eva said...

Oh, San, what a pretty dress! So simple, but still elegant. I would have never been able to do that. No talent or patience here. Is it washable? Will she wear a hat or a veil or a flower wreath with it? I never had anything for my head for my wedding, I don't like things on my head. Actually, my American wedding dress was also similar to your dress, the cut at least. Very simple with a short beaded jacket and the color was off-white. I had a fancier dress for my German wedding. I am saving both dresses and hope my daughters will want to use them. My sister used my mother's wedding dress. So nice when you can pass these on!

You must be very satisfied with all the work and effort. Now you deserve a rest.

Sandra Ann said...

Thank you for the lovely comment. The choosing of the material was done between Sara, Kath and myself. We were looking online and thinking about a soft ivory and then this fabric just "spoke" to us! Even Kath who was adamant she wanted Sara wearing Ivory was blown away! It is a lovely dress and pattern and it is something she can wear again, which is just how Sara and Tom operate, totally practical, outdoorsy and nature loving :-)

Sandra Ann said...

Thanks for your kind words. I too was a little intimidated by thought if piecing together over fifty sheets of A4 but it was very easy, think jigsaw puzzle and you cannot go wrong :-)

Sandra Ann said...

Yes the dress is fully washable as it is made of a really good weight 100%cotton. Sara isn't wearing a veil or headress, she will just have some simple pins in her hair. Only four weeks to go, eep!!

Xx

dorinalouise said...

Wow. I'm speechless. It's really beautiful! I love the neckline and the sash, and the print is really lovely. I love the whole theme of the wedding. It's really special. Incredibly exciting! I bet Pip is excited! You must be too, now that the dress is done. You must be relieved! Of course now I can't wait to see it on her! I am also wondering what Pip and Benedict will wear . . and Tom? :)

I'm sure one of the dresses will be just right! And I wish you much luck with your waterfall cardigan :)

Love and hugs,
Dorina

Eva said...

That is very practical then. So she can wear it again.

Wenni Donna said...

Oh my god! That’s pure talent. I simply loved this dress a lot. It is gorgeous! Even the minutest detail of it is mind-blowing. I can also try doing something innovative like this with my daughter. There is also an exhibition coming up in an LA venue and we get more ideas from there.