Friday, April 12, 2013

Wedding Dress Progress Post #3

Oh hey, it's Friday, which means it's time for another update on my progress with Elaine's wedding dress! Never mind that I missed a few Fridays in a row...anyway, here's what's happened:

Not too exciting, as it looks more or less
the same as it did before. But trust me,
it's a lot better. 
1) I finished hemming the skirt after Elaine tried it, but boy was that a long ordeal! Besides my not-so-brilliant-after-all gathering ribbon issue, there was the fact that (floor-length circle skirt + train) x 2 = what seemed like endless yards of hem. Especially since baby hemming really means sewing each hem twice. The good news, though, is that after that, hemming an A-line dress for myself felt like nothing! I'd originally planned to have the lace trim applied to the skirt by now, too, but the new lace I purchased on eBay seems to have been sent to the wrong address, so now I'm waiting on a new shipment. Let's hope this package gets here soon! 

2) I think I'm done fixing the lace overskirt -- the bustle/waterfall of lace in the back has all been tacked down and is more of less symmetrical, and closures have been attached in the form of two metal snaps. I'm not super worried about how the waistband looks, though, since it will be hidden under the corset. I also trimmed the cut edges to mimic the scalloped edge, cutting carefully around the floral elements to get a prettier edge. Thank goodness the net of the lace doesn't ravel. 

3) As for the corset, I finally got up the courage to tackle covering the busk. Having done a couple of fake corsets before, I was pretty comfortable (but still a little nervous, since this is for a wedding!) with sewing the panels together, but the idea of inserting a busk scares me for some reason. Maybe it's the fact that it requires sewing so close to the metal, and the potential for eye injury...at any rate, I decided to cover the busk in muslin first for practice (and for added strength). I'm happy to say that I escaped unscathed -- no eyeballs popped, no needles broken. Phew. 

So exciting! With many thanks to this helpful tutorial. 
Oh, were you wondering what that weird background was? It's my Carol poster! Here I am posing with my safety goggles (which I actually wore while sewing...yes, I'm a dork) and the safely covered busk. 

This isn't wedding dress related, but it's sewing-for-others related: my sister sent a picture of her wearing her lobster dress!

Doesn't she look great?? And in the spirit of honesty: she said the straps need to be shortened by about an inch, but that's an easy enough fix!

Lastly, many thanks to all of you who were so encouraging regarding the state of my sewing room! I'm glad I'm not the only one, because yes, those Pinterest boards of perfect cubbies and neatly folded and shelved fabrics can get really intimidating. In the interest of increased productivity (and being able to use my ironing board), I finally hung up the hats that had been living on the end of it. It took two minutes and I really should have done it long ago! 

L-R: Fenxi painting, pirate tricorn, Regency bonnet, and generic Ren Faire straw hat. 

28 comments:

  1. Your sister looks really cute in the lobster sundress, I love it! Good job with the wedding dress so far, I know I could never do something like that!

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    1. Isn't that dress just adorable on her? Thanks for the encouragement with the wedding dress!

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  2. Aside from not knowing where to get busks where I live, I'm also scared by them for the very same reason... safety goggles sound like a very good idea. Great job overall, and good luck with the following work!

    My hats sit on the corner poles of a storey bed. And the bed stores my fabrics. Well, some of them. It used to store my books. I still consider fabrics an improvement, though that's debatable.

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    1. Yeah, busks are definitely hard to source. I'm fortunate enough to live really close to a corsetry store. I like the idea of hats on the bedposts, but I think my husband might disagree!

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    1. It's true! They're also less likely to go blind, apparently...

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  4. I was going to ask if you wore your safety glasses and then you had a photo! lol!

    You are encountering all the normal custom build issues with the wedding dress - perfectly normal to have a great idea and then not be able to execute it as neatly as you wish you could. =)

    The lobster dress looks great on your sister! Shortening straps - almost always necessary and best kind of little alteration to have!

    ~ Brooke

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    1. Yes, considering all the potential issues with sewing a dress long distance, I think the strap issue is a pretty good one to have!

      And you can bet I would wear safety glasses! I'd feel hypocritical if I didn't!

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  5. OMG CAROL! I totally had this poster in high school - bahahahaha! Thank you for that amazing reminder :)

    Also, I hate when I put off doing something forever, and then it takes about 5 seconds... seriously.

    And I still can't believe you're making a wedding dress! Bravo! And keep sporting those amazing safety goggles ;)

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    1. Yaaay I'm so glad someone else knows the Carol poster! And that you know what I mean about putting off five-second fixes :)

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  6. Awesome...as I was reading, I too was thinking you should wear safety googles to sew the busks (I know I would!) and then had to giggle when I saw the photo. :)

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    1. Mr. Cation was definitely confused when I asked him to take that picture!

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  7. Your sister is so cute! That dress suits her well. Every time you post about wedding dress progress I can't help but think of what a fantastic friend you are!

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    1. I think my sister is the cutest, and I was so pleased to make the dress for her. And let's hope that my friend still thinks I'm fantastic when she tries on the finished dress ;)

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  8. When I first started sewing I totally thought you could just sew over pins. Obviously that led to a lot of broken needle tips flying towards my face. As a result, I do all my sewing in the morning before I put in my contacts. That way my glasses protect my eyeballs! I will have to dig out my lab goggles from college, though, so I can use them if I want to sew with my contacts in! Also, I love your poster! One of my HS teachers had it and it was always my favorite lab safety poster. Now I kind of wish I had one for my house.... The dress just looks fantastic so far, by the way =D It's both brave and seriously awesome of you to take that on.

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    1. Yikes! Sewing over pins! Good call on sewing before the contacts are in ;)

      I'll have to dig around in my classroom and see if I can find you an extra Carol poster!

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  9. Safety first!! I would totally be wearing safety goggles whilst sewing that close to metal too, for sure. No dorkiness there! The shellfish dress looks like a perfect fit on your sister, and I'm sure hoiking it up a little further by shortening those straps will be even better. For that to be the only thing amiss about it - you've done fabulously!

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    1. I knew there were enough fellow science types out there who would appreciate the goggles picture :)

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  10. Anyone own Steampunk goggles around here? That would make such an awesome sewing accessory! :D

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    1. My steampunk goggles are a bit too heavy with random gears for practical use ;)

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  11. Your sister looks so cute in the lobster dress! And the hats look so pretty and decorative!

    And the bustle of the wedding dress looks lovely!

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    1. Looking back at the hats, the last straw hat looks so sad and plain...hahaha here I am, projecting feelings of insecurity onto my headgear :)

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  12. I'm really glad you wore the safety goggles. If breaking needles are a concern, you should be protecting your eyes! I'm super excited about the wedding dress progress; I'm sure it's going to look amazing when you're done.

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    1. Although I would've felt vindicated if I had broken a needle, I'm kind of glad that I didn't even come close!

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  13. The lobster dress looks adorable. I love it! And congratulations on mastering your first busk, as if there was any doubt at all. Can't wait to see the corset.

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  14. Just came across your blog and love it - I'm a big fan of science and making clothes too :) Mostly just commenting, though, to say how excited I am that you have a Carol poster!

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