As the festive Spring season approaches in the Mid-Atlantic, it is time for a post about a wedding dress, but Not Just Any Wedding Dress. This week, while Carrie and Rae are both away from their desks and sewing machines, we have asked our friend Edye Sanford to write about her experience last spring making a wedding dress for her future daughter-in-law. Such a story of love and the art of sewing, we know you are going to enjoy it!
Every wedding dress is special. Custom wedding dresses are extra special. But when
the custom wedding dress is for your future daughter-in-law, well, the stakes are extra,
specially, high!
The whole family was delighted when our son Harry became engaged to be married to
Sara. She’s smart, funny, stylish, and keeps Harry on-his-toes. So as soon as I had the
right opportunity, I sat down with her to talk about her dress. Did she want to buy one
and have me alter it? Did she want me to make her dress? Did she want me out of the
picture? All of the options were equally acceptable to me. But I was extremely flattered
when she asked me to make her dress.
Choose the Design and Fabric
We didn’t have a lot to go on – just a couple of inspiration screen shots. Sara knew she
wanted a low (but not super-low), square back and a square neckline with straps. So I
got to work on a muslin. We laughed that the first pass looked a lot like a hospital gown.
(No pics of the fitting out of respect for the now newlywed.) But it was a starting point.
Next we headed off to my favorite, local store for fancy fabric: A Fabric Place.
Five minutes in, the friendly, knowledgeable staff showed Sara a stunning, white, crepey
fabric called triacetate. If you’re not familiar with triacetate, you should check it out. This cellulose-based fiber is soft, drapey, and wrinkle resistant. Perfect!
But it would need a lining. If you’ve ever been to Maryland in the summer, you know that
no synthetic would do. No problem. We selected a cooling, Egyptian cotton.
More Fine Tuning with a Lining Mock-up
Our next mock-up, made from the lining, had us moving right along. But the dress was just missing a bit of oomph.
So, on Rae’s suggestion, we decided to underline the fashion fabric with silk chiffon. This is a time-consuming endeavor, basting the fashion fabric to the chiffon by hand for every seam before cutting each piece. But it was so worth it!
Save Time for Final Finishes
Finally! There was an actual dress for the blushing bride to try on. I think the look on her
face says it all. She loved it.
Last step before the big day: the buttons. Sara wanted buttons all the way down the
back of her dress. Fabric was sent off to Lace & Company with the request that
the reverse side be used for the custom covered buttons – adding just a bit of pop.
The beautiful bride and handsome groom (OK, I’m partial) had a wonderful celebration. I
think one of my favorite things is that Sara is still talking about how her dress was
exactly what she wanted, fit perfectly, and was oh-so-comfortable.
Special to Sew for Family
Sewing for family members can present its own set of challenges and its own rewards.
One treat during this project included creating a special nightie for Sara using the
yummy Egyptian cotton that was also the lining for her dress. One challenge was having
to quickly stitch up Harry’s pants at the wedding venue. That boy of mine!
Do you sew for family members? Do you think it’s more or less challenging than sewing
for clients or yourself? This one was tricky. But I’m so glad I did it – under Rae’s watchful eye.
Rae would like to add that is was a pleasure to be included in this dressmaking process. Edye was by Rae’s side when they were creating all the dresses for Sarah Cumbie’s wedding in 2019, so she was happy to help. Mostly, Rae had a table big enough for wedding gown underlining. Want to read more about underlining? Check out our previous post, Underlining Pants. (This was one of Fit for Art’s earliest posts and it did not transfer well when WordPress updated it’s blog formatting, but I have tried to get it organized a bit better.) Also check out the brief look at underlining found in the recent post Boucle Carpe Diem. We will aim to do an updated underlining post in the future.
You should be sure to watch social media this week for more photos of the wedding including Edye’s Carpe Diem/Tabula Rasa Jacket mother of the bride ensemble.
Been there, done that! Making my daughter-in-law’s wedding dress was way higher stakes than my daughter’s (although both were a privilege and great fun.)
But it is at a time where we are still forging a relationship — and a great dress rehearsal for learning to keep your opinions to yourself unless they are related to your sewing skills and impending disaster! But it’s one of the first ways you can communicate to your new D-I-L that her opinions are the ones that matter and that you respect her choices in the new life she’s making.
25 years later I still adore my daughter-in-law and I know that she has been a force to keep my son and I close (and then the beloved grandchildren when they came.)
Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Thanks for sharing your experience with us! It is a time to treasure with your DIL or daughter!
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Linda! You really hit the nail on the head. It sounds like we may have had similar experiences and I look forward to sharing your sentiments 25 years from now. All the best, Edye
As the mother of the bride, I couldn’t believe Edye was taking on this task of love. I believe a “special bond” was formed while the dress was being made. And not to mention Edye altering the bridesmaids dresses, as well as mine. Thank you Edye for holding the wedding together “ one stitch at a time.”
Most sincerely and love,