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Do you want to personalize the inside of your wedding dress? Maybe sew your wedding date or your initials on the inside of your wedding dress? Well, I have the wedding DIY tutorial for you today! If you are bride looking to customize the inside of your wedding dress, or a mother looking to make a patch for the inside of your daughter's wedding gown, or just a really thoughtful friend looking to do something for your bestie bride, you are in the right place!
You know I love to embroider the inside of my wedding garters with things like couple's initials and their wedding date, but there are so many other options to embroider, like the inside of a wedding dress. I thought it would be fun to create this super simple tutorial for those wondering how to easily personalize the inside of their wedding dress. You can see more of my custom wedding garters here and check out some of the embroidery that I've done on the inside of my garter designs. Adding the embroidery always makes the heirloom that much more special and personal. Remember, you can shop my garter collection anytime here on my site and add embroidery to any garter!
I have a super simple tutorial for adding a special touch to the inside of any wedding dress. In just a few steps you'll take your wedding dress from off-the-rack to so personal! This will make your wedding dress an heirloom that you'll always remember. Think about the tears of joy when you give your wedding dress to your daughter and she sees the embroidery on the inside of your dress!? And, then she adds her own wedding date right next to yours! I'm getting goosebumps just typing this!
Video: How To Embroider Inside Of Wedding Dress
I made a quick video for you, if you like to watch instead of read. But, there is a lot more information here in this blog post about how exactly to embroider. So, if you watch the video, make sure you come back to the blog post, if you need more help.
If this video doesn't show up, click here.
Embroidery Options!
The options for what to embroider on the inside of your wedding dress are endless. You could do your initials, your new monogram, your wedding date, a heart – there are so many choices. And, you could make it blue to be something blue! For this tutorial we did the couple's initials and a heart.
You could also do the embroidery on a little patch or separate piece of material and then sew that inside the wedding dress. I've seen where mother's of brides will take a piece of their wedding dress or an heirloom hankie and use that to create a patch for their daughter's wedding dress. Here is a custom garter that I made with the mother's wedding dress and then she requested I make her a patch with their wedding date to sew into a hankie for the groom.
The best part of this entire wedding DIY project is that it doesn't cost very much at all. One packet of embroidery floss, which is sold at just about any craft store or line, (Think JoAnn's, Michaels, A.C. Moore), is $1 or less!
This wedding dress embroidery tutorial is also good for those that think they can't even sew a button! I've had a few friends who claim they can't sew try my embroidery method and they did it! So, even if you think you can't sew, you can do this – trust me! Keep in mind that you don't have to be a "sewer" to do this – you only need to make one! It isn't like you need to personalize the inside of 1,000 wedding dresses – you just need to make one, and that you can do!
And, if it doesn't work out or you run into any troubles embroidering the inside of your wedding dress, send me an email at info@thegartergirl.com, I'm happy to walk you through it and answer any questions.
Photo Credits: Abby Jiu Photography
Step One
Type out on computer and print, or hand draw on a piece of paper with pencil the pattern or letter/number combination that you want. You will use this to trace onto the dress. If you use a computer, you can choose different fonts that you love. Take your piece of paper with your pattern on it and place under the dress where you want the embroidery to be. I like to do it on the inside lining of your dress where you can get underneath the lining. (You'll see why in a minute!) With your pencil, lightly trace over your pattern.
Step Two
Cut a length of embroidery floss about 30 inches long. Once piece of floss is actually made of several smaller/thinner pieces. I like to use just two of these small pieces of floss for my embroidery. The more pieces you use, the thicker your design will be. Pull the pieces apart slowly so that they don't tangle. (Tip: While sitting down, I hold the one end of floss between my knees and separate with my hands the other end. This keeps its from knotting up like ball.)
Step Three
Time to thread your needle. Hold your two (or more) strands of floss together and put them through the eye of your sewing needle. The "eye" is the loop on the opposite end of the pointy end of the needle. (Tip: Moisten your strands and slightly trim them at an angle to make a point. This will help it go through the eye more easily.) Pull the strand about a quarter of the way through the eye and let it hang. On the long end of the floss hanging from the eye, tie a knot.
Step Four
Place your dress in your lap with the right side facing you with the pencil pattern right in front of you. (Tip: The "right side" is the side that you want to see when it is finished. The "wrong side" is the backside of the side of the fabric that no one will see.) Put your needle with the floss on it underneath your dress (going from wrong to right side) and place the pointy tip of the needle at the spot where your pencil mark starts. Pull the needle through the dress at this starting point. Gently pull your needle with the floss through the dress until the knot catches and you can't pull it anymore.
Step Five
Use the pencil markings as your guide and sew right over the pencil marks. If you made the pencil marks light enough, you won't see the marks when you are done.
Now, place your needle 1/8th an inch past the point where the floss came through from the wrong side. This is your starting point. Push the needle through the dress slightly and pop it back through the dress just before the starting point. It helps to use your opposite hand's thumb as a guide. Gently pull the floss until it catches and you can't pull anymore. Don't pull it too tight.
Repeat this method by putting your needle 1/8th of an inch father up the pencil mark and pop it through the dress right at the point where the last stitch ended. (Tip: This is called the "running stitch" in embroidery terms. You can look that up on You Tube or Google for tons of tutorials. Sometimes it is easier to watch a video than read instructions!) Repeat these tiny stitches all across the pencil marks until the end.
Step Six
When you get to a sharp corner, push your needle down through the dress to the wrong side, as if you are starting again from the beginning. Then bring the needle back up through to the right side of the dress at the point that you want to start a new angle. Continue the "running stitch" down your pencil marks in the other direction.
Step Seven
When you are finished and you've reached the end of your pencil marks, push your needle down through the dress to the wrong side. Turn the dress over so that you are looking at the wrong side. Pull your needle off of the floss and set it aside, you are finished with the needle. Gently tie the floss strands into a knot and trim the ends, leaving about a 1-inch tail.
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So, what do you think? Will you do it? Will you embroider the inside of your wedding dress or create a patch for the bride-to-be? There are so many ways to personalize the inside of your wedding dress and turn it into a wedding heirloom you'll cherish forever!
For more wedding ideas and inspiration, or DIY wedding tutorials be sure to check out my blog and remember that you can shop for a wedding garter anytime on my site. You can also email me atinfo@thegartergirl.com – I'd love to work with you to custom design the most perfect wedding garter heirloom that you'll love forever!
The photos in this post are credited to Abby Jiu Photography.
