a wedding dress for Yuri

 

 

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happy to introduce you to the latest wedding dress~
this was custom made for Yuri, a magical fae mermaiden in California.
she & her groom visited me in the forest for a fitting and
they are both such beautiful, bright faery creatures. they brought me
some lovely orange flowers. it was a really fun afternoon

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my dressform and I got in a fight the morning of these photos, haha..
& the dress is pinned to fit it, so that’s why it looks a lil asymmetrical.

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this piece took me about a month and a half (amongst other projects) which is probably the fastest dress of this caliber I’ve ever made.

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honestly, this kind of sewing can be maddening! working with old fabrics, around stains, wear, with limited size remnants that are oft one of a kind is like putting a surreal patchwork together. half the time I feel like the Universe is communicating with me and the other half I feel like I’m utterly mad, playing divination with scraps.. desperately searching for ‘the one’ piece of lace to complete the puzzle.

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this dress was different..
once I laid the map out of the shape and plan, it just
led me through and I didn’t have much stress or worry
about it being right. the perfect piece of fabric would
just show up at each stage, without a wild hunt.

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perhaps the magic started with the underlayer.
the dress is built on a 30’s liquid satin gown turned inside out.
this is the best-feeling fabric I’ve ever encountered, like velvet
water on the skin. I was conflicted about using it, but the gown
had flaws and it seemed ready for reincarnation.
I think it’s also really incredible sometimes to turn the
lush side of fabric inward, so you feel it & really experience it,
vs. it being on the outside for everyone else to see.
this is definitely going to feel amazing to wear.

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I was excited when Yuri asked for some purple thrown in, and flowers..
and for it to be a bit ‘extra’.. I love doing these flower explosions
and it was a great prompt. Often finding myself trying to rein in
the weirdness or whimsy so that my creations can find a home
in the modern world, but think I’m going to stop that soon!
it’s just not as fun

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the back was so fun to plot.
I actually made this dress backwards, which is a first.
like, I finished the back first and then planned & stitched the front.
it’s prolly cause of the flowers..
I love when my sewing table is covered with foliage~

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the bodice is an assortment of patchwork lace remnants
from damaged edwardian petticoats.. Yuri wanted a
trumpet silhouette, and the effect of it with the lace & the
lavender & low front ruffles gives me such a thrill,
it feels like many different eras at once, yet also new as well.
I think that’s one of the big goals of my sewing, and when
it hits that mark, I feel such a sense of completion.

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the silhouette was a challenge for me, I haven’t done this shape much.
but I absolutely fell in love with it. elegant and sexy and teatime.
you will prolly see this shape showing up in my future dresses

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the waist has lavender ties for adjustability.
I can’t wait to see this on her..
it was an interesting challenge to create such a form fitting dress
without stretch, that still flows right and is comfortable.
crossing my fingers I got it right!

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my studio feels so still now that the dress is gone!
but it’s great.. I’ve already lined up all the next projects,
now playing catch-up and cleaning. there’s so much beauty in here,
I can’t wait to unleash it on yall :)

<3
S

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