The Drop Veil Tech Packs Are Here

In fashion, nobody cuts anything until the tech pack is done. It's the page that records every decision about a garment: the fabric, the measurements, the details. The cutting comes later, once the decisions are made.

Making a veil is no different, but a lot of DIY brides do it the other way round. They buy the fabric first and make their veil decisions afterwards. It's an easy mistake to make, and I say that as someone who has been sewing for thirty years.

So I made a tech pack for veils. The Drop Veil Tech Packs are now on Etsy, one for each of three drop veil shapes.

What is a drop veil?

A drop veil is the classic veil style, defined by having no gathers. It lies smoothly over your head from the comb and falls cleanly. The length is yours to choose, which is exactly why it helps to plan it before you buy anything.

Choose your shape

All three are drop veils. They differ in shape:

• Circle: the same length all the way around, so you can make it any length you like. In high fashion, circle drop veils can go all the way to the floor and be highly embellished at the bottom.

• Oval: shorter at the front and longer at the back. Because it's an oval, it's wider, so the fabric can still curve around your body and arms.

• Drop: short at the front and long at the back, with a curved front and a curved back. The sides are straight, so it drapes behind you more than the oval does.

What's inside

It's a 7-page printable PDF. Inside you'll find:

• How to use it

• A design page with swatch boxes for your dress fabric and your veil fabric

• A supplies checklist

• A sheet to record your decisions: your fabric, your comb, where you're buying

• A flat drawing of the veil fabric shape, with dimensions

• A sheet to record your veil measurements and fabric dimensions

The flat drawing is how designers draw a garment: laid out flat with the measurements marked, so you can see the shape you're about to cut before you cut it.

Who it's for

• First-time sewers who aren't sure where to start

• Brides who have fallen for a look, a film veil or a celebrity veil, and want to work out what it would take

• Anyone who would like their numbers written down before they walk into the fabric shop

What it isn't

It isn't a sewing pattern or a step-by-step tutorial. It's the planning step that comes before. It doesn't choose your shape or your length for you. It's where you record your decisions. Once they're written down, the making tends to go a lot more smoothly.

How I'd use it

1. If you haven't already, start with the free Pre-Veil Checklist.

2. Fill in the design page. Tape a swatch of your dress fabric into one box and your veil fabric into the other, and check the colour in daylight.

3. Record your decisions: your fabric, your comb, and where you're buying.

4. Take your measurements and write them on the flat drawing with your fabric dimensions.

5. Take it with you when you go shopping.

Once it's filled in, it becomes a keepsake: a record of the veil you planned, with your swatches, measurements and choices, to keep for the memories.

If you'd like the thinking behind those decisions, I've written about them in 5 Decisions to Make Before You Buy Your Veil Fabric and 5 Decisions to Make Before You Start Sewing Your Veil.

The practical details

Each pack is a digital download: one PDF, for personal use, and nothing is posted to you. The file is US Letter size (8.5 x 11 inches). If you print on A4, choose "Scale to fit" or "Fit to page" in your print settings.

Get the Drop Veil Tech Pack on Etsy

Matching swatch packs are coming soon, so you'll be able to test your fabric in daylight too.

Best,

Kerry

The Veil Workshop