So, when a bride contacted me through my Etsy shop asking if I would make her a custom cathedral length cape, I jumped at the opportunity. She loved the cut of one of my "shorter" versions on Etsy and wanted me to make it into a cathedral length version. She included a couple of pictures for me of a cape with appliques that she loved and we continued collaborating on the final design through email. She was an absolute delight to work with! I sent her pictures along the way, so that she could see how it was coming together and we could make modifications if necessary. As it turned out, she just kept giving me a "thumbs up" and allowed me to use my creative license to develop the design as I saw fit. Just what a designer wants to hear!
The bride has an elegant and classic strapless trumpet style silk gown, with no
embellishments. Her train is chapel length , so the cape will be the perfect accent piece for her signature look. She plans on wearing it for the ceremony and will remove it for the reception. Can't you just envision the entrance she'll make?
Frankly, I lost track of the total hours of labor involved after 25 hours. There was a lot of handstitching of the appliques due to the intricacies of the leaf and floral pattern in the appliques.
Prior to the stitching though, was the time it takes to develop the actual design or layout of the appliques. Some of them are in their original state as I received them from the vendor. However, the vast majority I cut apart to make my own unique appliques in varying shapes and sizes.The cut of the cape is a circular shape, so the front of the cape has a "flutter" like drape (which was one of the elements my bride really liked) versus the typical straight edge down to the floor. This is going to create a lovely framework for her gown!
I also added 3D flowers to the appliques very sporadically....but, they pop due to the pearls and sequin accents I added....they'll look beautiful sparkling in the sunlight. The bride's request for a floral lace pattern is based upon the fact that she is getting married in Hawaii in a garden setting!
I'm looking forward to receiving pictures from her after the wedding. She had sent me a few pictures of her in her gown and she is absolutley beautiful. She had a very clear vision of what she wanted and I'm honored to have brought it to life for her!
