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| Polar Bear at the Hogle Zoo. He's protecting the dress from being seen by the groom. No clicking, Steven! |
Whew! I really enjoyed sewing this dress, but I am also really glad to be finished. Big projects wear me out. There is a lot to say about the dress, so I'm going to split it into a couple of posts.
Here is my attempt at some "artsy" shots. I also used an embossing filter on Photoshop, which really makes the lace pop. Isn't it pretty!?
The pattern I used was
New Look 6723. I made some pretty significant changes to it, which I'll detail in my next post. It was the perfect pattern for this look, though. I really enjoyed sewing it, and I will definitely be making it for myself.
There has been a lot of talk recently about the cost of wedding dresses. Trena wrote an insightful post on the subject
here. I'm not going to go in to the work that this dress was, but I thought it would be interesting to detail the statistics for this particular dress.
Cost for materials: $290. This includes 2 muslins (made from $1 a yard broadcloth) and a
"wearable" muslin. Obviously, this doesn't include the cost for any tools I used or for my time.
Time spent sewing: 40 hours. This includes fittings, but not the creation of the duct tape dressform or time spent purchasing supplies. I consider myself a fairly fast seamstress, but I am not a professional, so I imagine a pro would be faster. For reference, a pair of jeans take me 10-12 sewing hours and a simple knit top takes 1.
Total yardage (including muslins): 39.5. The final dress was about 25 yards of that.
Another aspect to consider is the type of fabrics that are used. Most RTW (even higher end) dresses are primarily polyester. Is isn't until you get to handmade or designer dresses that you will see silk used. This dress is more along the line of high end RTW. The fashion fabric and skirt underlining are poly and the laces and net are nylon. The bodice is underlined with Imperial batiste. I did use silk thread for most of the handwork, which is a detail you wouldn't find in RTW gowns. So, what is a handmade gown worth? What do you think about the cost of RTW wedding gowns? Are we just paying for the hype?
To see the details of the gown, click the links below:
Alterations
Structure
9 comments:
You can see all of the love and care that you've put into this dress. I'm sure the bride is just thrilled with the finished dress.
The dress is stunning, you did an incredible job. I am sure your friend is thrilled
It turned out so beautiful. I love that you start these wedding dress posts with a random pic so the groom won't accidentally see the dress; it makes me smile.
Beautiful dress, so sweet of you!
This is so beautiful! The neckline is so unusual (not quite V neck, not quite sweetheart, but just right) and the keyhole back with buttons are great details. Best wishes to your friend!
It's a beautiful dress. I love the polar bear guarding it. g
That is beautiful! I love the lace, the buttoned back and the modest lines - often bridal dresses are too in-your-face (naked) for my taste.
I think a spectacular dress is worth good money. I also think a wedding is about much more than a spectacular dress, so I chose not to spend big money on mine (bought secondhand).
Wow, the dress is stunning. Well done on it's completion.
I am intrigued by the "cost of a wedding dress" discussion. I watched the video posted in the blog you referenced and it seems a bit bizarre to me. Of course all of us are getting ripped off when we walk into a bridal store and buy a dress. I thought that was common knowledge. Is it not? In any account, I think this dress is beautiful! and your SIL is so lucky to have you! From the $25/hour stand point, this dress is worth about $1300 and if you consider the 100% mark-up that the bridal industry generally applies, I think you just gave your SIL this amazing $2500 (ish) gift. So awesome and yet one more reason I am in awe of your talent. :-)
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