Back to University

School is back in session, and my university classes are taking up all of my time. Not to mention the fact that clinical times keep changing.

It is a boon that I finished the main structure of my wedding gown before the start of the semester.
I shall upload photos when I get home.

I am so happy that I do not need to make alterations at this point in time.
I allowed the dress to hang for about two weeks now. I will not hem it until I have completed everything else, including the beading, because the weight of embellishments can affect the way that the hem will fall.

One thing I am stuck on is the flat satin piping. I could not find any double sided satin ribbon in the town where I reside. I had to settle for one sided satin ribbon that is not as pearly as I would like. I don't know if I will end up using the self fabric, but I really don't want to go to that point. It will be difficult to pull off.

As for the embellishments, so far I have completed the cascades that will be attached to the back with hand stitches in white thread.

I shopped for embellishing trim for the cascades with my mother. At first, I wanted a heavy machine crochet Victorian-type trim with little picots around larger scallops. However, my mother dissuaded me and said, "That's just not you." So instead, we came to a consensus on a slightly pleated white lace trim with little scallops that have smaller scallops bordering the edges.

When I was pinning this to the edges of the cascades, I was disappointed to find that the lace was unevenly sewn to the strip of netting that holds all the pleats in place. So, different widths of lace throughout the length make it look kind of tacky in my opinion. But I am a perfectionist and Lord only knows that I would spend a year crocheting little picots round the edges with a size 14 steel hook and white sewing thread.
Or even worse, I would probably spend every waking hour with tatting shuttle in hand, clicking out gazillions of tiny little picots that would then have to be sewn onto the edges by hand.

I think I'll have nightmares now. My hands will be working in my sleep.
Actually, someone cast a spell on me so that I can be more productive and finish knitting all those UFOs in my sleep. I'll pay you in yarn.

Anyway, getting sidetracked here.

I shopped for lace fabric and could not find exactly what I wanted. I ordered lace from fabric.com but ended up sending it back because it was really strange and made of that shiny, heavily draping poly-acryl which makes me sweat, just by looking at it.

I went to JoAnn's Fabric in Gainesville (my wonderful Fiance drove me there, as I was coming down with some horrendous illness and had a migraine)

We decided on a luxurious, light-as-a-feather white Point d'espirit, the same type of lace used on Elisabetta of Belgium's beautiful wedding gown.

This is the same fabric I will be using for the  cascade veil.

I decided to omit the sleeves from the gown. For a June wedding in North Georgia, sleeves of any kind would make me suffer in the heat.

Besides, I worked hard for my biceps, and this gown will certainly show them off!

Speaking of biceps, I need to get to my 11am Critical Injury Management class.

And then hand off a rather nice 4-page love letter to my Fiance...