Bianca's Bodice

I finally got the final design idea for Bianca's gown yesterday, so started working on her bodice. I had hoped that I could use the actual sari edge along the top of her bodice but that proved impossible. So next idea was to try fit one of the big corner medallions over the bodice front, but it was too big. It was becoming clear that I was going to have to do most of the bodice embellishment by hand, trying to embroider something matching the sari edging.

Third idea was to make the basic bodice front out of cotton, reinforced with iron-on interfacing, and then 'drape' a piece of the sari fabric with one of the smaller medallions over it, with the medallion right in the middle.  Anything to reduce the amount of embroidery I was going to have to do.

That worked, and I sewed the bodice together, and then sewed in the lining. Next step was to embroider the top edge of the bodice with silver thread and sequins, matching the edge of the sari, and then to start embroidering more matching designs to embellish the bodice....

It's very challenging work, because the only silver thread I had was a triple ply 'thread' made up of a silver thread and two super fine 'filaments', and I have to adjust something with every stitch.

The original silver embroidery is done in a tiny chain stitch, and my silver chain stitching isn't anywhere as neat. But with my lousy eyesight, I just have to accept that this is the best I can do anymore.  I notice it isn't 'perfect', but will it matter when the gown is finished, when there is so much more to look at?

The right side is coming along nicely, but then comes another huge challenge - making the left side in a mirror image of the right. Maybe it would be better to catch up on the left before proceeding further with the right. It would probably be easier to make a mirror image working just one small step at a time.