Vintage lace veil work in nashville...?

arrabelle

hi ladies! Random question: by some miracle, my mom found my oma's 80 year old lace wedding veil in the basement, JUST after we got engaged! My Oma and I were very very close, she was an amazing woman, and was happily married for 60 years, so I can't tell you how much it would mean to me if I could wear her veil on my wedding day!
Challenge is it wasn't preserved, so the tulle is falling apart but the lace border seems very strong. I'm looking for a seamstress\magician who can remove the lace and sew it onto a new tulle base. It's a cathedral veil so this seems quite a task.
I'm also very new to Nashville, we just moved here last week! Does anyone have any ideas, referrals, advice? Thanks and congrats to everyone!

sboundk

Hi there! 

Welcome to Nashville!  I am too wearing my mom's belgian lace veil on my wedding day.  I am not sure how well my answer is going to help you but I hope it does.

Your best bet to go with a seamstress who has been in the business for quite some time.  Prior to you actually getting it fixed, you may want to clean it. 

Cleaning:

There are several options for you on this.  One warning is you do not want to have it chemically dry cleaned...that might distroy it. :-(  So if you decide to take it to a cleaner, make sure they have the correct way to clean it.  OR you can clean it yourself...one person who I know and the place I bought my dress from said to use woolite on it at home.  I found this on martha stewarts website for cleaning your veil at home:

"Lay the veil flat between two clean white towels, folding it if necessary to fit. The towels will keep the fabric from tearing under its own weight while wet or floating to the top of a tub full of water, which might result in uneven bleaching.

In a bathtub, combine warm water with all-color powder bleach, such as Clorox 2 (I would use Woolite first because it is gentler first before trying Clorox 2), according to the manufacturer's instructions; mixing the bleach with a small amount of very hot water before adding it to the basin of water helps ensure it dissolves fully.

Submerge the towels completely, with the veil between them. Soak for 20 minutes to 2 hours, checking every 20 to 30 minutes for whiteness. When it's done, rinse the towel-and-veil "sandwich" thoroughly with cold water. Wring gently. Remove the veil, lay it flat on a dry white towel, and tamp with another dry towel to remove excess water. Let dry; if the veil is made of tulle or netting, you can then hang it on a plastic hanger to store.  Read more at Marthastewartweddings.com: How do I clean a vintage veil? "

Seamstress:

The one alterations/seamstress I would recommend trying is Elegant Alterations which is in Green Hills and their number is 615-297-7227.  The other idea I would have is once you have cleaned it at home, I would bring it with you to a local fabric shop.  You may be asking why a fabric shop...because often times these places have great recommendations for seamstresses which can do the job of a vintage veil. :-)  There is one shop I would recommend going into and it is called "Textile Fabric Store" and their number is 615-297-5346

Let me know if this helps!  Congrats by the way!