Bitch, Make Your Own Wedding: The Dress!

Love of my life + getting engaged = Ima need a dress!

So many lovelies on the net to drool for....

Not psyched about the price tag....

Time to Clever Bitch this one out!

I took to the net for inspo:

I totally loved the Boho styles I found!

Piece of cake.... Well, that was my attitude anyway....

I started by putting together a few outfits, y'know incase we decided to elope... LoL

I purchased a couple of inexpensive white dresses to practice some tailoring techniques:

Online finds from Old Navy & Forever 21...

I began to "rework" the Old Navy by throwing it on my duct tape mannequin...

Swiss dot overlay.... Yummy... 

But not quite hitting the spot... 

D-: Omg... Puns...

( Btw actual wedding shoes above right ;-)

Just when I thought I hit a rut...

I found at Joanne's Fabrics...

The same awesome/cotton/latticey pintucked w/lace fab as this dress I liked on etsy:

It was on sale! Music to my ears! 

I purchased 7yards, more than enough! 

I waited until 4months before our wedding to start, to give enough time to construct/alter... 

Or make sure I wasn't going to change my mind on the design...

 Here's a sum up:

I went with a boho kimono silhouette...

~Draped the fab over the dummy, cut a v-neck.

~Kamikazed a seam (no time for pinning, life is short!) I went straight from end of sleeve to bottom hem/end of fab. 

~Tried it on & boom, it was was done. 

~I left the fabric longer in the back so I could sculpt out a train...

Above is a dress my aunt gave to me for extra fab from a Salvation Army... 

I used this as the lining.

This meant a zipper was already there.... Cha-Ching! 

I trimmed the extra layer of fab w/lace off & gave it a v-neck...

A few handy stitches on the shoulders to keep them from shifting &

Connecting the two layers around the zipper for function...

Easy Peasy!

Deciding how to finish the back took a while. 

I used a design app on my iPad to sketch out a few samples. 

Then I found the pic below online...

I kept the edges frayed on my dress, some of them were WILD like an old fave pair of jeans, torn & worn. I used a stiff bristled brush to rough up any smooth ends.

Then I needed a sash/belt. 

So many opts! 

...Bottom left....

Simple taupe FTW!

Remember: 

You don't have to be Crazy Maker Bitch like me. 

DIY doesn't mean you have to Do It ALL By Yourself.... 

*A BIG Shout Out*

To the Friends & Family Members that gave support Mentally/Physically/Financially  :-D

With an extra set of eyes or hands on the project...

When the details are mounting & time is in short supply...

Things like remembering where your steamer is on the day of.... 

Priceless! 

Where did I stash that steamer...?

Besides, if our priorities had allowed for a bigger budget....

Monique Lhuillier.... Just sayin...

Anyway ;-) the head gear...

I went with my sculpting instincts, having practiced for months on different designs:

The Inspo...

The Makings....

So many Smiles! A Fascinator Headband made of beads, tulle, & feathers.

A feathered flower boutonier for him...

A flowered harness for the pup...

I had the whole Fam looking perfect!

Budget Friendly Ceremony & Reception Looks:

Just a few bucks shy of $200 spent on BOTH of our outfits.

The Result: 

A No-Debit Wedding!

We had an amazing day! 

So happy, 

So in LOVE...

And Bitch...

I MADE IT MYSELF!!!!

Wo0t!

MAKE, MAKE, MAKE!!!

Make some Happiness,

Make some LOVE, 

Make your Dress!

MAKE SOMETHING!!!

XOXO

~JM

*Follow us on Facebook for more info & inspo!*

More "Bitch Make Your Own Wedding" Posts:

~Table Tops
~The Invitations

DIY Lace-Back Shirt!

Don't over think this one, just MAKE IT!

You know you want to....

<<**LACE BACK SHIRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTT!!!!**>>

Wo0t!

Here we go:

Get a shirt, scissors, pins, needle, thread (duh)...

I chose this shirt bc it had a bit of transparency to flow with the finished look of the lace being peek-a-booey. Perfect for the layering...... \;-) muahahahaaa! 

Slice that sucker right down the middle, leaving the neckline intact...

I spread it out to make an A-shaped opening.

I used an old cotton/poly blend lace table cloth from the dollar store.

You heard me. It's soft, stretchy, washes well & pretty ;-)

Put it on top of the A-shaped opening, paying attn to patterns that catch the eye...

Line up the edges of the shirt with a symmetrical design in the lace...

Then cut it out according to how much of the design I wanted to fill the opening in the shirt.

I left the edges of the lace soft, following the curves of the design as a nice complement to the solid curved edges of the neck & hemline of the shirt. 

Now PIN IT!!!! 

This may take you a few tries... If you have patience, employ it NOW!

Hand sew it like I did, or if your machine chops are stellar, have at it! 

I had my concerns because of the two different textures of fabrics running thru the machine & getting snagged or too slippy.... 

My inner control freak slapped the back of my hand & shouted "NO!" 

I listened & got this:

Like I said before: Wo0t! 

Light, airy, layerable! 

Try it with a stripey tank under, YUM!

Now go & MAKE SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!!!

XOXO

~JM