Bead One, Sequin Two, Bead One, Sequin Two . . .

My bride wanted her mothers Vintage Gown re-made to look more modern for her May wedding. After removing the big puffy sleeves, reducing the volume of the skirt and adding a structured bodice lining, it was time to reattach the vintage lace and begin beading.

But first, It was necessary to sort through all my beads. She didn't want any silver or rhinestones, just clear, white and pearls. So I got busy . . .

Who knew there were so many different colors of pearls! I now have containers of white pearls, yellow pearls, ivory pearls, pink pearls, and even tan pearls!

After spending a good 5 or 6 hours sorting (yes, I had that many to go through with a tweezers, to separate), I finally got started beading the bodice. Here is what it looked like after 5 hours -

And here is another 5-6 hours later . . . .

FRONT BODICE

BACK BODICE

I just have to finish the beading on the front of the bodice and I will be done.  Probably another 6- 10 hours. The first few hours were killing my back, but I learned quickly to get up and stretch every 45 minutes or so! I am liking how it is turning out - I hope the bride does too!!

Beading, beading, and more beading . . .

It's been a while since I've posted here, only because, well, I've been a bit busy. It is high season for Bridal alterations, and though I am learning to pace myself better than years past, my days are still very full.

Embellishments seem to be the thing this year, and at the top of the list is beading. Lots of beading. I have done several dresses that have bodices covered in beading. Covered. As in, no fabric to show through. Lots of work, but even when you are finished taking in  a heavily beaded gown, it really looks no different from the original.

This dress was different. 

The bride chose a lovely gown from
 Essence of Australia, with a fully beaded                   
bodice and straps, cumberbund waist, and
 full, pleated taffeta skirt.










The back, though cut low, also had the beaded
straps for coverage. 







The back of the bodice fit quite well, but the front of the bodice was about an inch too wide across the breast width. Pulling it in in the center
seemed to fix the problem, so (and bless beading for it's forgive-ness!)
I took about an inch wide dart right down the center front, from the top of the bodice to the waist.

She also wanted to get rid of the straps completely.

4 hours of alteration work, and 6 hours of bead work later, and this is how it now looks!

                                                         

Front of bodice

Back of Bodice

It's fun to do a dress where you can actually see the difference a few hours of work can make!