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Looking for the Perfect Wedding Dress? Why Not
Design it Yourself?
Tips from a professional seamstress
(ARA) - Brides today have more choices than ever
before when they are picking a wedding dress. Many
of the old rules have been tossed out. For example,
dresses aren't always white, they're not always big
and poufy and they don't have to include trains that
go on for miles. A bride can feel free to choose a
wedding dress that fits her body type and
personality.
Are you looking for romantic or racy? Will your gown
be out of a fairy tale or a fashion magazine? To
truly have a gown that is yours and yours alone,
consider making your wedding dress yourself.
According to couture seamstress JoAnn Musso, brides
should not be intimidated by the thought of making
their wedding dress. "The skills needed to make a
wedding dress are all ones a home sewer has used
before," she says. "Set in sleeves are set in
sleeves. Don't let the fact that they're on a
wedding dress make them seem more difficult than
they are," she says.
Musso, who lives and work in Dallas, makes custom
wedding dresses as part of her couture business.
While she firmly believes every bride should have
the dress of her dreams, Musso feels it is also her
duty to help a bride select a dress that will be
flattering. "The bride will have this dress for the
rest of her life to remember her wedding day," she
says.
Dress silhouettes break down into four basic shapes:
A-line, which is narrower at the top, flaring gently
wider toward the bottom, works well on most figure
types, and is good for disguising bottom-heavy
figures. A sheath dress features a figure-hugging
silhouette with a defined waist, and flatters
well-toned bodies. The mermaid dress is close
fitting through the bodice, down through the hips
and to about mid or lower calf where the skirt
flares out; it is not an easy style to wear or to
move in. Finally, a ballgown is fitted at the
bodice; with a very full skirt, which can hide, many
figure flaws.
Visit a bridal shop and try on different styles of
gowns. This will help you determine what looks best
on you and will give you a feel for the latest
trends. Maybe you like the bodice of one gown, the
embroidery on another and the fabric on a third
dress. The beauty of making your own dress means you
can pick and choose exactly the elements you want to
include in your perfect gown.
Starting with the right sewing machine is important.
"Today's computerized sewing and embroidery systems
make even a project like a wedding dress much easier
than it used to be," says Gayle Hillert, vice
president of education at Bernina of America, a
premiere sewing machine company. "For example,
Bernina accessory feet make sewing fine fabrics easy
and there are a variety available, like hemming,
pintucking and edgestitching feet that enable home
sewers to add couture elements quickly and
successfully.
Many fabric stores have bridal or special occasion
sections with appropriate fabrics and notions. If
you don't find what you're looking for locally,
there is a wealth of fabric resources on the
Internet. Musso reminds brides that natural fabrics
like silk (a popular bridal gown choice) wrinkle
easily. If that's a concern for you, consider
looking at manmade fabrics or blends.
You may want to make a muslin version of your dress
for fitting purposes. This also gives you a chance
to do a "dry run" on the sewing. If you have
questions about the construction of the dress, you
can work that out on the muslin, too. There are many
books available on sewing your own gown that can
answer questions and provide tips and "tricks of the
trade" as you go through the process.
The variety of embellishments available to provide
the finishing touch for your wedding gown is almost
unlimited. Beads, crystals, lace and embroidery are
just some of the options you can use to add a
personal touch to your masterpiece. Embroidery is
especially popular this season, and with the right
sewing machine, it can be easy to add this special
touch to your wedding gown.
Bernina's artista sewing systems are good all
purpose machines. The new artista deco 330 is a
stand-alone embroidery machine that lets sewers
create embroidery with speed, beauty and ease -- up
to 650 quality stitches per minute. The easy-touch
screen allows you to edit on screen and offers
drag-and-drop capabilities. The user-friendly
threading system, complete with thread monitoring,
ensures that you won't be wasting valuable time
keeping your machine threaded. When you're ready to
stitch, the 5.5-inch by 7.9-inch design area gives
you ample room for larger designs.
The most important piece of advice that Musso has
for a bride who is making her own dress is to start
early! "If you don't give yourself enough time, it
can cause a great deal of anxiety and pressure." And
with all the other details you'll be dealing with,
making your own gown can become overwhelming.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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