Steffani & Linton

My Bride Steffani was actually referred to me by my number one fan, my husband.  When my husband found out that his colleague Linton (Ronan) was engaged, he told him that he should have his fiance come see me to discuss her gown.  When Steffani met with me, she told me that she liked different elements from all the different gowns that she had seen.  So, with that in mind, I set forth on designing a gown that would best embody her vision.  We clicked right from the start and were already making lunch plans before we knew it!  Fittings usually included family and friends, and were always fun, positive and very energetic.  Her final gown was an alencon lace bodice with a tulle ball gown skirt, which changed as the fittings progressed and her gown came to life.  I added a blush colored satin belt, which played well with her wedding color scheme, as well fabricated her veil.

The wedding and reception were beautifully captured by Ron & Dominique of Love Me Sailor Photography.  For more images from Steffani & Linton's wedding go to 100 Layer Cake and see all of the great pics and wonderful memories that Love Me Sailor truly captured.

Congratulations Steffani & Linton!

The Process of Design: Part 2 (Raquel)

In Part 2 of the Design Process, we move onto the fabrication of the muslin pattern and the fitting of this onto Raquel.
The first step is to take the Design, which was previously approved by Raquel, and create patterns that will be used to fabricate the actual gown. All of the patterns not only correspond to the gown, but more specifically to Raquels's measurements. In total, I usually take up to fifteen different measurements.
Next, I transfer the patterns onto a light weight cotton fabric called muslin. Here is where the physical dress takes shape. This preliminary dress is cut and sewn just as the final gown will be. It is at this stage that the first of the alterations will occur. Of course, because Raquel actually flies in from back East, we schedule two days of fittings to best utilize her time and schedule. This allows us to really pin point the fit of the gown and to establish what I will need to fabricate the final gown.

So now that the gown is on my Bride, I make any alterations to the Design to flatter a particular area over another, or maybe collectively we decide to eliminate a part of the gown altogether. In any case, this is the stage where all of the necessary changes can occur.
Now that we have made all of the adjustments to the muslin, I then take it apart and transfer this new information onto the final patterns. Once the patterns have been adjusted, we are ready for the next step...the creation of the actual gown from the inside out with what will be the final fabric.
Stay tuned for that when Raquel returns...