Step 1: Done!

Step 1 is done: the practice dress has been "finished", at least as far as getting it to the point of being able to try it on. Yay!

Unfortunately there is a bit more work before I can start adding the chiffon/tulle layer. My inspiration for the top layer is a custom Alexander McQueen wedding dress shown in Vogue back in 2005 and the concept of puffy clouds. Um, we'll see how that goes. For now I need to make the base work. I was afraid the wimpy pseudo corseting on the top wasn't going to be enough, but now I'm pretty sure it'll be good enough (no full/separate corset needed). However the fit is still a bit large, so I need to pull it in a bit and alter the pattern for the real dress. I'd also like to put in a semi-sweetheart neckline and make the back a whole lot poofier (its kind of a sad drape right now).

It definitely feels good to have something that I can try on and have it look almost like a real wedding dress. Sewing the netting really felt like it took forever, and that's even with a ton of shortcuts! Shortcuts include not sewing a small stitch before sewing the basting stitch for gathering (that saved ~32 yards of sewing), tacking separate netting pieces together in three places rather than along the whole length, and using masking tape as a backing for sewing the netting in spots (then ripping it off). Here are all the pieces before coming together:


Milestone 1 down. So much more to go ;-)