The Fabric

At some point, I’ll pick out a fabric. Because of all of the work that will need to go into the pattern, I have a little time before I need to decide on the fabric. I want to at least start looking pretty soon, though, in case it takes a while to find fabric fit for such an important occasion. I definitely want silk, but that doesn’t narrow it down too much. There are plenty of very different silks – many of them completely wrong for this gown. For example, I want to wear charmeuse about as much as I want to work with charmeuse. It is not very forgiving to the wearer’s curves or to the seamstress’s mistakes. No thanks. I’d rather have something a bit heavier to hold certain things in. I’m sure I’ll be in some kind of serious Spanx undergarment, but, still, I want all the help I can get on the most photographed day of my life. I want the fabric to be lustrous, but I don’t want it too be super shiny. Also, if I end up with a satin (which is likely), there will be a LOT of hand sewing. I’m not just talking about hand finishing the hem and detailing – I mean that throughout the whole process everything will be hand basted before even getting near the machine. Yikes.

I’ll begin my fabric search at Mill End and work from there. If I can't find the right fabric there, I’ll probably end up ordering sample swatches from online fabric stores. By the way, is everyone aware that Mill End accepts coupons from other places? Yes, including those 40% off Jo-Ann coupons that are constantly circulating. I just found this out a few weeks ago, and I’ve been spreading the savings gospel ever since. I’m not sure what the exact rules and limitations are, but I will definitely find out soon. 

I would really love to be able to keep the cost of the whole project under $500. It would be excellent if I could do it for around $300, but I’m not holding my breath. I’m sure there will be surprise expenses that add up, but I will get creative and remain positive. The fabric will determine a lot of the final expense; so, that is kind of up in the air for now. I’ve got muslin at $3/yard. I’ll be paying for Sharon’s time for fittings as well. Oh, and I already spent hundreds of dollars on classes, but let’s not count that.