I’m making a bridal gown out of dupioni silk fabric and would like some suggestions about linings. I was thinking of using a rayon lining because I thought it might be better than a polyester, but I don’t seem to find the rayon as easily in my local fabric stores. The dress is a strapless style and the wedding is in August. I read in one book that it might be appropriate to use a batiste to line a gown for a summer wedding since this would be more comfortable in hot weather. The batiste I see available here is a poly-cotton blend. I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions.
Madeleine
Replies
I recently made a wedding gown in a combination of plain and embroidered silk douppioni. I lined it with a Bemberg rayon, but underlined the entire gown with a fine cotton batiste. The underlining gave the lightweight silk more body and prevented a considerable amount of wrinkling. A fitted bodice (such as a strapless) will also need the strength of an underlining (silk douppioni has a nasty tendency to split along the seams when subjected to stress). But the biggest benefit, in my eyes anyway, is that the underlining eliminates show-through of seam allowances and inner construction, including boning. I recommend that you take your fabric with you on your shopping trip and experiment with various underlayers to see what you like best. Keep in mind that the colour of the underlining or lining will affect the colour of the silk once the garment is finished, so have a hard look at the effect of several fabrics in good light.
Sandy
Thanks for the advice Sandy...where did you find a fine cotton batiste? Is this available online? I don't think it is available in my local stores.
I am fortunate enough to live in a city that has two lovely, high-end fabric stores and I buy just about everything there that I and my clients use. The batiste was of a quality that is often used in heirloom sewing, so I think that would be a place to start if you can't find it locally. I think there are several online sources, both in Canada and the States. Martha Pullen is one. You might try using a search engine like google to find more. If you have time, I would certainly recommend that you get samples before ordering yardage, just to be safe and sure that you are buying what you truly want.
Sandy
A great online source is http://www.handmades.com. Farmhouse Fabrics (also online) has batiste as well.
I am working on a similar dress right now but lining it in China silk purchased from http://www.thaisilks.com. At $5.50 a yard it was cheaper than batiste.
Thank you for your suggestions. I will check out these online resources!
Trywww.waechter.com in Asheville, NC. They have all kinds of quality fabrics. Also, consider underling in silk organza if you need more body. I love using it for dupioni. Then line with either Bemberg rayon or China silk.
Nancy
Thanks for the suggestions Nancy! I will check out the suggested website.
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