Bridal dress – Day 1

So today was the first official bridal dress making day. Of course I got off to a late start due to a little notion shopping that ended taking way longer than I had expected (isn’t this always the case?). Anyways I still got a lot done, all fabric pieces are cut and I have sewn the boning casings and have also begun making the bodice. Since I don’t have any precise instructions to follow it is a bit of a guessing game, but the visuals of Gails bodice boning and Gorgeous things lace bustier has been very helpful, plus Susan Khaljes bridal couture book of course.

The boning casings. I used a narrow satin bias binding for the casings. I picked binding because I find it easier to apply than flat ribbons. The underling is an old bed sheet.

Very orderly. This is totally uncharacteristic for me, but in order to keep tab of all the lining pieces and keep them from fraying I placed them in embossed pockets with matching pattern numbers. There will be two layers of lining, one outer under the lace and one on the inside hiding the underling and boning.

The front bodice. I am following the method in Susan Khaljes book which has you applying the lace in one piece and then shaping it on the bodice using darts and tacks.

Shaping in progress. This shit is hard! I am apparently supposed to make invisible darts on the sides but the thick corded lace makes the pinned darts look like little chicken wings. I will baste a dart tomorrow and then also do a trial dart on scraps before I cut of the excess lace under the seam. Hopefully this will yield a smooth result.