I can't really call this 'the moment you've all been waiting for' - because we all know that the real moment is going to be when I post the photos when we get them back from the wedding photographer. It does kind of feel like a big milestone in this project, though, because it's the first time I've got real live tangible evidence of progress. The kind that's a bit more than just me, talking at a lens.
I purposely kept myself from sketching anything until I had a pretty clear picture of things in my head - I've done lots and lots of research, and when I decided I was ready to sketch I closed all my pinterest tabs and walked away from the inspiration. I remembered the things that really stood out to me, and the rest of it blended together in between.
As an added bonus, sketching everything gave me a good opportunity to think about quantities and materials, so I've been able to start sourcing the components of the dresses. I've posted a few of the photos here so you can click and zoom to your heart's content, but here's a little video-sneak peek at my sketches, planner, along with a little update on the progress!
As I said, I'm well into sourcing materials so far. I've visited and gotten swatches from several fabric stores, and I've got plans for a couple of online shops where I'll get specialty materials from. Although it's by no means a complete list, I thought it might be helpful to some of you (or future me...?) to have a list of places I've found certain items so far, as well as a materials list - so here's that:
- Base layer silk satin (Dharma Trading Co)
- Silk chiffon (Dharma)
- Silk gauze (Dharma) or silk tulle (Mood Fabrics)
- Lace (for hem border? still undecided on lace situation!) (Elizabeth Jayne Bridal)
- Blush and/or ivory dye (Dharma)
- Swarovski sew-on rose montees and chaton motees (from etsy shop CrystallizedMontees)
- Sequins (Langlois-Martin brand from Paillettes & Broderie) - my sequin sample card came from their manufacturer's site, here.
- Pearls (C grade is fine, and inexpensive) (Fire Mountain Gems)
- Seed beads, selection tbd (Fire Mountain Gems)
- Spiral Steel boning (from etsy shop Vena Cava Design)
- Corsetry cotton coutil for understructure (Vena Cava Design)
- Slate Frame for beading- timber, nuts, bolts, and staples from the hardware store, help with woodworking from neighbor with workshop, to be bribed with pie or sewing services, plus twill tape and pins available in stash) - note to self, will need a dust cover for the beading frame when not in use.
- Beading substrate (invisible tulle from Hawes and Freer) - their selection is amazing and I definitely reccomend stopping by to look at swatches if you live in Auckland!
- Silk satin stitch thread, nylon beading thread (Ribbon Rose)
- Silk Satin plus understructure bits listed above for dry run (tbd)
- Muslin for testing
- Bridal Invisible Zip (#5) (from Zipper Stop)
I'm actually already into the next step of dress construction, so I don't think you'll have to wait another month for the next video to come out. See you soon! ;)