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 […]
Loula’s Mockup Fitting
Back in June, my best friend Loula flew from her home in New Orleans to my studio in Hillsborough (NC) for the first fitting for her custom wedding dress. We had done some mockup fittings of her undergarment via the mail, so she was trying on the basted version of the real understructure for the […]
Loula’s Mockup
The mockup for Loula’s custom wedding dress was fairly easy to create because I had already put so much work into properly fitting her custom undergarment. I merely had to make a few adjustments to the bustier pattern to make a new pattern for the dress bodice which also made the creation of the skirt […]
More Margaret Mockups!
As you may remember from my previous post, Margaret’s mother-of-the-bride ensemble was in the mockup stage of the custom process. We had our first mockup fitting, I remade the mockups, and we were now ready for our second mockup fitting! Margaret came back to my studio and we tried on the corrected versions of […]
Margaret’s Mockups
As you may recall from my previous post, Margaret’s custom mother-of-the-bride dress was ready for our first mockup fitting! A mockup is a “test dress” made out of inexpensive materials, usually muslin. This test dress allows us to adjust the fit and style of the dress on the body by cutting, pinning, and marking all […]
From Measurements to Mockups
Now that we finally had our sketches, it was time to start drafting patterns and creating sample versions (or “mockups”) of the garments. The first step was to take an extensive set of Margaret’s measurements and use them to create a uniquely customized dress form. The photo above shows a few different forms in the […]
Retrospective: My Own Raw Silk & Cotton Lace Wedding Dress
Yes, I made my own wedding dress. After making his sister Katie’s wedding dress and his sister Melissa’s wedding dress, I got engaged to my wonderful amazing handsome husband Charles. Our wedding was held on the afternoon of the Ides of March 2008. It was our seven year Kissaversary. So what does the wedding dressmaker […]
The Making of the Train
Many brides these days are opting for two looks for their wedding day: a ceremony look and a different reception look. Some brides opt for two completely different dresses, but I always find it fun to have a transitional garment in which something is added or removed to create a completely different look. I did […]
Underlining: The Couturier’s Friend
Underlining! If there is one step that takes a garment from homemade to couture, it is underlining. If you sew and don’t know about underlining, once you try it you’ll see that it makes all the difference in the world in your quality. Underlining is often also known as flat lining, interlining, or innerlining. Not […]
