WEEK
3:
Tue
5th - (10 to 4)
After finishing the alterations on Helens wedding dress last
week, I pressed the dress today and felt that the top layer of the dress needed
re-hemming as it had frayed and twisted whilst it was being stored before being
hemmed. I re-hemmed the dress and checked it all over and neatened it up. I
also started again on the umbrella for a few house and met another contact of
Elaina's. A local lady who also makes wedding accessories. Her company is called 'Bijou Bouquets', Her link . .
Wed
6th - (10 to 5)
Today I helped Elaina email clients she had met at Colwick
wedding fayre on Sunday. I also dressed up in a wedding dress and headpiece for
her so she was able to take a few images and upload them onto her Facebook
business site. We looked at possible lace ideas for the gypsie dress we are
planning on making, and then we drove to 'Clunys' lace factory in Ilkeston to buy
it. The factory is the only lace factory left in the U.K that still
manufactures lace. I had the chance to look around the lace storage room and
handle alot of the lace the factory produce. I also saw the lace archive book
made by the factory which consisted of all the laces the factory had ever
produced. There were millions. We were also given the chance to go into the machinery room where we saw the lace being made, the lady explained the
process to me and pointed out all the 1000 bobbins and needles used to make a
single piece of lace. I saw all the lace templates that were placed into the machine and all the old lace cards that had the specifications of each type of
lace. I suggested doing the photo-shoot for the gypsie dress in the machine room as it was quite fitting and all the old lace cards would be a great back
drop. Elaina loved it and is now planning a photo-shoot in the factory once the
dress has been made.
Video of lace being made.
Thur
7th - (10 to 5)
Today I made my first veil, Elaina showed me how she usually makes
them and I made it for her. I cut the net and hand - stitched it to a wire to
be wrapped around a hair bun. I embellished it with various beads and gems.
The veil will be put on display in the shop so that visiting brides can try it
on with their dresses. After buying the lace we wanted from Cluny's, We cut out
the under dress of the gypsie dress from a stiff silk and made the foundations.
We then spent the rest of the day playing around with the lace we had brought
to work out the best way it looks. This was quite difficult because we had so
many different types of lace and some didn't go with others and we were trying
to get them to work together the best we could.
