Designing with Paper!

I love working with paper and am really excited to say that I will be joining the Arnold Grummer's design team in January!  

Making dresses with handmade paper is so much fun. Cut the paper, get it damp and it is easy to work with, almost like delicate fabric.

If you have a dress form to work with it makes it easier to form the wet paper when creating the dress. Before the paper is  wet run a thread about every 1/2 inch through the top of the skirt to help hold the gathers in place. After the paper is wet gently (VERY GENTLY) pull the thread to make the gathers. 

Pictured is the damp paper dress tied with ribbon on the form ready to dry overnight. When making a project like this allow plenty of drying time.  NO cheating... the paper must be totally dry before removing it from the dress form.

The dried pieces are able to free stand.  To make the dress I free cut the a skirt, three parts for the bodice and the sleeves. The size will depend on the dress form you use. After the pieces are dry add lace.

Lace was inserted inside the front of the skirt. Then the first two pieces of the bodice were adhered to the base structure.

The third piece of the bodice was trimmed with lace around the neck, edges and over the cap sleeves. Then it finished off with a brass bow!

Add the sleeves trimmed with lace around the cuffs. The dress is 14 inches from the back of the neck to the bottom of the skirt.

It is amazing how getting paper wet changes when it is worked with. The dress is able to stand on its own. Spritz dress lightly with Glimmer Mist to give it some sparkle!  Note: If you get the paper too wet it will loose the form.

Supplies:

Handmade paper

Lace (spritzed with Glimmer Mist)

Brass Bow

Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist - Crushed Eggshells

Dress form

Needle and Thread

Thank you for joining me today. I look forward to sharing with you in the future!