Fake bridal veil project, entry 1

[amethyst73]

Every once in a while, I do a crazy sewing project.

I'm singing in a recital a couple of weeks from now, and the aria I'm singing ("Son Vergin Vezzosa" from Bellini's _I Puritani_) is sung by a girl who thinks she's going to get married in the next ten minutes.  It's kind of the Italian version of "I Feel Pretty" - she's showing off her dress, and her hair, and particularly her veil.

So I'm making a veil.  It's not a real veil, it's supposed to be more of a prop than anything else.  I chose some flowy, billowy, and (as you can see in the photo) kinda shiny synthetic material that probably gets incorporated into bridal wear on a regular basis.  It turns out that this material frays frighteningly quickly.  Note to self: either don't use synthetics next time, or for heaven's sake buy a bottle or two of Fray-Check and apply immediately.  I pinned the hem as quickly as I could, which will hopefully minimize the fraying damage until I can actually sew it.  After I cut the piece and pinned the edges last night, I threw it over my head (the way they always do in the opera) and concluded that I either can't spend much time fully under the veil, or I need to make some modifications so that my face can be seen.  As of last night, it made me look less like a bride than a ghost!

I also wanted the piece to have some definition around the edge, so I chose some lovely-looking lace ribbon.  I failed to do math, though, and ended up with only about half the ribbon I need, so I'll be going back to JoAnn's yet again tomorrow (sigh) to get some more ribbon, assuming I can find the same stuff.

But lookee lookee how pretty it's going to look (as long as you don't look too closely) when it's done!

Comments

[karakara98.livejournal.com]

That looks nifty! Well done.

As for the fraying...it's not the fact that it's synthetic, it's the weave of the fabric. A really expensive silk in the same weight would fray just as much. The best suggestion I ever came across for dealing with this weight of fabric is to pin it to paper before you cut it, trace the pattern onto the fabric, put the fraycheck on the cutting lines before you cut it, let it dry, and only then cut the pattern out of both the fabric and paper at the same time. Leaving the pattern pieces attached to the paper until you're ready for each also protects the delicate fabric. Lots more set up work, but much less frustration when handling the fabric!

I highly recommend Claire Shaeffer's Fabric Sewing Guide, which is where I got this trick. It's organized by fabric type and provides suggestions for how to handle each.

[amethyst73.livejournal.com]

Ooo, that sounds useful! I'm thinking of getting more into sewing, so I may need to pick it up.

Since I don't have the book... is there anything I should know about machine-sewing this sort of material? (I had originally been thinking of hand-sewing it, but ~18 feet of hand-sewing sounds less than fun for something that I'm not actually going to wear for more than about 30 seconds at a time...)

[karakara98.livejournal.com]

I'll check the book when I'm home to see if they have recommendations. I'm not recalling any off the top of my head beyond the obvious of using very fine needles (probably a 7 or 8). It sounds like you're making the right choices for a garment to be seen only from a distance!

[taeriel.livejournal.com]

It looks very pretty! It's always fun to have props. I look forward to seeing a picture of you in the finished product!

I'll second the suggestion of a very fine needle for sewing it. I wonder if having the needle be ball-point as well might be useful?

The last time I sewed something with a lightweight fabric, I found it also useful to use sulky thread rather than regular. However, I was sewing like-to-like fabric down long skirt seams, and trying to avoid pucking; your case of sewing lace into the edge might be completely different.

[amethyst73.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Have now purchased fine-grade ballpoint needles. Hopefully they'll fit in my mom-in-law's somewhat ancient sewing machine when I go to use it tonight...