- tulle
- trim same color as tulle (optional)
- comb
- thread same color as tulle/trim
- needle
- fabric glue (optional)
- scissors
Things you'll need to know:
- Making a veil is easy!
- All Wal-Marts do not have fabric
- If you use a lace trim, it needs to be a flat lace, not gathered.
- fabric glue will make your life easier
- You can get all of the above supplies at any fabric store!
- The whole thing should cost you less than $20
Pre veil-making things to do:
- Decide how you want your veil to look. Decide about how long you want your veil and how many layers. More layers=slightly harder to make+more time involved. What color, what trim and such also needs to be decided.
- Go buy all of your supplies. Pick a tulle that matches your dress. You do not want an ivory veil and a white dress for cryin out loud. Also, "shiny" tulle is actually very pretty and shows up well. It's not weird or sparkly or scary at all. That's what I used. The fabric is really cheap and depending on what trim you choose you should not have to spend much money. Do not scrimp on buying the fabric. I bought 3x the amount that I needed and it still cost less than 20 bucks. I got about 5 yards of tulle and all the lace they had (like 10 yards) because it was pretty and I wanted it all.
- Final planning stage: Yay! now you have all the tools necessary. Bunch up all of your tulle and make it look sort of like a veil. Check yourself out in the mirror or have a friend model it for you (thanks, Jeff!). Note where you want your veil to hit on your back/butt/the floor. Now, lay your fabric out flat (doubled if you want two layers, folded side at the top where your head will be) on a non-white surface. I laid mine on an aqua bed sheet.
To make the veil:
- Measure and Cut to length: Don't worry about the width. Whatever width your tulle is, that is fine for your veil. To measure the length, I laid down on the fabric and marked where I wanted it to hit, then just cut the fabric off a little longer than that to account for the length that would be taken up by gathering and sewing. Now, CUT! Straight across. Scary, huh? Don't worry, it looks great already. Remember, the length of this veil is up to you. Here are some common veil lengths to give you an idea: Shoulder length, Elbow length, Fingertip length, Knee length, Ballet length (between knee and ankle), Chapel length (floor), Cathedral length (super long)
- Cut curve: If you are not attaching trim, skip on down to step 3. If you are attaching trim, You don't want corners on your veil. You want a curve at the bottom. I tried various methods of making a precise curve (first cut it using a big bowl as a guide), but the truth is that I ended up free hand drawing on the aqua bedsheet with a pencil. Your veil should now look like a big U filled in. Just be sure and use something as a pattern/guide to cut each curve (one on the left bottom and one on the right bottom) or the two sides will be different. I recommend doing a very gradual curve to make attaching the trim easier.
- Attach the trim: I used lace trim and it was fairly easy to work with and looked great if I do say so myself. You may sew the trim on or use fabric glue. Also, be careful to use as little fabric glue as possible as it does stiffen the fabric. Do tack with thread in various places if using glue. To begin, start at the top left and work your way down and around, leaving the top edge that will be attached to the comb free of trim. To attach at the curves, make tiny pleats in the trim starting a couple of inches before the curve begins and ending a couple inches after it straightens out again. Be sure and tack the pleats with thread. Don't worry, you will not be able to see the pleats.
- Gather the veil: Tie a knot in the end of your thread and get to sewing! start at the top corner about an 3/4 of an inch down from the top and sew back and forth loosely along the top edge. Pull until the gathered part is the same width as your comb. Now you officially have a veil! Go have a glass of wine.
- Attach veil to comb: sew the veil onto the comb. The comb should be attached so that the curve that will be against your head is on the inside with the teeth facing the bottom of the veil. Sew the veil on so that none of the gathered part sticks out. Don't worry if the sewing looks pretty. Guess what? You're finished. Go have another glass of wine, but keep it away from your veil!
