Juliet Cap Veil DIY Update #2

Hello there!

So I think it's time for an update on how my veil DIY'ing has been going.  I've spent a long time pondering over my veil since I bought my dress.  The shade of the dress meant that the bright white tulle I'd bought didn't really match it.  The style of dress also affected the simple style of veil I was planning on making.  I did look at a few veils to buy, particularly vintage ones but the decorative vintage ones cost a fortune and newer ones are still pretty pricey so I decided to still have a go at making something to wear.  I also do really like the idea of having made something special I would wear on the day myself.
So where have I gotten so far?  I went to the fabric store and bought 3 metres of tulle in a creamier shade.  At 2.50 euros a metre this was no great expense so of course I got more than I might need just in case.  When I open out the fabric and lay it side by side with the white tulle I can't actually really see the difference in shade, it's when it's all bunched up together that it's noticeable.  Irrespective I feel better knowing that the tulle is in a better shade to match my dress.
Next I spent a really long time looking at different veils and trying to decide what I felt would work best with my dress.  When I say a really long time I mean months I've spent thinking about this.  I'm really indecisive and don't want to get it wrong and change my mind and have to do it all over again!  I had to decide how I wanted it gathered, where and how I wanted it pinned, what I wanted to stitch to the cap or the edging.  Finally I decided that I wanted to try to gather it by sewing loops either side of the cap quite low down the side of my head.  Originally I had gathered the material at the sides using a hand sewn gathering stitch and then stitched the gathered tulle on to two combs either side of the head.  This time I tried a different technique as I wanted to fabric to sit more sleekly on my head without much puffiness on either side.
I found the middle of the top end of the fabric by folding it in half and marked this place with a sewing pin perpendicular to the edge of the fabric.  Then I placed that on top of my head so that the sewing pin matched up with the centre of my head and pinched the fabric on the side where I wanted my veil to be pinned to my head.  I also marked this place with a sewing pin.  I measured the distance between the middle and side pin so that I would know where to sew the gathers on the other side.

The pleats I made and then looped thread to around to secure.

 Then at the place where I wanted the veil to be pinned I folded pleats in the fabric, folding inwards first.  I made each pleat roughly 2.5 cm wide.  I folded five pleats and then sewed them together by making a loop two or three times around them with matching thread.  I repeated this process on the other side.  I have to admit that the first time around I wasn't happy with where the way the fabric had gathered on one of the sides as it seemed to be looser on one side than the other allowing fabric to be too loose on the top of one side of my head.  It was really easy to cut open the sewn loop and pleat the fabric slightly higher up and stitch it so that it pulled the fabric tighter to my head.

Here you can see the shape of the cap

I'm very happy now that I have the shaping of my veil figured out.  Next I'm planning on sewing two beaded appliqués I've chosen on to either side of the cap.  I have a feeling this is going to take some time and patience to get right so I'll get on it when I have a moment and fill you in.  I'm also trying to decide whether to sew the veil on to two combs like I did before or sew some ribbon loops that I can use to attach the veil to my hair with using kirby grips.  I have to admit I'm leaning more towards the ribbon loops than the combs at the moment as it seems less bulky particularly with the hairstyle I'm planning on having at the moment.

The beaded appliqués I'm planning to sew to the veil.  They are from John Lewis.

So that's the story of my veil so far!  I have to admit it is tricky to do.  It definitely takes more thought and time than I initially suspected, perhaps because I'm just trying to wing it using trial and error.  I'm really excited to see how it works out in the end though.  I'm glad I've got quite a bit of time to fuss over it until the wedding!  I'll keep you updated on my progress.

You can read my previous posts on my veil making adventure here and here.

Till next time

Twirlybirdie :)

Veil DIY, some craft details

It's time for a veil DIY update!  As I expected now that I have a dress I need to re-do my veil as it isn't exactly the right shade.  I have already bought my ever so subtly differently coloured tulle fabric and I have also collected a few different bits and pieces which I may or may not sew on to it.
I found these pretty lace appliqués in the John Lewis haberdashery section.  There were also some stunning lace fabrics in there I wanted for my veil but they were way too expensive for my budget!

These two are just so delicate and pretty.  The scattered beads sparkle in the sunlight.

I might sew these on either side of the cap.  The other piece I bought was this one.

This piece of lace is gorgeous but a bit more substantial.  This could either go across the top of the cap instead of the more delicate pieces if I want to make more of a statement.  Otherwise I was considering attaching it to the train of the veil.

These appliqués were only between £8-£10 which I thought was a pretty good price.  I'm really undecided at the moment as to how simple or extravagant I want to go with my veil right now, there are so many pretty options!

Juliet Cap Veil DIY update #1

Hello there!

I wrote about my intention to try to make my own Juliet cap style veil last month.  Since then I've taken the first steps towards creating it.

First I took a measuring tape and measured across the top of the head from where I wanted the combs to sit on one side and across to the other.  This came to 12 cm for me.  Then I found the centre of the top of the front of the veil by folding it in half.  I marked the middle with a dress making pin.
I halved the measurement for the distance between the two combs which came to 6 cm and then I measured 6 cm from the middle of the front of the veil to the right and left of the front edge.  This was where I wanted the combs to be.

I then measured 20 cm perpendicular to the front edge of the veil at the these two points where I wanted to place the combs and made little stitches with white thread and a small needle from twenty centimetres out back towards the front edge of the veil.  I pulled this gently to make it gather.  I secured this by knotting the thread.  Then I sewed the gathers to the tulle I had wrapped around the top of the combs.  I decided to place the combs facing down and inwards to the centre of the head with the veil on top when sewing them to the veil.. This was so that they will be placed pointing upwards when placed on the head.

I haven't decided yet if I want to add a trim across the front.  I think it looks more modern with out one but it will look really pretty with one too.  At the moment I have a daisy chain style trim and a beaded sparkly one to try out but I think I will need to know what my dress will be like first.

I also might try to sew something to cover the combs, like a small piece of lace or a sparkly broach.

At the moment I also feel like the cap isn't quite as tight as I'd like so I might experiment with shortening the distance between the two combs and also possibly doing a slightly longer gather at each comb.  I have sewn it all quite loosely for now so it's quite easy to unpick and adjust.

I'm really pleased with it so far and this is definitely the veil style I like.  At the moment my veil is 3 metres long but I'm going to wait until later to decide what length to cut it to or whether or not to sew any think to the train.  Luckily the tulle fabric was quite cheap and I bought quite a lot of it so I feel comfortable experimenting with it.

I will let you know how I get on with this in the future.  Are you making your own veil?  Let me know if you have any tips!

Till next time

Twirlybirdie :)

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Juliet Cap Veil Update #2