Hello — my name is Marina Kushnir and I’d like to present the wedding dress that I made for my daughter Anna. I will explain the dress and then I will explain my experience with Dressmaking Academy.
The dress is made from scratch by me following the Dressmaking Academy courses. I had prior experience in sewing, but this was my first experience making a corset and my first time making a wedding dress. The dress bodice is made out of satin and hand decorated with small cut out lace motifs and the corset is hand embroidered with Swarovski crystals. The corset and the cups are made with rigilene boning. The skirt consists of six layers. The first two layers consist of a lining made out of crepe satin cut out as double half circle and sewn together so the bottom seam is inside. The third layer is a petticoat with a stiff mesh ruffle folded in half and sewn so there is no rough edge. The fourth layer is made of shiny crystal organza to add shimmer to the dress. It is cut in a double half circle, the side seams are “linen seams” and the bottom is a “Moscow seam”. The fifth layer is made out of clear sequin lace fabric to add sparkle and consists of eight half circles sewn together to add fullness on the bottom. The top layer of the skirt is made of two half circles of high quality soft bridal mesh fabric embroidered with the cut out lace motifs. The back closure is a corset lace with a modesty flap underneath sewn on with an “air chain” to allow flexibility. The corset lace meets an invisible long zipper on the skirt. The zipper is sewn only into the lining; all upper skirt layers are free fold not to create thickness in the seam. There are no raw seams in the dress, everything is “packed” either by making a “linen seam” or covered by lining. The only exception is the top layer of the skirt where delicate mesh was simply stitched to achieve an invisible seam. I’m attaching a final picture of the dress as well as pictures of the process. I’m happy to answer questions should you have any.
I’ve been a happy subscriber of Dressmaking Academy for two and a half years and have learned a lot of new techniques and concepts. I’m very grateful that I found this course which is by far the best and the most comprehensive guide on how to make evening and wedding dresses. Being a perfectionist myself, I truly admire Tatiana’s attention to detail. It’s an honor to be able to learn from such a knowledgeable and generous teacher — not only is Tatiana a high class professional, but she’s also very kind and patient, making sure that her students overcome their fears and achieve successful results. Tatiana does not only teach how to make dresses — she teaches how to believe in yourself, which is priceless. She has guided me for more than two years and patiently answered sometimes very silly questions and always encouraged me when I ran into problems. It would be a dream to win the contest and get a lifelong subscription to continue to learn. Marina Kushnir
USA
