Wedding dress: stage 1 - making 1st bodice toile ...

Left: back pinned            Right: seam allowances added

Stage 1 - Bodice toile

The first stage of the dress is preparing a toile for the upper bodice to ensure shapings are their best in the fitting for this particular dress. From this, a longer underbodice toile is to made which will probably become part of the actual dress.

A fine polycotton has been used along with a sew-in lightweight interfacing for its backing. The panels are then stitched together to form a simple bodice for its first fitting stage, after which any changes &/or alterations will be made for the next steps.

NOTE: Full details for making the entire dress & each of its various parts can now be found here & sequentially altogether:

 please click Black wedding dress

Update 1/9/14: The toile has been fitted & provided an overall good initial fit with a good basic pattern to use next. After discussion with the bride-to-be she has opted to have this ultimately form an intergral part of the dress rather than have it separate. Stage 2 will now commence & involve making a demi-toile (my name for it): a full-length dress that will become a underlining.

October wedding ...

PLEASE NOTE: The description of the dress that follows is a generalised one since the bride naturally wants to keep her dress a secret until after her wedding.

Client brief

An order for a wedding dress was received over a month ago for an October wedding but on a diet (like many brides) & with time constraints (for making the dress), the dress is now only being started. As with many brides, weight loss can occur right up until the day before the wedding yet any dress must ensure a perfect fit especially if it's being made. For this reason, it is intended that final fittings & any minor alterations will occur as late as possible & all major stitching completed as early as can be. 

The bride-to-be wants a sleeveless fitted full-length dress with asymmetrical hemline showing an underskirt of net. To take into account her overall design as well as likely variations in measurements throughout the fittings, a princess/panelled dress was chosen as the basic dress shape which will have an attached full-length lining/net underskirt. Main fabrics are to be man-made ones (customer’s preference) & have been purchased locally: the upper dress layer is a stretch suiting, underlining a slight stretch satin & there are 2 mesh variations of netting. A built in boned underbodice (polycotton) will also be made & stitched to the dress to help its structure & ensure all fabrics are well-supported - a waist stay may also be necessary. 

Getting around to it! ...

I've just had a tidy-out (many months overdue!) of some of my mail-order suppliers list & come across some VERY USEFUL companies I'd like to recommend for specific jobs as I've found them to be very reliable - here they are:

for covering buttons, belts & other trims:

Harlequin in Essex

for pleating of fabric:

Ciment Pleating - Potters Bar (Herts)

for dyeing individual items of clothing or furnishings:

Harry Berger - Cheshire