You've heard of Snow White, no? Well, meet her sister Rose Red.
Brocade wedding dress with short-sleeves, square neckline, and princess line bodice. Bodice interlined with coutil and fully boned to create a buit-in corselette with fully concealed zipper inner-closure. Covered button closure down back of bodice that terminates in a series of eight inverted pleats down the center back of the skirt. Skirt is flatlined with batiste and exposed fabric edges are serged. Bodice and sleeves are fully lined. Skirt is attached to bodice using catch stitches and all is hidden with a full synthetic lining. Full length corded petticoat with bustle pad and three-layer faille cascade flounce trimmed with lace and decorative ribbon rosettes. Design originally included draped swag panels on either side of front panel. The swags gather up at the top center back of the skirt. Though nice looking in the sketch, they were elminated when the toile was constructed, which resulted in a more refined, less theatrical dress. Most vertical seams were stiched by machine. All finish work was done by hand. The hem is edged with lace and padded with cotton fleece.
That's a beauty.
What a beautiful dress on a beautiful bride! You are a wonderful designer and seamstress.
A couple of questions if you don't mind. Why and how did you cord the petticoat and what advantage is there in padding the hem with cotton fleece?
Good luck in the contest.
Thanks everyone for the the kind words. The bride was beautiful and fun to work with.
Corded petticoats have been used throughout the ages to provide fullness and were often used in place of steel hoops for practical reasons. Search the internet for "corded petticoats" - there's lots of info out there. Think of it as simply rows of welt or piping that run parallel to the hem. The number of cords depends on the stiffness and fullness desired. I used a single half-inch faile covered cord inserted in the seam between the petticoat skirt and the 10" bottom flounce.
Padded hem for dress: I padded the hem so as to create a soft fold instead of a sharp crease. Like horsehair braid, it adds body but the padding adss a sumptuousness Hope that helps answer your questions.
A beautiful gown. :-)
Such a beautiful gown!!
Beautiful creation. Wish the pictures showed more of the mentioned details, but the overall effect is lovely.
Very beautiful, I love the shape of the dress and how the train falls. It's really fun to see something so creative and different since wedding dresses have only been white for about 100 years, I enjoy seeing color creeping in again!
Actually, wedding gowns have been white (sometimes) for hundreds of years, not just 100. Wealthy women (royalty, landowners, etc.) who could afford such an impractical garment have long married in white. It wasn't common, however. Most women wore their "best" outfit to be married in, and that was usually colored or patterned. The vogue for white gowns started in 1840--170 years ago--when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert. She wore a cream-colored silk gown, and women who could afford it started to do the same. Again, the less-affluent general population still tended to wear something that they could wear again after the wedding. Some fashion sources say that the fashion for white wedding gowns finally became the norm in the early 20th century, particularly in the West, as economies expanded and even the average person was able to afford a special, one-time garment.
Bobbyb626, that is a beautiful gown! The color is wonderful on that bride. You must be so proud!
Absolutely stunning! I would have loved to see many pictures of this dress and bride. Thank you for sharing such inspiration.
This is breathtaking.... what else can be said.
Gorgeous. Thanks for sharing such a triumph!
What a stunning gown! I am curious - does the term "flatlined" mean the same as underlined?
Thanks so much for sharing with all of us!