A Lesson in Layering

My takeaway from this dress is to not be afraid of trying new combinations of colors -  just because you can't find the color you're looking for does not mean you can't create it.  Sure there's dye but I'm talking about a different approach - Layering.   I've never looked at fabrics this way - sure I've layered fabrics, countless times but never with the intent to match color the way I needed to with this dress.

Typically, after a decision on color has been made, fabric is picked for the dress base with a coordinating overlay.. simple, done.  For this dress, it was little more complicated. This dress needed to match or come close to matching another dress. A color combination was found but was out of stock and was not going to be back in stock for some time.  This was when I started playing around with the fabrics I could order to see if there was a combination of two that would come close to matching the color.  For this dress, a combination of three shades of blush was the magic mix.

Construction:

At the first appointment we looked through pictures of dresses found online, discussed design and the likes and dislikes of each.  Pictured below is the dress that would be the inspiration for her dress:

Inspiration Dress

 

The dress came together beautifully.  There were a few changes that differed from the inspiration dress - the bodice and the sleeve cuffs.  

To keep the dress in place, a waist stay was stitched to the inside.  A waist stay works just like a belt, keeping the bodice from slipping. I like installing them in off the shoulder dresses because there isn't much help to hold the dress up along the shoulder area, even with added boning, a waist stay gives additional support, keeping everything in place. 

Here's a closer look at how I layered the three fabrics -the bodice was layered the same way.

Base layer skirt - Rosewater Sanded Satin
https://www.joann.com/casa-collection-sanded-satin-fabric--rosewater/15080252.html

If you haven't felt "sanded satin", you need to.  It's my new favorite and was just right for this dress - it's lightweight and drapes beautifully.

Underlay - Blush Pink Chiffon
https://www.voguefabricsstore.com/chiffon-solid-60-blush-pink.html

Overlay - Rosewater Chiffon
https://www.joann.com/casa-collection-chiffon-many-colors/zprd_08528820a.html

I learned a lot making this dress and am thankful to have had the opportunity especially during this past year as we all adjusted to a new normal.  There were some hiccups along the way due to the pandemic - finding places not shut down to order fabric, figuring out ways to safely do in person fittings and a postponed May wedding to August.  

Thank you Nicole for asking me to make your dress!