Friday, July 27, 2007

DIY: Veils

I found this online in my travels and had it saved to my computer. I cannot remember where it came from.

"The wedding veil is an essential part of your ensemble. Rather than paying hundreds of dollars for your bridal veil, you could get creative and make one yourself! This is not as difficult as it may sound – with the right supplies and a little creativity anyone can craft a beautiful wedding veil that will remain an heirloom for years to come. Imagine how special it would be to hand the bridal veil that you made yourself and wore at your wedding to your daughter on her special day!

Supplies Needed:
First, you need to gather your supplies. Here is a list of things you may need to make your veil. Most of the items on this list can be purchased at your local craft store such as JoAnn's or Ben Franklin Crafts.
* Button hole thread
* White, or clear headband
* Velcro
* Batting
* Wide ribbon in white
* Floral wire in white
* Clear plastic hair combs
* White tulle
* Adornments like beads, pearls, crystals or rhinestones
* Hot glue gun

How to:
Lay your tulle on a flat surface and decide what length you want your veil to be. Then, fold the veil in half and weight it down so it will lay flat. Use chalk to draw a curved shape for the bottom of the veil then trim accordingly with fabric shears.
Now you'll want to unfold the tulle and gather the straight edge, or top of the veil. To accomplish this, you'll need thick, button type thread and a running stitch across the top of the tulle. Then, push the tulle together to create crimping. Now the top of the veil is smaller so that it can be attached to the headpiece.
Using your hot glue gun, attach the crimped end of the tulle to the headband. Once dry, use hot glue to attach the adornments such as satin or lace ribbon, miniature silk flowers, pearls, or stones to the headband.
For some expert guidance, check with the craft stores in your area. Many of them hold classes on making veils. At the least, they may be able to give you some helpful advice or direct you to a book of patterns so that you can see photographic examples and ideas."