Marlee's Gown #1

Sketch of Marlee's gown.  I'm not an artist except in fabric.

I am working on a custom gown for a beautiful young woman named Marlee.  She shopped in stores but was unable to find "the" perfect one.  During my 35 years of working with brides and their families I have discovered that what you wear on your wedding day will impact your memories more than just about any other aspect so make sure you get what you love.

Marlee knew she wanted an organza ruffle skirt.  Her mother wanted her to feel truly beautiful which she didn't in anything else that she found.  She found one dress that was much too small but had the bodice she liked except that she needed sleeves.  I met her at the Bridal Faire in January and she kept me in mind as she shopped.  Finally, the decision to have a gown made came to the surface. She pulled out the card I had previously given her at the bridal fair and called me.

She has the most darling little niece who is about 10 years old.  She is a wise soul and mature beyond her years.  She attends each fitting with her file and notes as she is Marlee's wedding planner.  The other day Marlee asked about having a lace up string made in blue and her little wedding planner immediately produced the wedding napkin from her file for my

Back view

reference on the color.  What a delight to see one so young so interested in the marriage process.  I truly believe that we have grand celebrations in heaven and there have to be planners for such events.

At the first fitting I took lots of measurements.  At the second fitting I fit the muslin mock up (a trial dress made of inexpensive fabric) on Marlee and made the necessary markings.  At the last fitting I had the lace up in place and made nip and tuck adjustments in the satin layer of her gown.

Re-embroidered Alencon Lace. 

The difference between a home made dress and a hand made wedding gown has many facets.  Bridal fabrics and laces cannot usually be purchased from a traditional downtown fabric store.  I special order my components and my lace is no exception.  This is a beautiful re-embroidered alencon all over lace which is my source for the lace applique's.  I special order it specifically for this purpose.  I cut around the floral designs.  The bodice of Marlee's dress is a layer of underlining, a layer of satin, several layers of soft net, a layer of organza followed by the applique's which are then hand beaded after they are all sewn on.  I do have a method to sew most of the applique's on by machine but often I must hand sew around all of the hundreds of floral motifs. 

Applique' ready to be sewn on

When I see a home made wedding dress if there is lace it is usually cut into the shape of the pattern piece and sewn in the same manner as the fabric as an over lay but when a designer gown is made the appliques are intentionally placed to create the most flattering and eye pleasing effect.  I like to do the bead work and hand sewing on a gown before I sew the outer layer of the dress to the lining.  Marlee's gown will be the 7 layers I have mentioned before as well a lining of satin with up to 10 lines of flexible boning in the bodice to keep the dress smooth and professional looking.  The skirt of her gown will be an organza layer with layers upon layers of organza ruffles, the satin layer, two layers of crinoline and finally a layer of lining fabric between her and the dress. That is a lot to have on my lap for hand work so I work on the individual pieces.

Bead work with ribbon embroidery

I love bling and am so happy that Marlee does too. For the past three days I have been doing bead and ribbon work.   As nice as it would be to be able to browse ready made flowers and lace, it is all made by hand.  The ribbon detail and crystal bead work is all hand made and applied.  The last two full days of work on this gown has been spent in this area and I am only about 1/3 finished with it. 

More pics to come as the gown progresses.

If you want to keep up with my numerous design projects please subscribe and share with your friends.