I have committed (or should be committed) to make a veil for an upcoming wedding. The bride wants a cathedral length veil but with some designs near the bottom with some beads and sequence.
I can either hand embroider or machine embroider. I don't have one of the fancy embroidery machines, but would have to do free hand embroidery on the machine. I've never done it before. Are there any tips and tricks I should know about??? Also, the veil she saw that she liked was embroidered in silver colored thread...is this something I can use in a machine? I figured then I could use invisible thread to attach the beads on top of the base.

Otherwise, I suppose I can revert to hand embroidery....

I went to another fabric store and got a good deal on alencon lace. So I think I'm going to try to applique on the alencon lace and then hand embroider in the silver thread and sew on beads and such on top of the lace, so the lace will give me my basic design, which will be a big help.

I want to add a monogram, so I guess I'll have to do that by hand as well as my machine doesn't do them....it only does wee little letters...not the big fancy stuff.

Decisions, decisions.

But you're right dancingirl, I'm going to have to use lots of scraps and do a lot of practicing.

I got me a darning foot and I got stabilizer and I got invisible thread so I was playing with it today, and I actually think it's going to work! I was practicing with some old alencon lace I had (left over from my own wedding gown) and I used the invisible thread on the top and white thread on the bottom. I used a fine zig zag, and a micro tec needle and it did a great job of holding the lace to the veil using the stabilizer on the bottom. I'm still undecided if I want to use the heat melt or the water melt stabilizer....I had an easier time washing out the water melt.

I then played with hand beading the lace and I think it's going to work fine.

Still not sure how the monogram is going to work...I need to practice with that yet.

But I'm much more positive that I can actually make this happen. Of course it's very different working on a scrap vs. trying to sew on the end of a veil that's 108" long!

Here are some pics of my plan...paper cut outs of the lace, sheet instead of veil, quick sketch of a monogram.

I'm very concerned about the monogram...I'm so afraid I'll get 90% of the way there and then have a serious screw up and have to start all over again...ESP since the lace I bought was a remnant and am not sure I can get more. So I think I'll do the monogram separately and then attach, even if I have to glue it....

Once I get to the hand beading, I'll relax though as that can be done slowly, one stitch at a time, and can be redone if I make a mistake...

I also found out that it works best if I straight stitch the edge first and then do the zigzag to fill it in. I also found out I'm going to need several miles of thread to get this done, so I better go buy some bigger spools.

One web site I came across recommends using bobbin thread in the bobbin and embroidery thread in the needle...I've not ever worked with anything other than all purpose...I did start practicing with poly invisible thread though for the lace applique and that seemed to work really well...it is impossible to see.

I appreciate any info you can provide, dancingirl!

I did get embroidery thread in a shiny ivory, I got bobbin thread and I got an embroidery needle. I also got some pellon to use as the stabilizer.

I'll let you know how it comes out when I get done practicing with it.

I stopped at the store where the bride is buying her gown and they said they can do monogramming there, so at least I have a fall-back position....

I mean I'm sweating bullets here trying to figure out how to do this and the iron on guy is only about $2! So I need to put my effort toward where there's a real payback.....

I also almost started sewing the veil into the applique as, as I was turning the hoop some it started dragging some of it in. But thankfully I caught it in time. I've also learned that I can do less turning by sewing backwards, which has been working pretty well.

The hoop is such a big help at adding control and making sure I don't sew what I don't want to sew. I simply don't know how mom managed to make the wedding gowns she did...no hoop, no stabilizer, no nothing.

I'm actually feeling more confident that I may actually get this done....

I've gotten a lot of beads and pearls and such to play with...once the applique is done, I'll have to start designing the beading to cover the lace....so much fun!

I had my first stab at dying the monogram in tea, but it came out blotchy so then I bleached it and it came back to white, but slightly off white...almost the color I need, but still too white. So then I tried putting some water color paint on it, but it takes the sheen off the letter. Next step is purchased fabric dye and see if I can't get that to work better than the tea.....

I've ordered more monogram letters so I can play with them for dyeing....and if worse comes to worse, I can always go back to giving machine embroidery a try in the ivory colored thread...I think I need to be more practiced and persistent with that one....

GF suggested taking it to a place where they dye wedding shoes....they should know how to do ivory....

The pics of the plan on the sheet look amazing. I can't wait to see the real veil! Please continue to post pics : )

Laurie

I'm making good progress on the applique....the 2 roses and the 2 long side pieces are yet to be attached, and of course, so is a monogram, but this is where I am so far. I've been tweaking the design as I'm attaching the lace for the final layout...poor hubby has had to "model" the veil for me so I can see how the design looks when walking and for scale. He's such a good sport!

It was getting hard to really judge the design though with all the stabilizer behind the lace so yesterday was my first "dunk" into water to remove the stabilizer....so nerve wracking... but it came out just fine. I'll have to dunk again as there's still residual, but it will need to be done after I've attached the final 4 anyway. But as a first run, it went very well.

I've been very lucky in that, knock wood, I haven't torn it yet and I haven't accidentally sewn the veil into the applique!

I bought some fabric dye to try and dye the monogram ivory....and I have 5 monograms now in total to play with to get it right.

Once the applique is done, it will be fun designing the actual beading pattern. I'm not sure I have all the right beads or can get them...I may have to order them from the internet, but I hate to do that as I'd really like to see them up close and personal first.

I wish my Mom were here....I still wonder how she did all the applique on the wedding gowns she made...that was before melt away stabilizers, and disappearing ink pens and she only had an old singer machine...none of the nice features like free motion or having the needle stay in the fabric when you stop sewing and no invisible thread. The more I work on this, the more respect I gain for what she's done.

Yeah I shrunk it back as I thought the monogram was too large, and as you walk, the veil wants to collapse in on itself, so I found it looked better if the design was narrower, but I think it still has enough height and scale that it will work with the dress.

I feel the same way when working on my sewing projects.

Thank you for posting the pics of your layout on the veil material. Keep up the good work and continue to post when you can.

I showed pics to the bride and she approved wholeheartedly. (Thank goodness!) I told her that at this point, we can always add more, but can't take away.

Now starts the fun of playing with the beading.

I was watching project runway all stars last night and once again Georgina Chapman had on the most stunning marchesa dress with incredible bead work. Sigh....

Thanks for posting pictures and all the back and forth of making a lovely veil. I once did a shower curtain as a gift for a friend that took hours and hours of planning, embroidering and purchased designs. My husband called it the 'million dollar shower curtain' because of all that went into making it. I think you have a 'million dollar veil'! Lynn

The veil is cathedral length so will be dragging on the floor beyond her train, so it really isn't affecting how it hangs...it will just keep it on the floor. I think it will tend to pull the edges in though as she walks so I made the design a little narrower so it won't fold in on itself. I also made the veil wider than others she had tried on so if the edges fold, it will still be fairly wide. But it will also help weigh the veil down so it should stay put better than it might with no embellishment.

Looking on the web, I also found a place that monograms wedding veils by putting the monogram on a separate oval netting with a border and then attaching it to the veil so it is removable.

It's hard to see in the photos, but I think I have enough balance of materials, and my plan is, everywhere a particular flower shows up, to bead it the same.

It's a combo of different size silver bugle beads, clear and silver seed beads, clear paillettes, clear and silver sequins. Plus a few other things like czech crystal for one flower center and swarovski crystal, and small rhinestones. I also did some hand embroidery in silver metallic thread around the leaves.

I'm meeting with the bride tomorrow to get her comments on it. Hopefully, she'll like it!

Good timing too as we'll probably be getting snowed in over the next couple of days...

Bride saw my sample last night and she's delighted with it.

So now I just have to get to work on the real veil.

I like the pictures you posted on the black background. It helps to see all of that beautiful detail.

Continue to keep us updated : )

Next step is to attach the monogram, and then decide if I want to sprinkle swarovski crystals around the veil or not as the bride wants....don't want it to detract from the arrangement, don't want to go too vegas, but do want to keep her happy....

I'm about 1/3 of the way through sewing the crystals onto the veil. Then I just have to attach it to the comb....getting there though!

The beading consists of a wide variety of stuff, but I coordinated it with each flower being beaded in the same way regardless of where it occurred on the veil. I used paillets, rocailles, seed beads, bugle beads, czech crystal, swarovski crystal, individually mounted rhinestones, sequins, some jewelry baubles, a few pearls and hand embroidery in silver thread.

Now I've got to start on my own dress for the wedding....