Lilith~~I checked some of the dresses out at eBay and found some great alternatives, that are really reasonable at the buy it now prices, *IF* i choose not to make the dress. See
here one of the alternatives.
Dicksbro~~Thanks and I will post pics!
BIBI~~ great ideas about using old theatre costumes and contacting a local seamstress. As Mayhem said, my best friend sewed the first version of her bride's maid dress within 4 hours. (I think she was a little bit excited, LOL). There are theatre companies around her because i live near a huge college town, and I'll be calling around seeing if they have any old costumes for sale.
Wyndhy~~I thought of that too, since i can't wear my mom's wedding dress because it was borrowed from a friend. The only thing she has is her veil, and i ruined that when i played "bride" when i was a kid (naughty lil Lizz) I did find a dress that i kinda liked at a consignment shop, but it would have required extensive alterations, as it waas a spaghetti strapped dress and i love the longsleeve look. But as a thrift store junkie, i always have my eye out for wedding dresses and their fabric.
Campingboy~~ ROFL!! I know of someone whose wedding dress was held together by safety pins! EEP! ....and I HAVE used staples......temporarily (apologies to those here that CAN sew) I ran out of pins on a cosume that i was handsewing and saw the stapler and decided that it would work in a pinch. It did. and i staped it so that when they were removed, you couldn't tell...but then it was a black vampiress dress. As for the memory dress, i love that idea! The push, for me, to have it a Tudor or the like kind of dress is that I can wear it again. I was thinking that with a few alterations or additions, that it could be worn to Rennaisance Fests, or when i get my hiney around to it and join the SCA, SCA events. Why pay ALL that money to something only worn for a few hours?
Cheyanne~~Perhaps you could be my "local" seamstress that BIBI suggested that i have ?
Since the pattern itself isn't to expensive, in the next week, i plan on buying it and having a look at the way the gathered skirt really looks like in the pattern. yeah you are right in that it is the skirt thing that doesn't feel right. from the pictures, it looks too bulky, and i am currently trying to loose some of my waist not add to it, lol! I plan on wearing some form of corset under the dress, but i just love the corset look on the outside of the dress, be it functional or not....mmmm sexy!
Lixy~~I was thinking about how my best friend did her first bride's maid dress. She had gotten some cheapie poly-blend fabric from the $1 bin at Wal-Fart...errr i mean wal-mart, and made it up basically to 1. test out her new sewing machine and 2. to see just what the dress would look like on her. I was thinking that we do the same for me. a mock up dress of sorts, that can be easily undone to work with. If we get a cheapie fake brocade, will that give us a real idea of what working with real brocade is like? I hafta say, the whole idea of "inserting zippers" scares me.....LMAO! Seriously, though, as easy as getting in and (Whoopie!) out of the wedding dress would be with a zipper, if my mom, my friend, or i were to mess up the zipper part, that is where ppls eyes would go whilst i am up in the front of the church. Plus, I want Mayhem to take his time "unwrapping his present". As far as experience in sewing, Home Ec about a gazillion years ago, but everything else, i hand sew, it is my mom and my friend that have the experience with sewing machines and surgers (sp) With Mayhem and i having to wait for the UK and US gov'ts to do their paperwork thing, the wedding could be anywhere from May to Aug....we won't know for a while. But, the wedding is going to be a simple, small, yet elegant affair. Prolly no more than 30-40 ppl, including children...so we really don't have a lot of details, do-dads, and frilly thing-a-ma-bobs to fret over (Whew, that really helps)..My biggest fret is the dresses, mine, my maid-of-honor, and my daughter's. Do you have any links to the suppliers of the fabrics that you use? What is a decent price per yard of brocade? best kind of thread to use? Thanks for being "glued to this thread till fruition!"
PF~~"(Call me if you want to make it out of metal )" Would that make me a "Tin Lizzy"??? :Model T Ford: <---my best Tin Lizzy Smile! Seriously, I was thinking that i want a thin metal crown, rather than a tiara or veil. see pic at bottom, only i won't be sporting a 'fro. i luvs ya, Father Cock!
Sugarsprinkles~~ Still anything you have found useful in your sewing endevors, that you may have thought "Gee, I wish someone woulda told me that!" I would be more than happy to hear!
Steph~~You're so Punny!
Thanks All, I "sew" appreciate your comments and suggestions! YAY! You peeps are GREAT!!!!! (((((PIXIES)))))