Replies

1. 
   Josefly | Jan 06, 2007 11:51pm | #1

   Don't freak out. I bet you can do it. I made my daughter's veil, but it was simple - no beading, etc, so I can't help you with that. Go and look closely at the veils. Is the one your future dil tried attached to a comb, or a headband, or a clip? Remember that the veil's style, length, etc. depends on both the dress and the way the bride will wear her hair. She may need to talk to her hair-dresser, who will want to see the dress, and who may suggest a style of veil needed to go with her hair-style.

   I was surprised to see how simple it was to gather the tulle and bind the gathered edge with invisible Seams Great, and sew that to a comb. The only problem was finding a comb long (or wide) enough. I finally found some nice long ones at Michael's, but I had to buy a whole package of them just to get one. Neither my Hancock's nor the closest Joann's had combs that were as long as the ones used on professionally-made veils. There may be a better on-line source.

   Depending on what kind and size veil you're making, you may want a very wide tulle, so check the width before you buy -- it comes in several widths. A pattern helps in cutting the tulle, but the one I bought wasn't as full as the one my daughter liked, so I cut the tulle quite a bit wider at the top, to make it fuller, and also used two layers of tulle. (I had to make two, to finally get it right. The tulle was not expensive, thank goodness, and it matched exactly the professionally made ones we had seen.) I also made the actual shape of the tulle sort of like a big wide circle, only flat across the top, cutting off about 1/3 of the circle at the top. This shape allowed the sides of the veil, falling from the comb, to sort of wave down to the curved bottom. I sewed tiny satin ribbon around the edges of the tulle, not right on the edge of the tulle, but about half an inch from the edge, and then trimmed the tulle back to the outer edge of the ribbon. It turned out quite nice. There're folks on this forum much more experienced than I who can give you more tips, I'm sure. There are veil kits available at Hancock's, but you can do it without one, and some of the embellishments included in the kits aren't really very pretty.

   I remember finding it tricky to cut the tulle with scissors without getting a jagged edge, so a rotary cutter helped with that.

   Good luck, and have fun. It will mean so much to the bride to have something made by you. Aren't you lucky to be included in the plans like that?

2. 
   liselaure | Jan 07, 2007 11:23am | #2

   Hello,

   There are wedding veil directions in:

   - Sew a Beautiful Wedding by Gail Brown and Karen Dillon

   - Sewing for Special Occasions, Singer Sewing Reference Library.

   You'll even find some small scale patterns in the first one.

   Lise-Laure

3. 
   jatman | Jan 07, 2007 12:30pm | #3

   Hi Knitey,

   I have a book called '"I Do" Veils - So Can You!' by Claudia Lynch.  The sections inside are:

   Getting Started

   Embellishments

   Veils

   Headpieces (with subheadings Beaded Tiara/Crown/Lace Tiara/Headband/Juliet Cap/Wreath/Cascade/V-Band or Halo/Combs, Barrettes and Banana Clips

   Hats

   Potpourri (Other)

   Inside there are a lot of pencil drawings illustrating the directions.  Can't say that I've used it to make anything but I bought it because I thought a lot of the techniques looked interesting.  It's available on Amazon for about $15 USD.  It also has a list of sources in the back of the book (book was last published in 2001, so hopefully some of the sources are still out there).

   Good luck and let us know how you do!

   JT

4. 
   rsolish | Jan 07, 2007 09:38pm | #4

   it's realy not soo hard as long as you know which kind of vail you want.
   when i needed to make a vail and wanted it to fall in a certin way i made one for my "bride doll" it took a small amount of fabric and i could tell which shape and amount i would need for the real one.
   good luck
   Raya
   From Netanya

5. 
   Becky-book | Jan 08, 2007 05:52pm | #5

   The other posters have given you much good advice, especially about the rotary cutter (must use!!)

   About the beads- get some Gem-tac glue.

   Look at the Advanced Search, scroll down and put in discussion  #5375.3.

   Becky

6. 
   user-51823 | Jan 08, 2007 06:40pm | #6

   ITA with becky (again!) about just using gem-tack or fabri-tac, or other thick clear glue for beads and embellishments. it looks great and saves time, so don't feel like you are "cheating".

   i made a veil for a friend 2 years ago; had to wing it, but it was easy. after she chose her dress and decided on length, i cut a large, long oval. i folded it off-center, so there were 2 layers, top a little shorter than underlayer. gathered the foldline with needle and thread and sewed to a 3-inch clear amber comb (it disappeared into her hair better than the uncolored clear). wired a small "tiara" out of 2 inexpensive faux pearl necklaces and she wore it all over a french bun. she pulled the shorter top layer over her face and it was lifted off during service. not all brides do that, so have her decide on that issue. i made sure her fiancee was there when i delivered the veil and LOL, i made him practice lifting , draping AND smoothing it back before i would leave. guys don't care about that kind of detail, and i did not want her finishing the service with a wacky tower on her head.
   the fun part was the hemming (obviously, this is done before gathering or other mounting). i did a "rolled" hem over clear monofilament, to give the edges volume without using lace or ribbon (which didn't look right with her dress). i have a foot that makes a roll, but the tulle was so fine that the zigzag just scrunched it up. after the second pass, though, it looked as neat as if it were well-rolled.
   took a few experiments to find the right weight filament, which wound up being a medium weight. then i just folded smallest amount of material that was easily workable over the filament and started zigzagging. when i reached the end, i cut the filament a little longer, overlapped and glued together (to avoid it making a "point" in the shape of the veil). trimmed the tulle where needed, and rolled again and zigzagged into a neat roll. sewing with monofilament in the needle is a headache, so i just used cream colored thread. don't be scared, it will look bad on the first zigzag, but disappears into the bulk on the second go-round. HTH- mary

   Edited 1/8/2007 10:46 am ET by msm-s

   Edited 1/8/2007 10:48 am ET by msm-s

   
   

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   Edited 1/8/2007 12:00 pm ET by msm-s

1. 
   vintagefashionlibrary | Apr 04, 2007 06:46am | #17

   I used to sew custom, heirloom wedding veils, but my specialty was silk veils (chiffon, organza, etc). You've gotten a lot of good advice. I'm sure you'll do fine - veils really are easy to make.Just a warning about gluing embellishments...Yes, you can do it and it will look fine. But glue will turn yellow and become brittle over time. If the bride isn't sentimental, or doesn't plan on keeping her veil, that's fine. But if she plans to put the veil away and keep it forever, glue really isn't a good choice. The beading (or whatever) really should be sewn on, and the metal comb should be removed after the wedding to keep it from rusting and staining the veil over the years.Laura

7. 
   Becky-book | Jan 09, 2007 03:59pm | #7

   About hems... if you cut the illusion (fine net) with a rotary cutter and get a nice smooth edge, you do not need a hem unless the bride wants some visual interest along the edge.  Two of my daughters wanted cut edge, the third used my veil but we needed to cut it down and reapply the lace all around the edge!

   You can also use a serger with wooly nylon thread to make what some designers call a 'pencil edge' a very fine line that nicely defines the edge of the veil with out the weight of a band of lace.

   Becky

1. 
   user-51823 | Jan 09, 2007 06:11pm | #8

   plain cut edges on tulle are very pretty and delicate, but can have so little weight and body that they tend to stick to dress, hair, skin and itself in scruchy shapes and need much fidgeting. IMO, seems to work best for stiffer tulle and short poufy veils. FYI, the one i described making had lower tier around the hip and upper fell just below shoulder blades and was made from the finer (lighter weight) tulle. i've been thinking since posting, and do remember that the hem still had uneven thick-thinness after 2 passes. i did go around the whole hem one more time and got the "pencil" look becky named and i was trying to describe, nice and even and thin.

   Edited 1/9/2007 10:23 am ET by msm-s

8. 
   wlric | Jan 10, 2007 12:10am | #9

   An additional thought is that you will need to cut the tulle a little longer than your desired length to allow for the lost length that comes from gathering and hemming. I would consider another inch or two depending on how full the finished veil will be.
   wlric

9. 
   mygaley | Jan 10, 2007 07:34am | #10

   You have gotten a world of useful techniques on this subject. My two favorite tips are 1. Use button-loop tape under the gathers and slip the comb(s) teeth into the little loops; you can use as many combs as you wish. (I'm pretty sure this tip came from Sew a Beautiful Wedding.) 2. I always use the 120 inch wide sparkle tulle; as mentioned it is cheap enough to be able to experiment a little or a lot. Also I love the way a veil with an edge drapes and flows. God bless you Galey

10. 
    user-51823 | Jan 10, 2007 07:31pm | #11

    can't think of anything we haven't covered here. when's the wedding? please post a photo when the veil is done, and good luck!

11. 
    Sunshine | Jan 12, 2007 01:01am | #12

    When I got married 3 years ago, I made my own veil--couldn't see spending $100+ dollars on $10 worth of tulle and trim!!  The other suggestions are great, and I'd like to add a few more.  If you use a satin ribbon around the edge, use a size 9 needle and loosen up the tension a bit so the ribbon lays flat on the tulle.  I didn't discover that trick until too late!!  Sew the ribbon about 1/2" from the edge, then trim, either with your rotary cutter or your unthreaded serger doing the job for you.  You can press the tulle with an iron, but check the temp setting first on a tulle scrap so it doesn't melt it!.  I found that the tulle usually has noticeable fold lines, and steam pressing is the only way to get rid of them. After that, you can just steam and "fluff" it.  

    If you're having a problem finding a good wide comb as the base, you can mail-order them from Anatole's Fabrics at http://www.bridalfabrics.com.  They come in clear, in different widths/number of teeth.  Have fun!! 

12. 
    ineedaserger329 | Mar 18, 2007 02:27am | #13

    I'm afraid I may bee too late to offer advice.....when doing the beading, it might do you well to use one of the following:
    -an opaque shimmering bead
    -pearls
    -a different color bead
    -something in a faux gold or silver opaque finish
    .......something different in general, (assuming she is wearing a shade of white) it will make the beading visable in a sea of whites. the best are beads with a hint of shimmer or a pearly finish....they won't stand out too much, but they will show in pictures....even sequins are wonderful and won't be over-doing it. I think these ladies have wonderful advice and you will do well.

1. 
   knitey | Mar 19, 2007 03:53pm | #14

   Thank you!  It's not too late.  I bought the material this weekend and intend to read, multiple times, all the great suggestions before I start!  Thanks again.

1. 
   ineedaserger329 | Mar 19, 2007 10:56pm | #15

   I think I speak for everyone when I say you are more than welcome... If you can, please post pictures after the event....I'd love to see.

2. 
   Betakin | Mar 23, 2007 05:15am | #16

   If you have a serger, you might wish to use it for all of the bead work.