For her summer afternoon garden wedding, Leah and I chose all-cottons for her wedding ensemble. She didn’t want a formal gown, and though we added a little bit of bling with her belt and handmade bouquets (coming soon!), we kept the trims cotton as well! A hint of unbound grosgrain ribbon was added to outline her ceremony jacket.
What is so fantastic about unbound grosgrain ribbon is that you can steam it into any shape you want! You can follow the line of a pattern exactly, eliminating any puckers or wrinkles. Shown in the photo above is my paper pattern of the jacket’s cutaway front and the steam iron shaping it to fit!
It’s an old milliner’s trick that I have brought into dressmaking.
The visible part of this trim is only about 1/4”, but I stitched it to the edge of the jacket using a blind hem, set back off the edge about 1/2” to add a little depth and shadow. People who have seen the dress (including Leah) really love the red edging. Leah really wanted to have a look of fun and joy, and this trim really seems to make people smile.
