Cotton Candy Dreams

First and foremost before I get fully into the blog, I want to congratulate my sweet spicy baby Celena & her husband Sim! Congratulations guys, I’m beyond happy for you.

Now, we’re almost getting to the blog part, however, I have to give a disclaimer… My boo is very particular & she does not play. I was extremely intimidated with making this gown. I did not want ONE single thing to be off.

I loved making this dress for Celena! Before I got started on this gown a long thought process went into how I was going to make it. When she first told me she was getting married she sent me a catalog of pictures of what she would like & what she wanted for her special day. We finally narrowed the pictures down, & her dress was made from a series of them; meaning she liked the top from this picture, the poof from this picture, the bottom from this picture, etc.

First, I started with two layers of tulle as an under skirt to build as a foundation. I had to use several panels of tulle to make the underskirt full, to put the ruffles onto. I have no approximation of how many yards per ruffle that I used. To make each ruffle, I basted along the top edge of the fabric. After, I gathered all of the ruffles. This took the longest because the basting stitches kept getting caught & would accidentally break.

I put on each ruffle one by one. I pinned the ruffle to the skirt to see where it would lay then once it was a perfect circle I would sew it down. I did NOT cut the bottom of the ruffle until I knew it was down & that it looked right. When apply the second ruffle I would pin the first layer onto the mannequin so that I could clearly see and wouldn’t accidentally attach the two.

After I attached the second layer, I started cutting the first one to length. I did this 4 times, not including the train.

Next, I started working on the top, which was one shoulder strap bodice that I had pleated tulle pulled to the side. After I finished & attached the bodice piece, I started working on the train. Referring back to what I said about the underskirt foundation, I had access fabric that I did not cut off the back so that I could add a train, which was two more panels.

(Ignore my clothes, it was also laundry day)

Guys really quick, check out the TV, I finished both seasons of Mindhunter working on this dress. Phenomenal show, LOL, okay back to the dress.

Lastly, after I was all done with the gown, she wanted a detachable “poof.” I made this poof in minutes at work. I took two roughly made card board circles and wrapped the tulle around them.

Then after they were fully wrapped, I cut the circles down the center where the gap is left.

The fabric will start fraying & then you will be left with a big straight poof of tulle in the center of your middle circle. I tied an extra piece around it to keep it together & another one to make it tie around the top of her gown.