All Things Metal Clay
An Expert Guide to Making & Selling Jewelry

Kristen’s Wedding, Photo by Outer Focus Photos

Wrapping up Handmade Weddings Week, we arrive at the bride! Anyone going handmade for their wedding probably wants something different, so today I’m highlighting a wedding gown that’s both different and handmade using couture techniques.

This gorgeous dress was made by Chicago area sewist Lisa Polderman for bride Kristen.

Now, your first question is going to be, why is the dress black? The bride and groom wanted to switch the traditional colors for the bride and groom, so he wore a white suit, she wore a black dress that she can wear again! Truly wear again, especially after having it shortened at some point.

That’s the finished dress, but anyone reading this blog is interested in how things are made. Let’s take a look at that shall, we?

Lisa starts at the beginning, with measurements, and then creates a custom pattern:

Here’s the silk charmeuse being cut out:

There are more process shots on Lisa’s blog.

Photo from a fitting. Photo by Angel Photography.

And you can read more and see more pictures of the finished dress and wedding day on Lisa’s blog.

Tomorrow we’ll learn more about Lisa and what motivates her as a sewist and custom clothing maker!

Lisa Polderman

All Photos Reprinted with Permission. Visit Angel Photography and Outer Focus Photos.

What’s the tie-in? This is a jewelry blog, right?

Weddings are a huge market and anyone who makes jewelry should consider what they can make and sell for that market. Wedding rings are an obvious one, but there are so many accessories for the bride, bridesmaids and overlooked groom and groomsmen. Take a look at yesterday’s post — an etsy treasury — for some ideas. A simple necklace, sold in sets of 4 or 6 and labeled bridesmaids gifts is suddenly an easy to buy wedding item!

What about you? Do you sell to the wedding market? Do you avoid it like the plague? Comments, as ever, are open!