2 April 10 (reply)

Hi Jo,

Great to hear from you! How goes the wedding planning?

Your timing is excellent; I'd had a note in my diary to contact you on Monday if I hadn't heard from you. You are still interested in Rose, yes?  Rose is very easy to fit and all we would need from you at this point are your bust, waist, hip and waist-to-floor measurements. The toile is very simple and we could have it out to you within a few days. I will apologise in advance, though. Our photo shoot for the New Collection is coming up in less than two weeks and things are a bit more busy than usual around here. Fun, but busy.

I have your delivery date as 1 July; we have oodles of time. It's so great that you are organised enough to be doing things in advance. Get back to me when convenient but there's no rush. I can imagine that you're feeling all sorts of other pressures at the moment; your gown doesn't need to be one of them. ;-)

Have a great weekend,
Lori


4 April 10 (from Jo)

Hi

 

Yes, I still want 'Rose' - all in plum, including the roses - just one ivory contrast for the back fastening bit?   Also, I'd like a bolero jacket in plum - can I have the plain one with narrow sleeves, but with a frilly bit on the end of the sleeves?

 

I am trying not to 'do' pressure/stress yet.   I thought I'd leave it until nearer the time and then if anything goes wrong, it's too late to do anything about it.  At least I'll have a gorgeous dress so I can just float around in that and not care about anything else going wrong - as long as we both turn up on the day, everything else can look after itself!

 

Thanks

Jo

4 April 10 (reply)

Hi Jo,

Awww. That's a wonderful attitude you have about stressing out. It's a shame that more brides don't share it. You're going to look so beautiful on your wedding day!

Thanks for the measurements. Of course you can have the bolero jacket in plum to match the dress; I think that would look smashing. And having 'Rose' all in plum with one ivory contrast rose sounds fine. You'll be able to monitor her progress as Rose is being made and keep us up to date of your thoughts/opinions. Have you decided how you'd like the jacket lined? We usually use an organic Fair-Trade cotton poplin fabric in black for the plum lining, but since you wanted some ivory hemp/silk contrast in the dress, you could have your bolero lined in ivory hemp/silk too if you like (no extra charge).

As I mentioned, the 'Rose' toile is very simple and easy to fit, but as I also mentioned, we're in the middle of preparing for the Big Photo Shoot (it's in a week and half at this point) and it might affect the posting date of your toile a bit.  We do have plenty of time, like I'd noted before. By when would you be comfortable receiving your toile? Would a few weeks from now be all right?

Hoping that you're having a wonderful holiday (I'm assuming that all of the UK has this weekend as a holiday?)
Lori


7 April 10 (from Jo)

Hi

 

Yes, can I have the jacket lined in ivory?

 

I'll work round you as to when it's convenient to send out the toile.  As long as you're happy it can be done in time, I'm happy!

 

Yes I've just had a lovely long weekend, full of chocolate.   Hope you had plenty too, to give you lots of energy for the shoot.

 

Good luck & best wishes,

thanks

jo

7 April 10 (reply)

Hi Jo,

Chocolate! What a lovely thought. There should be more chocolate in everyone's life (also Lush, but that's because I happen to be a huge Lush fan). I'm afraid that I haven't had much chocolate lately though; I worked all weekend on the new designs. Since that's what I love to do, it was a little like chocolate, and a lot like Lush. ;-)

Glad to hear that you agree about the jacket lining. I think that it will work well with the ivory contrast in your gown. If you don't mind, we'll create a toile for the jacket too so that we know exactly how you want it. I will be updating your dress log this evening with our recent email exchanges (we operate by EST, so you'll likely see the updates by morning.) As always, please do let me know if you have any questions along the way.

And thanks so very much for being flexible; it's appreciated!

be well,
Lori

 

 

22 April 10

 

Hi Jo,

Your toiles are on their way! The tracking number is:

[hidden for privacy]

and it should take 6-10 business days for delivery.

As I'd mentioned, I will be creating a video of how to fit your toile but I am attaching photos and text as they might also be helpful. 

 

In the meantime, here are some photos of your toile itself, in the process of Becoming Toile:

 

 

 

Do let me know when you receive the toile and how you get on...

Be well,
Lori

 

3 May 10

 

Hi Jo,

So glad to hear that you've received your toile! So exciting!

I don't think I sent you the photos I usually send for toile fittings since I'd expected to have the video ready by the time you received the toile. So I'm attaching them now, along with another copy of the printed instructions we'd included. Brides have told me that they are very helpful, though anyone with any sewing experience will likely already know what to do.

I am happy to be available if you have any questions. We have Skype, so it's not a problem if you'd like me to ring you. I will be in and out today but likely not away from the studio for more than an hour at a time. Or you can ring me at our landline or my mobile number.

I'm looking forward to hearing about your experience...

Be well
Lori

 

5 May 10 (from Jo)

 

12 May 10

 

Hi Jo,

I've just received word that your toile arrived into the studio this afternoon. Hurrah!

I expect that we'll be starting on your dress on Monday. If there are any changes to the schedule, I'll let you know. Otherwise, you can expect to see regular updates and new photos on your dress log by midweek. Once the gown creation has begun, we usually update every 1-3 business days.

As always, if you have any questions, do let me know. I daresay that there will be many thoughts as you watch your gown's creation. It's so exciting! Your gown is going to be GORGEOUS.

Be well, and have a great weekend
Lori


19 May 10

Hi Jo,

We began work on your gown on Monday, right on schedule. And we have pretty pictures of what we've done so far.

We start with a photo of your toile all taken apart and ready to become your gown pattern. Not sure why the photo came out all wonky (it got turned around somehow) but we figure that you'd rather see it than not see it and you'd get the idea:




Next, we laid out the toile pieces onto the plum satin fabric. Likely you noticed that we'd made your toile floor-length and simple. Why? Because it would have been very impractical to try to send a toile that was as long or as full as the actual 'Rose' dress. If you were wondering how we would make a long lovely Rose gown out of the small, floor-length toile we sent, here's how:




But there was extra method in our madness. We created the toile to be an exact pattern for the lining, since the lining doesn't need to be all poufy. Clever, no? We're sewing the lining in black Fair Trade organic cotton poplin, since the black looks a lot better under the plum satin than our unbleached sateen:




After cutting the pieces out, it was time to pin them together. Thus begins the basic construction of your gown:

Lining pieces, pinned together:



Inside view of the shell pieces, all pinned and ready:



And an outside view: It's a sea of Purple Satin!! Fit for royalty!



Look for another update at the end of the week, where we'll show you great wonders and add a dress form to the act...

PS - if you've noticed that the £ in your deposit payment has turned into a $, don't worry. We had to change all of the currency fields in the website to $ when we relocated the company. But we know you paid in £ and will change it appropriately when the time comes to pay the balance.

Until then, be well
Lori and the CE Team


21 May 10

We've been busy!

Your shell and lining were assembled and put on the dress form for fine-tuning:



(yeah, it's a LOT of fabric. But that's where all the bustles come from)


The fine-tuning was similar to fitting the toile, with a few more intricacies...

Here we have the lining, fitted to a dress form with your measurements.





We also started creating the elements for your lacing panels and hangy-ribbons. We cut the strips for the ribbon first:



And then sewed them into proper ribbon:


We cut the other pieces for the lacing panels:


And they'll be assembled next week.


We also started your roses, cut from scraps left over from your dress pieces. So you *know* they'll match:



While we were getting the roses ready for assembly (which is done by hand), we also put together the bodice band:


More next week...

Be well and have a great weekend,
Lori and the CE Team


26 May 10

Hi Jo,

Come and see what we've been up to!

After all the fine-tuning, we wanted to get some closure on the shell (the purple part) and so we hemmed the skirt:


Isn't it gorgeous? (ok, we think it is)


But there's more to a gown than its shell. Since the lining is its own entity, we turned our attention inward.

Here's a look at the newly-fit lining:





Along with the finished seams, we of course must include our label. We're really proud of it. If you can't read it in the photo, it says 'Joyfully made in the USA by Conscious Elegance'. Content and helpful care instructions are on the back:


::oohs and aahs::


Since the 'Rose' design has quite a substantial skirt, we add in some structural insurance to help you wear it comfortably and securely. Why do I say securely? Because with a heavy skirt pulling down a strapless dress, well, you can imagine what gravity will do to your dress neckline....

So we make a 'waistband' and hide it inside the lining. It's an old couture trick that allows the skirt to act like a separate skirt but keeps the beauty of a complete gown.

Our waistbands are made from unbleached organic cotton. We haven't found a black version of the organic cotton yet but since it's hidden underneath the lining, no one will see it anyway:




You'll notice in the photo that we put in buttonholes in one end (we put in two to help your waistband be more adjustable). When the dress is almost complete, we can hand-sew one of our tagua-nut buttons on. We'd be basing the placement of the button on the measurement you provided. However, if you prefer, we can just attach the button with a safety pin and then someone can sew it in place when you are wearing the dress. This is the sort of thing we would do at a final fitting and if you have any question at all about waist-band comfort, we highly recommend having the button placed while the dress is on you.

So, to find the correct place for the waistband, we mark the waist on the lining in chalk. Again, we position this according to the measurements you sent:





And then pinned the waistband in place. We did take out the back seam to make the pinning easier; no problem to re-sew the lining together:





Care to see what the sewing looks like?




Now that the waistband and label are in place, the lining is finished for now. (we also hemmed it but didn't get a photo of that. Apologies!)

Remember the lacing panel? That needed finishing too, so here we go:

Panel pieces, with loops in place:





And here is the completed panel, ready to be inserted into your gown. You'll see that we use matching purple hemp/silk to wrap the organic cotton twill. This way, the lacing panel will blend easily into the rest of the gown with no white showing:



And with that, we'll stop for now. The next update will show the gown truly coming together!

As always, we're here for any questions. Email anytime or ring when we're awake! (keep in mind we're 5 hours behind you).

Be well,
Lori and the CE Team


28 May 10

We're getting to the exciting part! I promised that the dress would be coming together. And yes it has!

Before we put the outside and inside together, we pressed each of them to minimise the wrinkles that happen naturally when a dress is being assembled. Your gown will still need a pressing when it arrives to you but this way it'll need it a little less.

We put the shell and the lining together by way of the bodice top (or bodice band). They all go together much like a sandwich. First we put the shell on the dress form and then pin the top over it:




Once the bodice band is in place, we then layer the lining over that:

Front and back views:



Sewing it all together makes a perfect marriage, if you will. ;-) Doesn't it look just perfect?





But there was more. Now that the dress is all joined together it was time to put in the lacing panel. You remember that we'd already assembled it and it was waiting for its rightful place. To begin that process, we pinned the shell and lining in the folds that would hold the lacing:




And once the folds were pinned, we then pinned in the loops:



After the loops were pinned in, we sewed it up. Here we have a photo of the sewn lacings and also the waistband, so that you can see how it fits into the gown:



As you can see, we've just pinned the button to where we think it should go. This is one of those details that you might elect to have done when the dress is on you, to be sure of a perfect fit.


Et Voila! A perfect lacing! ::cheers and applause::



Next time, we'll get into the poofs in the skirt that hold the roses!

Have a great weekend...
Lori and the CE Team


1 June 10

Hi Jo,

Aaaaand we're back after the long holiday! But, ok, we didn't take much time off. There's your gown to finish!

First, let's revisit your gown without bustling. We know you've seen it already. But it looks so much more dramatic to show a 'before' and 'after:

Before bustling:



After bustling! ::fanfare::



Here's a close-up of the bodice front:



And here's a view of the other side. Please excuse if it looks a bit off; I was sitting on the floor and looking up when I took this photo:



And here's the back, full view. LOOK at that train!



Here's a close-up of the back bodice:



Since the lacing panel is in, we finished off the bottom with hand-sewing:




And now we find that we have some questions:

1) the folds/bustling are currently not permanently affixed; it's all in with safety pins. We are happy to hand-sew the bustle points at your command. However, the cost of your postage will be affected greatly by the size of the box, which is why most bridal gowns are packed flat and then pressed/bustled once they arrive at the salon. Do also keep in mind that you will likely need to pay customs and VAT on the dress when it does arrive. If cost is a concern, we can leave the bustle-points clearly marked but not attached. It would be trivial to re-attach them with the safety pins or hand-sew them. If you have anyone local who would be willing to attach them, you might want to consider this option. It might be a nice way to involve a mum or relative who is feeling like they'd like to help. We could talk you (or them) through it on the phone if you'd like and send photos on how to do it.

2) The bodice in the back came out just slightly asymmetrical (see photo below). This often happens with handmade garments and is usually considered 'part of the individual character', which is all well and good only if you feel that way too. Are you one who prefers exact symmetry? Or not bothered? We're happy to take steps to even out the bodice top if you wish but are fine to keep it as it is. Again, it's your call.



Our next update will show you the roses, which have been completed but not yet attached. And we'll be creating the bustle in the back to tuck up the train just like in our video...

Until then, be well.
Lori and the CE Team

4 June 10

Hi Jo,

We've been working on your bolero!

If you'll remember, the way we start off a garment is to take the toile apart and use it as a pattern.

First, we laid the bolero pieces onto the hemp/silk fabric:




We widened the back an inch at your request; it should fit you fine now. And to make sure that the lining matches the shell exactly, we use the shell piece as the pattern for the lining.




And now we have them all cut and waiting to be assembled:



Meanwhile. we cut the fabric for the ruffle at your wrists:



And pinned together the bolero pieces:



Shell and lining now sewn:



And the two are pinned together:



Once sewn together, we turned it right side out. And created the ruffle:


We'll finish up the bolero next week. But don't think we forgot about the roses:


Aren't they gorgeous?

Have a great weekend!

Lori and the CE Team


9 June 10

Dear Jo,

And it's time for another update, though this one doesn't have much to photo. I wanted to let you know what I've found so far by way of postage options (keeping in mind that these are estimates; I'm not sure exactly how much the dress and bolero will weigh and so I guessed high):


US postal service:

Priority Mail International (6-10 business days): $70.70 (£48.62 by current exchange rates)
Express Mail International (3-5 business days): $96.50 (£66.36)

These don't include insurance and tracking but I don't think that adding those would add too much to the price.


UPS courier:

Would be around $346 (£237.94) including insurance and tracking. This would get the gown to you in about 3 business days by courier.

Since we are well ahead of schedule here and I believe that we'll be able to post out your gown by early next week, there should be plenty of time to go with the least expensive option and still get the gown to you by the original delivery date of 1 July. Thoughts?


There's very little left to do to complete your gown, but there is one thing to ask for your preference. You'd listed your sleeve length as 23 1/4". You'd also requested a frilly bit at the cuffs. Did you want the frilly bit to be included in your sleeve length or did you want that to be an extra length?

Put another way, where exactly would you like the frilly bit to fall? At your wrist? A little past it?

I also wanted to let you know (you're the first!) about an exciting improvement in our studio. We've found eco-friendly carpeting made from recycled fizzy drink bottles! Since we were planning on upgrading the studio anyway, this is wonderful. No worries, though. We're waiting until your dress is sent off to you safe and sound before we do any re-modeling. ;-)

I hope that all is well with you...
Lori

9 June 10 (part 2)
Hi again,

One other question: Were you planning to use a crinoline or hoop skirt? The dress looks much fuller and nicer with one (and the photos of the dress on the website have one underneath). Something like this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-HOOP-WEDDING-PROM-PETTICOAT-UNDERSKIRT-CRINOLINE-S-XL-/180512747142?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Wedding_Clothing&var=&hash=item6fc265b316

There are literally thousands of them available through ebay.co.uk, most of them under £15. Search under the term 'crinoline' and you'll find many many possibilities. Or you could always borrow one from a friend or a theatre costume dept.

If you do get one, then we'll want your dress to be a little longer in length to accommodate the extra width. Just let me know, as soon as you can, if you'll be using a crinoline and if so, do you prefer narrow, medium full or very full? If you do buy from eBay, would you be able to send me a link to the listing so I can see it too?

Finishing up your dress and bolero will happen as soon as possible, once I can get your thoughts about this and your sleeves (in the previous email).

Cheers,
Lori

 

 

12 June 10

Hi Jo,

Thanks for the info; that's exactly what we needed to know. I'm happy to work on your gown and bolero over the weekend; it's all so close to being finished!

I'll be sending you photos as soon as it's done and I'll send an invoice along with the completed photos for the payment balance. I expect that we'll be packing it all up later in the week and can give you tracking information when it's on its way.

As for the carpeting, it's made by Mohawk, a line called 'Green Living':

http://blogs.findanyfloor.com/green/GreenFlooring/MohawksGreenCarpet.xhtml
http://www.mohawkflooring.com/mohawk-takes-manhattan/country-living.aspx
http://www.greenlivingonline.com/article/pop-bottle-carpets-gorgeous-and-guilt-free

I'm not sure if it's available in the UK, but if not, maybe something similar might be.

Be well and have a great weekend,
Lori

 

14 June 10

 

Hi Jo,

 

We've finished at last! There were just a few more details left...

 

Since you've told us that you don't plan to wear a crinoline under your gown, we decided to use ribbons for the bustle, rather than buttons. Much more comfortable to sit on when there's no crinoline to cushion you!

 

We made the bustling ribbons ivory to help make it easier to see them among the purple folds (don't worry, they won't show through). We code the widths to match each other to make it easier to know which ribbons tie together: the thinner ribbons tie the side bustles and the wide pair ties the back bustle. Clever, no?

 

 

We hand-sewed the ribbons on and tied them together to show you how it should look:

 

We also sewed the non-removable bustles, since you'd asked us to do so rather than ship the gown flat. 

 

Here's a view of the bustle after hand-sewing, first inside, then outside:

 

 

And then we added the roses:

 

Are you ready for views of the completed gown?

 

Front view, back view (unlaced and bustled with the ribbons tied) and back view (laced and bustled):

 

And then we add the bolero!

 

Voila! Your gown and jacket are complete! We've updated the payment button (in dollars at today's exchange rate) so that you can pay at your convenience. We will also send you a completed invoice as a pdf. You are welcome to use Paypal to pay should you prefer it.

 

Once payment is cleared, we will box up your gown and have it sent on its way. You'll receive it in 3-5 business days.

 

We're absolutely thrilled at how your gown looks and are keen to see photos of you in it!

 

Until then, be well

Lori and the CE Team

 

15 June 10

 

Hi Jo,

 

Your balance payment was received today; many thanks! We will be sending out your gown and bolero first thing tomorrow.

 

Can't wait to see the wedding photos!

 

Be well,

Lori and the CE Team

 

16 June 10

 

Hi Jo,

Your gown and bolero were posted this morning via International Express Mail. The tracking number is:

[hidden for privacy]

and you would go to www.USPS.com to track it. The parcel should arrive in 3-5 business days but customs might hold it up a bit; not sure how much you'll be charged for customs/VAT but I put down the £ amount rather than the US$ amount, so with with luck you won't be overcharged.

I've attached a photo of a lacing example and included a link to the gown lacing Youtube video in your parcel, but here it is again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIsMU_sV4Yo


and for bustling, we have this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v352_kO9k2s

I hope that they are helpful.



The dress will (unsurprisingly) need to be pressed before wearing; we use a hot iron with lots of steam. It's very difficult to burn or damage the hemp/silk, but we suggest that you try the iron on a bit of the back of the skirt to get a feel for the iron's setting levels. We used tissue paper to fill out the bustles around the roses so that they don't wrinkle; feel free to remove the paper when you unpack the gown.

One extra thing we included in your parcel was spaghetti straps to match your gown. They are not attached since you'd wanted to go strapless, but in case you decide that you'd prefer to have straps after all, you can have a dressmaker put them in or you can simply use safety pins.

I think that's everything; please do let me know how when the dress arrives and what you think of it. And thank you again, so much, for letting us be part of your Big Day.

Be well,
Lori and the CE Team

 

4 Aug 10 (from Jo)

 

Hi Lori

 

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you - I've been a bit busy!

 

Just a few days to go now, wedding is this Saturday 7th, so just to say that your dress was absolutely perfect - nothing needed to be altered at all, thanks so much.

 

I'll definitely be sending you some photos Thanks jo x

 

4 Aug 10 (reply)

 

Hi Jo,

 

That's wonderful to hear; thanks for letting me know. You must be so *very* excited! I look forward to seeing photos of you being gorgeous in your rich royal purple gown - you will be Queen for the day!!

 

We wish you all the best for the weekend! It has been wonderful experience to create your gown and we were honored to contribute a (small) part to your wedding.

 

Be well,

Lori