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Moonstone Beaded Silk Dress with Tail

moonstone embroidered silk moroccain dress

Jane made this silver grey Silk Moroccain crepe cowl neck wedding dress for her eldest daughter, Jessie. It is beaded with thousands of moonstone chips (Jane has the patience of a saint).

To ensure the fabric had enough strength the silk was blocked onto Venezia lining (those chips are very heavy). All in all the dress took about 3 months; a lot of evenings and weekends, and never more than a few hours on the trot due to a broken elbow- and concern for her own sanity. Jessie helped with the beading and Bess was responsible for constructing the tail (Jessie insisted on a tail, Jane was appalled at the idea but the Bride gets what the Bride wants).

Silk Moroccain is a double crepe that drapes well and has a subtle lustre to it. We try, but don’t always have it in stock,  but can order it (next day delivery) in around 40 colours.

The tail hooks on to the back with corset hooks and was stuffed with Polyfil.

Well you wouldn’t have a normal dress for getting married in Vegas by Johnny Cash, would you?

Jessie swinging the tail of her moonstone embellished wedding dress
Jessie swinging the tail of her moonstone embellished wedding dress
Johnny Cash and guests
Johnny Cash and guests
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White Silk with Black Polka Dot Tulle Dress

black spotty tulle dress with white silk lining

Abi wearing her fitted bodice with gathered skirt dress made in white silk and sheer black spotty tulle, made by Angie.

Fabrics and Notions:

White silk habotai
Black spotty nylon tulle
Invisible zip
Lightweight knitted interfacing

Pattern Vogue V8443 (bodice) and V2962 (skirt).

It can be a bit of a fiddle, but amalgamating two patterns into one can solve the problem of never finding exactly what you are after. It’s a good idea to make a toile first to check there are no nasty surprises (you should ALWAYS do this, but it is especially important when you are tinkering).

Tulles and nets do not fray or unravel so you can leave the hem with the cut edge, so cut it straight! Alternatively, especially if you would like to add volume to the skirt, you can bind the hem with bias binding (this is often seen on the yards and yards of underskirts that go under meringue wedding dresses)