Making my own Victorian wedding veil

I decided to definitely opt out of paying rediculous prices on wedding veils, and ended up buying 5 yards of 108" wide white illusion/tulle for only $13! (Would've been cheaper if HL carried it, but they only had 54, and I'm not sure if that's wide enough!)

So, with the $2 or so I spent on the baggie of plastic hair combs from HL, that leaves me with a grand total of $15!

I've been looking at other fashion plates, and have decided to keep the veil raw edged (as it seems almost completely see-through at the edges) and a hem would most cerrtainly ruin this effect. I also noticed that the fancier the dress, the more ornate the crown and the less ornate the veil. Here are some examples:

Bridal crown from Godey's Ladies' Book December 1860

Godey's April 1861

Godey's January 1856

Godey's 1861

Godey's 1861 (same fashhion plate as above)

Songwood and learning things the hard way

Heard that Songwood, the new ren faire in Manville, did not yet get their permit for large crowds, and it's only a few weeks until opening weekend. I'm kinda worried, because I really was excited about a new ren faire on MY side of Houston, where much of the population is! Now the website doesn't exist - last time I caught it online most of the pages weren't working - they must've been taking it down.

Not looking good at all. :-(

I still have some hope for it, considering they already have a list of definite shops that will be there, as well as entertainers. I was actually impressed with how large it got, but I hear they're out-pricing TRF by keeping it "low" (which probably equals "sort of affordable" in TRF terms) and so they were more successful in attracting all sorts of sellers.

Been thinking of how stupid my outfit looked, and how rediculous the Texas heat is. I honestly thought at least one weekend this past fall would be cool, but obviously that was too much. So, I'm going to re-make the gown, and keep the kirtle as a separate costume, as the layering (as much as I tried to be accurate and to avoid dry-cleaning costs) just made it too bulky and hot.

Changes from a 15th century houppelande to a late 15th century Italian cioppa:

1. Ditch the fur. I know it's period, but evidently no one else knows, so it just doesn't work.

2. Change the sleeves, from solid to slashed.

3. Add the belt I had originally made for it out of the same fabric (I was avoiding a cross-wise seam because my bust is so large) plus buy a gold frog for closure.

4. Make a gathered-neckline puffy-sleeved chemise. I'm using an old pattern I have, and instead of using elastic (uuugh!) like they say, it'll be drawstring. Plus, this one is supposed to show, and I won't have worries about the kirtle sticking out in the neckline.

5. Add a basket instead of a purse. The purse gets way too heavy, and does not close well. It got pretty frustrating. Note to self: do not make drawstring purses out of satin, no matter how pretty they look.

6. Make a golden Juliet cap with gold trim and maybe a fancy overlay.

7. Eventually buy period shoes (now that I chose a more comfortable and socially acceptable period!) and buy some linen hosen and garters.

8. Either buy some period drawers or wear a pair of modern linen shorts I have. (TRF got really hot and uncomfortable without these, since stockings don't go all the way up!)

9. Sew in the gold placket, now that I know what I want, so it won't slide anymore.

Looks like I learned the hard and expensive way of how not to do Burgundian fashion. Italian Renaissance sounds much better now, and at least I can say the gown isn't a total loss!

Found the right wedding gown, still need to figure out a few details

I finally decided this is going to be the one I'm going to wear, although I'm still stuck on how to make those plisse pleats you see in the alternating ruffles. I've spent hours and hours and hours on trying to figure it out, but all I found is this - it's not hand-made pleats, but rather they are made by the shrinking of the silk created by the addition of lye to it. Well, the big question is: is this treatment permanent or will it come out if I wash/dry clean it? I'm really not up for the experimenting since it is so important, and I do want to dry clean it once I finish so all the markings and hand oils will be cleaned off.

Also, I want to make it out of modern bridal satin (polyester) because I heard from an heirloomer at the Houston Bridal Expo that silk is easily stained, and many things stain it for life (especially wine). As much as I'm in for historical accuracy, it's really not worth wearing a bunch of potential stains all day long. Plus I want to wear it in the family costume contest the next day, so it's gotta be able to take a beating. And, I'm wearing it all day Saturday and I don't care what anybody says - I'm not changing into another dress till after the costume contest on Sunday!

Which brings me to the point that I've definitely chosen my wedding gown but not my new walking dress, as last year's died and er..the dry cleaner must've shrunk it too...so I'm still looking.

Just ordered some fashion plates and one month of Godey's (January 1851) on Ebay. The Godey's was an e-book, and all you do is right click the link and save it and double-click to unzip it. How easy was that! And I got it immediately. Gotta love e-books - especially since I can flip through it all I want (unlike an antique book/magazine) and I don't have to worry about roaches eating it (yes, they eat paper!) or mice or hurricanes. I highly recommend this seller, e-booksdownload. Not all her stuff is an e-book, as the fashion plates are coming in the mail on CD. But her prices are extremely good, and I hope that she sells more of Godey's.

Lastly, I've finally figured out how to make a bridal veil, and that illusion and tulle are the same thing. I think I'm going to get some extra-wide veiling since the dress is going to be so big, and gather it up into a barette so it will look like it's attached to the orange blossom crown but it can be easily taken off if needed. Think waltz-length will do since I'll be outside and I don't want to drag it. Hard to tell how long it is in the fashion plate because she's sitting down.