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12 
Member since 5/18/11
Posts: 92
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Posted on: 3/10/12 5:26 PM ET
Currently I have the following layers for my wedding dress and I'm about to start assembling them:

From outer to inner:

1) ruching/pleats - silk dupion (see here)
2) underlining for pleats - silk organza
3) plain fabric layer of the dress - dupion
4) underlining for 3) - organza
5) lining - silk habotai
6) corselette - cotton (see
here)
7) lining for corselette - dupion

My little problem is, that layer 5) lining is made of pure white habotai, whilst all the other layers are natural silk white. When I bought the fabric that's all they had, and i didn't think it would be an issue...:confused:

If i keep it, presumably I could insert the horsehair braid into the hem very neatly. But truthfully, does this layer add anything else at all?

My concern is that, very specifically, I'm going to have a picture of the dress when it's hang up (i think it's a must-have shot!). and with the long train, the lining will be showing and it's not the same colour... if I didn't line it, the underlining would appear a better consistency colour wise (albeit with the hem showing somewhat).

I have sewn the lining together and overcast all the seams AND catchstitched the seam allowances... so including this layer certainly wouldn't be a hassle... however i just want to make sure that it is actually needed and it would serve a purpose without comprising the look of the dress when it's hand up (and when the wrong side of the train is visible on the wedding day).

Thanks very much again guys!

  
Member since 5/18/11
Posts: 92
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Posted on: 3/10/12 5:38 PM ET
And any tips on hemming the dress (with a reasonably long train) would be much appreciated! I've bought some horsehair hem but am currently unsure as to how to finish it neatly
  
Member since 8/26/07
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Posted on: 3/10/12 10:45 PM ET
You can use tea to dye the lining. I've used it before on dresses where some whites are a bit too bright and don't match.
  
Member since 5/18/11
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Posted on: 3/12/12 1:17 PM ET
Thank u - I have never dyed anything yet though...is it straight forward?

Does anyone else have any view as to whether I need the lining layer? As that would be the easiest option I think.

Thanks
  
Member since 4/1/08
Posts: 16112
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Posted on: 3/12/12 1:40 PM ET
In reply to Alice Wang
Alice, I've looked over your post and your linked picture. I'd recommend that you invite one, or three friends over who will give you an honest assessment regarding the layers. Let them know that that is all you want to process, the question on the number of layers.

Pin and baste yourself in, wear the shoes for the day, or something of similar heel height and wear the same type of undergarments and hose that you had in mind for your wedding day.

If necessary, ask for help in clearing a walking path in your home before they come over. You'll want your friend(s) to be able to assess you standing and walking and, lastly, sitting to help make a determination of the extra layer.

If they love the dress with the extra layer while your are standing, but you all decide it could be too much for anything other than standing for your vows and your beginning dances, you may be able to alter the extra layer to become a slip from just the waist down.

I would not be concerned about dyeing or other fixes for the white-white of that layer until I decided which layers were staying. If you need extra help in deciding on the layers, ask one of your friends to shoot videos when they come to help you.

Another thought, check your area for other PR members and see if there is someone near you that might come over and look at everything with you.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding.
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Each fallen petal reveals a life pollinated by a colony
and nurtured by The Master Gardener.
  
Member since 8/26/07
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Posted on: 3/12/12 2:00 PM ET
In reply to Alice Wang
Hold all your skirt layers up to the light. Will it be too translucent without a lining if you're outside in the sun? A lining will help to keep the seam allowances from being too obvious as well.

For the tea dyeing- just brew a large, really strong batch of tea (several bags) and test some scraps of the fabric. They will dry lighter than they appear when wet, but you shouldn't need much if just want to dull the white a bit. Be aware that your silk may change it's texture slightly after getting wet.
  
Member since 5/18/11
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Posted on: 3/13/12 5:23 AM ET
In reply to a7yrstitch
Thank you very much for your input.

I think it's a great idea! I will need some help with the fitting etc anyway and one of my bridesmaids sews and she lives relatively nearby. I think I will just ask her to come round and help me!

I'm inclined to leave out the layer but need to know whether it would mess up the hem... eg would the hem with the horsehair braid in it pick up lots of dirt if it's kind of exposed, i.e. not covered by the lining?
  
Member since 5/18/11
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Posted on: 3/18/12 4:05 PM ET
My BM came round this weekend and she was a great help with the dress and some of the decisions

I've decided to keep the layer in as it is for the following reasons:

1) Silk Habotai is soooo thin that when attached to the fashion fabric, it will look less white anyway as it's translucent;

2) It's so thin so it won't really add to the bulk much at all;

3) It will make the wrong side of the train look much nicer as the lining will help hide the seams;

4) It will make it easier to hide the hem too (although I'm yet to figure out how);

5) It makes moving the train around a lot less noisier as it's smoother than the organza underling. Now this was an unexpected result!

I think that's about it but need I say more? well I suppose the fact that I've already done all the hard work on this layer helped too.

So here we are - all 7 layers of my dress will be staying and I won't doubt it again I promise
  
Member since 4/1/08
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Posted on: 3/18/12 9:20 PM ET
In reply to Alice Wang
Well done! Particularly the part about working on everything ahead of time and practicing the patience it must have taken to wait for the bridesmaid to come and help. So much better than relying on a camera or a mirror for your decision.


-- Edited on 3/18/12 9:21 PM --
------
Each fallen petal reveals a life pollinated by a colony
and nurtured by The Master Gardener.
  
Member since 4/4/08
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Posted on: 3/19/12 2:56 AM ET
In reply to Alice Wang
Quote: Alice Wang
And any tips on hemming the dress (with a reasonably long train) would be much appreciated! I've bought some horsehair hem but am currently unsure as to how to finish it neatly

I don't know if how I did my DD's wedding dress hem will be of help to you or not.

The dress was made of Shantung silk, I used both horsehair and bias flannel in the hem. I used the flannel to give a more rounded edge at the hem and used the horsehair to give the bottom of the dress more body. I realize you aren't using the flannel, but I mention it only as that is what I did.

I don't know what width of hem you plan to make. If you have curves, too wide a hem won't work. The horsehair conforms well with curves.

I did a hand overcast stitch on the raw edge of the Shantung. I did more of a running stitch to hold the horsehair and Shantung together near the overcast stitch. The bias flannel went beyond the Shantung.

This is where your underlining (4) layer is wonderful, because when you sew the hem, your stitches only need to go through the underlining and not the dupion plain (3) layer of the dress.

Here is a picture of the hem I did. I hope it is of some use.
click here



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Martha
  
12 
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