Pattern drafting for Lila Rose’s mockup dress

Now that I have my moulage and my custom dressform created using Lila Rose’s unique set of over 30 measurements, it is now time to start drafting her pattern.  Pattern drafting is one of my very favorite parts of the bespoke process! Since this dress is a sleek design, my first draft was to create […]

Creating a Body Double

Have I mentioned that I love pattern drafting? The first thing that a patternmaker needs to do after taking a full set of measurements is to use them to create a body double.  There are two ways to pattern: draping and flat pattern.  In draping, you are physically manipulating fabrics in three dimensions on a […]

And the winning design is…

Finally, THIS is the pencil sketch that will become Lila Rose’s custom wedding dress! This design features a removable train, a pencil mini-skirt, a “bustle”, 3/4 skinny sleeves with fancy sleeve heads, a V-neck with a pleated stand-up collar, an invisible zipper front closure, brightly colored fabrics and a few “wild” details. There will still […]

Two new Design Options for Lila Rose!

I like my brides to be overwhelmed with delight when they see the sketches for their dress.  While Lila Rose loved the designs enough to go ahead and book the dress, it still wasn’t quite right yet. So I went back to the drawing board (and Pinboards) to come up with something that encompassed all […]

Lila Rose’s (first (and second)) Design Proposal

After my Design Consultation with Lila Rose, I spent many hours thoughtfully considering all of our ideas as I delved into designing!  I needed to create a colorful wedding dress that encompassed all of the bride’s wants into one cohesive budget-friendly design that I could stand behind.  The pencil sketch above is what I came […]

The Design Consultation

A few months ago, Lila Rose flew in from Boston for her Design Consultation.  I picked her up from the airport early in the morning and we got straight to work! The Design Consultation is the meeting where we share all of our favorite design ideas, and then edit them down into what works best […]

The Questionnaire, Pinterest, and Design Consult Prepwork

When a bride first contacts me, I send her a questionnaire.  I’m going to help her design a dress that is indicative of who she is, so I need to know a little about her! Lila Rose sent back her completed questionnaire quickly.  And in hot pink type! Via this questionnaire, I learned that Lila […]

Introducing Lila Rose!

I’ve finally found a moment to start blogging about my incredible new bride Lila Rose!  Where to start?!? Brides who commission Brooks Ann Camper dresses are usually ones who cannot find what they are looking for in a store.  This is usually because they have a unique figure (don’t we all??) or a unique style.  […]

The Custom Couture Process

Before I get into blogging about my newest bride, I thought I’d write a general post detailing an overview of my process and what to expect when commissioning your custom couture wedding dress. I know!  I know!  This big long post looks like a lot of work.  And it is, but it is also a […]