Construction Details:

This was my first BIG sewing project. I actually kept progres notes! The dress took about 130 hours, 60 of which were beading.
There's approximately 12 yards of strung and loose synthetic pearls stitched individually with .004 nylon thread. The beaded anthemion designs were drawn on tissue paper and pinned down, the beads were stitched and the template torn away. To hold the fabric taught while stitching, a circular frame with magnets was used to prevent pinning and making holes in the bridal satin. The reference didn't give a clear view of the motif, so I chose a motif that was popular in the late 18th century.

The dress is constructed from bridal satin and the seams are all french seamed. Any seams I couldn't french seam (such as the waist) are enclosed in bias. Both the underskirt and overdress are fully lined. A couple of different patterns were cobbled together, with a few additional pattern pieces drafted by me.

The jewelry are made from sculpey, stone, silver and glass beads.

Personal Thoughts:

This dress was a labour of love - I always wanted to make it even before I knew how to sew, and I jumped into this the second year after I learned to sew. I got married in 2008 - I didn't get married as Celes Chere, but I did modify the dress for use as a wedding dress. This dress also helped me through a tough spot in my life as my father, grandfather and grandmother all passed away in quick succession, and my stepfather was terminally ill (he passed a month after the dress was completed). All of this going on at the time is probably why the tedium of all the handbeading and scalloping didn't bother me so much (not to say it didn't get old after a while and it was a while before I made peace with beads and scallops again).

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