Rose Damask Bridal Sample - update
I began work on the skirt the other day. First things first, everything was pressed (of course) on my lovely new ironing board. Mmm, fabric...
And then it was onto hand-basting 4 metres of the rose damask fabric and silk organza together (selvedge to selvedge).
Having basted the top selvedges (which will be encased within the waistband) and the two cut edges (which will become the centre-back seam), I machine stitched the top selvedge to secure everything.
Then for the hand-stitching to gather the skirt. 1/2" down from the silk organza selvedge, I made a simple running stitch with each stitch 1/4" long. I did this using a tape measure pinned to the fabric for accuracy. Then the first line of stitching was mirrored a further 1/2" and 1" down, so that the three lines of stitching match up perfectly.
Knotting the three threads at each end, I pushed the fabric along creating little cartridge pleats, leaving the very centre of the fabric less tightly pleated than the rest.
And then it was time to decide if it had worked!
The fullness does have a nice crispness because of the silk organza...
And with cushions strategically placed beneath the skirt, you start to get an idea of how it may look with a petticoat. It hangs nicely without any underpinnings too though, so I'm in the process of deciding what overall effect I want. The plan had been to pad out the hem with cotton flannel, attaching the damask to the silk organza underlining and therefore creating an ankle-length skirt that would sit really nicely over a large hooped petticoat. But now I'm not sure.
Now I wonder if, instead, I should make a wide trim of ivory satin or some such, and mirror that detail in the corset. Initially the corset was meant to be the 1780s stays from "Corsets & Crinolines" (thank you Ms. Waugh), with piping detail at the seams and detachable shoulder straps. Then, stylistically, the cartridge pleats and hooped petticoat would make sense. But again, I'm not sure now.
The fabric is so strong (despite being a delicate colour) that I don't want to overcrowd the design. Clearly it isn't your traditional bridal colouring, which is why I wonder if ivory details (or maybe even a diaphanous overskirt?) would help. But I suppose I won't know until I get on with it!
And then it was onto hand-basting 4 metres of the rose damask fabric and silk organza together (selvedge to selvedge).
Having basted the top selvedges (which will be encased within the waistband) and the two cut edges (which will become the centre-back seam), I machine stitched the top selvedge to secure everything.
Then for the hand-stitching to gather the skirt. 1/2" down from the silk organza selvedge, I made a simple running stitch with each stitch 1/4" long. I did this using a tape measure pinned to the fabric for accuracy. Then the first line of stitching was mirrored a further 1/2" and 1" down, so that the three lines of stitching match up perfectly.
Knotting the three threads at each end, I pushed the fabric along creating little cartridge pleats, leaving the very centre of the fabric less tightly pleated than the rest.
And then it was time to decide if it had worked!
The fullness does have a nice crispness because of the silk organza...
And with cushions strategically placed beneath the skirt, you start to get an idea of how it may look with a petticoat. It hangs nicely without any underpinnings too though, so I'm in the process of deciding what overall effect I want. The plan had been to pad out the hem with cotton flannel, attaching the damask to the silk organza underlining and therefore creating an ankle-length skirt that would sit really nicely over a large hooped petticoat. But now I'm not sure.
Now I wonder if, instead, I should make a wide trim of ivory satin or some such, and mirror that detail in the corset. Initially the corset was meant to be the 1780s stays from "Corsets & Crinolines" (thank you Ms. Waugh), with piping detail at the seams and detachable shoulder straps. Then, stylistically, the cartridge pleats and hooped petticoat would make sense. But again, I'm not sure now.
The fabric is so strong (despite being a delicate colour) that I don't want to overcrowd the design. Clearly it isn't your traditional bridal colouring, which is why I wonder if ivory details (or maybe even a diaphanous overskirt?) would help. But I suppose I won't know until I get on with it!