Thursday, August 30, 2012

A Seamstress?

I've been really enjoying some new titles I've taken on recently.
I thought I had them all figured out until yesterday.
I got a beautiful note from a friend {thanks Bri} and it blew me away.
I have called myself a blogger but she called me a writer.
I have called myself a bridesmaid but she called me a friend and seamstress.
Hers are so much better!

You see...
When I found out that Diana was getting married I immediately panicked. 
{Edit: First I was overjoyed for her, then the panic.}
This is a friend who hand-makes beautiful gifts for weddings and showers.
I'm not talking simple hand-mades here.  
We have gorgeous full size quilts and knit blankets care of Diana.
I didn't know if I'd be able to conjure up something quite as thoughtful.

Then, as we looked at some Etsy shops for wedding dresses, I found myself thinking "I can do that".
I used to sew, I used to love sewing.
But, as with many things, who has the time?
Not to mention that clothes are so cheap {a la Joe, H&M, F21} that is isn't cost effective anymore.
Well, in wedding dresses, it is.

We found 2 patterns that, combined, made her dream dress.
We sourced some Dupioni Silk in a closing out sale {thanks to a tip from her Aunt}.
I got out the dress form and we were off.
The dress came together beautifully with a few minor pattern adjustments.
tea length wedding dress
Then we decided to add a little fun with some tulle peeking out the bottom.
I couldn't find the right colour so bought some ivory and tea dyed it.
These were my testers. I tried coffee {far} as well but it had a bit of an orange tinge, good old Earl Grey {middle} was the winner.
tea dyeing
We also got such a good deal on the fabric that we had enough to make a flower girl dress.
{I altered this pattern to add some red tulle and a layer of lining so that she wasn't itchy.}
Flower girl dress
I even ended up with a little time for altering my own dress.
Now that I'm a mother {and over 30} I don't find I can wear things as short as I used to.
I loved everything about this dress except the "Jersey Shore" length.
A trip back to the fabric store for a little navy chiffon and I had another 4 inch layer at the bottom.
{These are the before and after shots, you can barely see that 4th layer.}
Navy bridesmaid dress
Navy bridesmaid dress
 So, for now at least, I'm a seamstress.
Maybe someday, when I can make the time for it, I'll really own up to this title.

Update:  Please don't judge our circa 1970's attic space {aka my office} in those last 2 shots.

2 comments:

  1. Wow, you're talented! I wish I could sew like you. The last time I tried was in grade 9 and I sewed through my finger and had to go to the medi-clinic : (

    P.S. Love your photo header!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's so funny how we view our friends - as I totally think of you as creative and so so so talented. The dress is/was absolutely perfect. I felt so lucky and beautiful and a lot of that was you. I can't say thankyou enough.

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