Runners for the Bride

As in "table linens," of course, not sprinters.

The bride who had me make a sash for her dress also wanted coordinating runners to decorate the tables at the reception.




The fabric is actually more navy than it appears in the photo, and the lining is more ecru than actual white. It has a poly/cotton fiber content. It had to be a closely-woven cotton or cotton-blend, because the bride plans to have a wreath design screen printed on to match the graphics on the wedding invitations. Each of the runners is seven feet long by one foot wide, with a decorative seam two inches from the edge.

Simply elegant.

For Auction Again...

Well, not really. It is for sale, though.

Remember the silent auction dress? I still have it, and now I am offering to you!! Here is another picture of it (I think it shows up better in this one than the one in the previous post):

It is about a size 6/8, and you can have it for $75 (plus shipping, if it has to be sent somewhere). Just send me an email if you are interested or if you have any questions.

Wouldn't you love to have this pretty little thing?

Something Blue

More wedding wonderfullness!!

Perhaps that is a tad too gushy for this little project, but it is for a wedding, after all. Is not the occasion supposed to be all bubbly and iridescent?

The soon-to-be-bride in this case had a slight problem with her wedding garments. The gown itself is a simple, lovely white lace little thing. The sash with it, though, just did not do it for her. I would have to agree.

It is not that the sash itself is bad, per se; it just is not right for the dress. Obviously, I haven't a picture of it with the actual dress, but I can show it to you against a white lace background. The color, as you can see is champagne. Against the dress, it is really quite jarring. The color is the first thing that makes it wrong for the dress.

The second is that it is too long. The dress is floor-length with no train, and the bride is not a tall woman. This sash, even when tied in a bow, extends a few feet beyond the hem of the dress. It just does not look quite right.

The third difficulty with it is the weight. The thing is heavy. The dress is empire-waisted, which means that the sash has to be attached to the dress by means of a couple hooks that are inserted into thread loops at the waist seam. That makes for an awful lot of weight dragging on the bride as she walks, not to mention a lot of pull on the dress itself.

This sash just will not do. Here is its replacement:

Once again, my client decided to go with something slightly off the beaten path of wedding tradition. (I believe her shoes will match the sash, too.) The navy contrasts prettily with the white lace, and the single layer of fabric is nice and light. (The edges have a rolled, serged finish.) Additionally, it is a better length, since it was made especially for the lady who will be wearing it.

It is so nice to supply a bride with just what she wants.

Update: When my client came to get the runners I made for her, she said that the sash looked great with her dress when she tried it on at the final fitting. Her mother, who came with her, also exclaimed that it looked really good. I am quite pleased with such a report.

Not Your Average Wedding Gown

I must admit that I actually prefer non-traditional wedding gowns. Traditional ones are very lovely; do not get me wrong. However, I like something a little more unusual. This recent client of mine presented me with the opportunity to construct something somewhat out of the ordinary when it comes to wedding attire.

It is for a second wedding, and she wanted to be different. She looked at all the traditional nuptial couture and was unable to locate what she wanted. That is when she contacted me. Since she could not even find a picture of what she had in mind, she sent me what she called a "rough sketch" (which is a whole lot better than anything I could draw). This was my introduction to the project:

It is a two-piece dress. The bodice is a strapped corset; the skirt has an uneven hemline, with the front higher than the back. She said that she was thinking of a champagne shade of fabric. I told her I thought it would be beautiful. The material she ended up getting is more gold than champagne, but I think it made a gorgeous gown.

The bodice is boned with ribs on nine of its seams; it will not lose its shape. It is trimmed with the skirt fabric, and the same fabric was also used for the lacing. (The small picture at the top shows a detail of the bodice brocade and solid trim.) The skirt has a darker gold lining, which adds a little interest and subtle emphasis to the high/low hemline.

The wedding is scheduled for September, but my client was quite happy to have the dress taken care of early. She was decidedly pleased with how it turned out, saying that it is even better than she expected to be. Now that makes for job satisfaction.

Good Cause Epilogue

Remember the dress I made for the Sticks to Bricks silent auction? Since it did not fit the mother of the man who won it, I got to make another one. She tried on the one that was at the auction and decided that she would like the neckline raised a little and that she would prefer sleeves. (The original was sleeveless.)

She also wanted a different fabric. The fabric I used for the first dress was a pale lavender polyester; she wanted something a little more breathable, and she mentioned that she likes blue. However, she did not wish to vary the color very much from the original, since that one had made her son think of her. I set off to the fabric store to see what I could find.

I returned with an absolutely gorgeous piece of blue cotton, which is pictured at the top of the post. It has a pretty texture woven into it, and the finish on it makes it wrinkle-resistant. It has somewhat purple undertones to it, keeping it near the spectrum of the original fabric. It made a lovely dress.

The bodice is lined with a lightweight white poly/cotton blend. She was delighted with the fabric I chose, calling it a "happy medium" between the material used for the first dress and the color that she prefers.

I was quite pleased with how it all turned out, and so was she. She told me that she would wear it for her birthday. Additionally, her son was gratified because he was able to get her just what she wanted, making a happy ending for everyone involved.

Retro Baby

You know what is an adorable combination? A cute baby and a vintage pattern. The dainty styles of the older clothing are so sweet. This darling little dress was made from an original 1950s pattern, and it complements its wearer delightfully.

The fabric is a cotton calico with royal blue roses on a light blue background. The bodice has four little buttons down the front. The puffed sleeves and gathered skirt add plenty of snuggly fullness.

See what I mean? The girl and dress make a delightful pair!!

Ties inserted at the side seams make a cute bow in the back and allow for some adjustability in the fit.

It is so much fun to make old-fashioned little girl clothes!!

A Case for Protection

No, I have no connections with the mafia.

Most of my projects are fairly typical, but every once in awhile, I encounter a proposition to make something a bit more unusual, such as constructing aviation headset covers for a pilot whose equipment was scratching the canopy of his plane. Those kinds of things present a special challenge, because I have to completely design the item and then figure out how to make it. It was in such an instance that I worked on the subject of this post.

My client has a son with an extremely rare metabolic disease, and he uses an assistive communication device. Because he can be a bit rough with the things around him, my client wanted a protective cover for his Vanguard. She also wanted it to be thickly padded enough that he would have to use his fingertips on the screen and not just rest his whole hand on it. She and his teacher made a foam frame to fit around the front and sides of the machine; my job was to enclose that frame in fabric in order to keep it on the Vanguard and to provide additional padding for the back.

The foam is about an inch thick. I cut slots in it where it goes over the top of the screen so that those working with the boy can still access the buttons at the top, but the nylon fabric covers them so that he cannot manipulate them. The back of the case opens to allow access to various necessary ports needed for connection to computer and charging devices, as well as a hook that enables attachment of the machine to a stand. In the photo, you can see the D-rings on the sides for use with a carrying strap.

The challenge of making something like this is always exciting, but the thrill of being able to provide a satisfactory product is simply wonderful. It was especially so with this project, since it helped a special boy and his family.

June is Bustlin' Out All Over...

'Tis the quintessential wedding month. I am not sure why. Here in the South, it is the beginning of hot, humid weather. It must be pleasant enough in other places, though.

At any rate, weddings are fun, no matter what time of year they take place. I had the privilege of sewing for one almost a year ago (a June wedding, to be sure). Among other things, I got to put a bustle in the bride's gown.

For those of you who have not a clue what a wedding gown bustle is, I will explain. Gowns with trains look lovely going down the aisle. The yards of trailing fabric are just so romantic. They can also be a safety hazard during during a reception, not to mention a damper on one movements. Thus, a bustle is contrived as a way to get all that extra material out of the way--while still looking lovely. (And, yes, certain types of wedding gown bustles do bring to mind the bustles once worn by Victorian ladies to--uh--"shape" the backs of their skirts.)

This is the back of the dress, unbustled. As you can see, the train on this gown is not very long. Still, the bride wanted to be unhampered for the reception. Because of the very simple, elegant style, a typical underbustle or overbustle, while getting the extra fabric out of the way, would have disturbed the clean cut of the design. Instead, we decided to go with something a bit unusual but extremely pretty.

The small photo at the top of the post is a close-up of the bustled gown. The shirred effect is achieved by means of "drawstrings" (ribbons) in casings, much like a balloon shade. I handstitched the casings to the inside of each of the three back seams in the train. If you look closely at the larger picture above, you can see that the dress has a sheer overlay. Since it, too, had to be gathered when the ribbons were pulled through the casings, I stitched it to the dress along the seamlines. (The overlay has seams just like the dress.)

After the ceremony, the ribbons were pulled up through the casings and tied to loops sewn above them (also attached at the seams). The resulting cascade preserved the simple beauty of the gown and left the bride free to enjoy the reception.

Here she is, dancing with her new husband. The bustle received a lot of compliments. Everyone was delighted with how well it turned out, not least of whom was the lady herself. That makes it all worthwhile.

Nature's First Green is Gold...

It is not, though, a hard hue to hold when it is incorporated into a pretty dress. Actually, the dress is gold with a green vine, but that is a mere technicality. I think Mr. Frost's rhyme still applies.

This particular creation is a combination of two different decades: The sleeveless bodice is a modification of a 1950s pattern; the A-line skirt is from a pattern printed in 1976. The span of a score of years or so, however, does not detract in the slightest from the nice result.


It is also a combination of a couple different needlework techniques: sewing and crocheting. If you look closely at the above picture, you can see the pale green crocheted vine that winds around the body from the neckline to the hem. The small photo at the top is a detail of the neckline.


The fabric is a gold brocade, and the leaf pattern is a perfect background for the crocheted vine. Because of the zipper down the back, the vine is actually in two pieces, but the general effect is of one long sprig of greenery. Once again, the subtlety of detail is what takes this dress beyond the ordinary--and contradicts dear Robert's assertion that "nothing gold can stay."

When You Wish Upon a Sewing Machine...

Making children's clothing can be so much fun. It is always a delight to complete a cute little outfit, especially when it is for a special occasion.

In this instance, the occasion was a trip to Disney World. My client brought me three smocking plates (completed smocked designs) to be inserted into new outfits. Her family was going to Florida, and she wanted matching clothes for her children. Minnie Mouse silhouettes were to be inserted in the girls' sleeveless A-line shirts, and a Mickey Mouse silhouette was intended for the little boy's romper.


Are they not adorable? (Their older sister was still trying on her outfit.) All the pieces are fully lined, and all the tops unbutton at the shoulder. The girls' pants have elastic waistbands. Narrow red piping outlines the smocked insertions.

I hope they enjoyed their trip immensely. It is nice to think that my handiwork had the opportunity to go all over the "happiest place on earth."

Cushy Redo

Sometimes you just need something new. Or at least something that looks new. Moth and rust doth corrupt, after all--as do our beloved pets...

In this case, my client's dogs had decided that it would be fun to tear up the covers of her couch cushions. When she decided to redecorate, the interior designer with whom she was working told her to get a new couch. That is not an inexpensive proposition.

The couch itself was in good shape, but the cushions looked decidedly the worse for wear. Besides, she liked the couch. So she contacted me about recovering the cushions and making some new throw pillows.

When she brought the cushions to me, she had already cut off and thrown away the old covers. If she had not done so, I could have used them for patterns. I managed just fine without them, though. (The finished cushions are on my daybed in the photo; I wanted a picture of them but knew I would not be able to see them in her house.) The throw pillows are simple chenile squares. The covers for the couch cushions have piping around the edges and zippers on the bottoms, since she wanted to be able to remove and wash the covers. Considering the fact that she has dogs, that was not a bad idea.

Her ottoman also needed reviving. She was particularly pleased with how well it turned out, and so was I. The top cushion has a zipper on the bottom and is attached to the base with Velcro, again making it possible to remove and wash the cover. The base itself has an elasticized cover so that it, too, can be taken off.

This project cost her much less than buying a new couch would have, and she still got to update her decor the way she wanted. It is great to be able to resuscitate someone's "treasure."

Pillowed Parlors

Throw pillows can really make a big difference in a room. They can either complement or contrast with the overall decor, emphasizing different aspects of the color scheme. They also make the room cozier and more welcoming, inviting people to settle in and be comfortable.

In this case, my client wanted throw pillows for two very different rooms: the living room and the game room. She had fabric to work with both rooms; I just had to turn the material into pillows. The style of pillow is the same for both rooms, although the piping size is different for the two rooms.

This is in the living room. The small photo at the top of the post is of the left-hand pillow on the couch. Once again, the camera flash caused a color change.

This is in the game room. The walls in this room are actually the same shade of pale blue that is in the paisley pattern of the fabric. In both rooms, throw pillows were an easy way to add interest and comfort to the decor.

Veiled Belle

It is such an honor to be involved with a wedding. I am always pleased when I can contribute to such a joyful celebration. I started early with my wedding experience, since I was the five-year-old flower girl when my oldest sister married. (Incidentally, my sister is a fantastic seamstress, too. She made her own wedding dress, and she and my mother made the bridesmaids' dresses. You might almost say that sewing is in my genes.) Having a relatively large family, I participated a few more times in the nuptials of siblings before I first sewed for a wedding.

When I was asked earlier this year to make the veil for a friend's wedding (actually, both the bride and groom are friends of mine), I was thrilled. She wanted a cathedral-length veil with a lot of fullness and multiple layers. I talked her out of a layer or two, because it would have overshadowed her lovely dress and her lovely self. In lieu of using the added tiers of tulle to achieve the desired fullness, I did a lot of gathering. The result was nice and fluffy.

Is she not pretty? (As a Georgia native, she is a true Southern belle!) This picture was taken during the reception; she sweetly let me reattach the train so that I could take a photo of it, which is why the train is wrinkled. The white background makes it a little difficult to see, but the top back layer of the veil is fingertip-length, while the blusher is wrist-length. The nine-foot train is secured to the comb by Velcro, making it easily detached.

Here it is without the train. She was delighted with the veil, and it received several compliments. Even a couple people who did not know that I had made it commented to me that the fullness was very nice. I am pleased I could add to the special occasion.

Not Just a Scarf Anymore

One of the great things about sewing is being able to take one thing and turn it into something else. In this case, my client had a window scarf that she wanted made into a valance for her kitchen. She loved the material, but it just was not what she wanted for the room. Since I am quite accustomed to looking at just about any fabric item as a possible supply source for another project, it was easy for me to envision the scarf as something else. Not everyone can mentally "see" finished products like that, but my client could. In fact, she knew just how she wanted the valance to look and made me a sketch of it. I love working with creative, artsy people like that. They know what they want; I just have to figure out how to construct it.

After taking the measurements and with my client's sketch and the details she had given me about additional accents, I set off to find the necessary material and buttons. It does not show up very much in the photos, but the scarf fabric has dark sage green stripes among all the reds, oranges, and golds. I found some gabardine that nicely picked up the green. Finding the wooden buttons was harder; they must not be especially popular right now. However, I eventually discovered some that would work.

Since the scarf material was very fluid, I lined the valance with unbleached cotton muslin to give it some body. The straps are for decoration only; they cannot be unbuttoned. Since, as you can see, there is considerable wall space between the top of the window and the ceiling, the length of the valance visually extends the window and makes the room itself seem taller and more spacious.

It really looks good in her lovely kitchen. She told me that she receives many compliments on it, and that is always gratifying to hear.

On the Subject of Handbags...

Or purses or pocketbooks or whatever you call the accessory that women use to carry their personal stuff with them.

Since my last post was about the reproduction Victorian opera bag I crocheted, I thought it would be fitting to show you a purse I made recently. This one was a gift for my sister (a blue rose fanatic), and I made it to her specifications. The fabric was leftover from a dress I made a few months ago, and it just reminded me of her. You must admit that her fancy for blue roses is wonderful, since it is the reason that such things of beauty remind me of her.




It is fully lined with a blue plaid fabric that also brings her to mind (for an entirely different reason that would take too long to explain), and there is a zippered inside pocket in the back. I wish I had taken a picture of that before I sent it too her, but I did not think of it at the time. The button loop that secures the top flap is made of the same fabric as the outside of the purse.

In all, I thought it turned out well. She did, too, which fact delights me. I love you, sis!!

Just One More (for a Good Cause)...

This will be the final post about the Sticks to Bricks dinner. I think. It is not really sewing-related, but it does have to do with my outfit for the evening.


I posted earlier about my gold evening gown. I accessorized it with this beautiful little handbag, a reproduction of a Victorian opera bag:



I crocheted it a year or two ago, using size 30 thread. I made it a little larger than the pattern specified and lined it with some off-white fabric pulled from my stash. It is big enough that I had room for my car key, business cards, and camera; and the drawstrings are long enough that I could put them over my shoulder. The ecru thread went perfectly with the gold silk of my dress, and it added a vintage touch of class to my attire.

Evening Elegance--For a Good Cause

I promised I would post some more about the dress I wore to the Sticks to Bricks charity dinner. I had to make a new dress for it, because I had nothing appropriate to wear that actually fit properly. However, I did not want to spend a great deal of money, either. That is when I remembered something in my fabric stash.

Anyone who does very much sewing has a fabric stash. Having loads of excess material seems to be a sort of disease for seamstresses. We buy fabric just because it is pretty or just because it is on sale or just because we will have some use for it someday. The fabric multiplies, too, and not necessarily through additional purchases. Once friends and family--even casual acquaintances, at times--discover that someone knows how to make things out of fabric, all kinds of textile gifts are suddenly bestowed. The fabric stash grows.

In this case, it was a very good thing.

One of my friends is another seamstress. She is retired now, but she sewed professionally for over forty years. She loved doing it, too. Her specialty was window treatments (she worked with an interior designer), but she made a good many other things, as well. When I bought my house and mentioned to her that I wanted to make a gold valance for the music room, she presented me with a good-sized bag of gold fabrics. Not just any gold fabrics, mind you. No, they were all silk. Such luxurious gorgeousness!

That bag of yet-unused gold silk is what I remembered when I needed to make an evening gown to wear to a black-tie dinner. There was enough of one of the fabrics to not only construct the dress but to also line it. The scraps remaining after the project was completed were not skimpy, either. And I happen to think the dress turned out well:

The small photo at the top of this post shows a close-up of the decorative stitching that goes all the way around the dress: neckline, button placket, and hem. It also trims the sleeves. (Yes, the "signature" photo at the top of the blog is a picture of the same thing, but the stitching shows up better in the one with this post.) Since it is the same color as the fabric, it is a very subtle detail, but it adds just the right touch.

The buttons are covered with the same fabric. I love using button forms. Closures that perfectly match the garment make all the difference between an obviously homemade product and one that prompts people to ask where the item was purchased.

The back of the gown is pretty, too:

The lacing, made of the same gold silk as the dress, gives interest to the back in addition to enabling a precise fit. I made a couple French tacks between the dress and the lining to ensure that the lining would not bunch wrong when the lacing is tightened.

Only a couple people at the dinner commented about the dress to me. However, I heard second-hand that the dress had gotten many compliments. One woman told me that she had been upstairs in the gallery overlooking the main room and had heard several people saying that it was a beautiful dress. That was nice to know.

Even better, though, was the joy of wearing such a gorgeous frock and the satisfaction of having made it myself.

Sewing for a Good Cause

The Sticks to Bricks charity dinner was held at the Levine Museum in Uptown Charlotte last night. Its purpose was to raise money to build a school in the Sudan. David Chadwick, pastor of the Forest Hills Church, and his wife, Marilynn--both of whom recently visited the Sudan--were a couple of the speakers; and Damien Horne provided some of the live music. Truly, an evening of culture.

Part of the event was a silent auction, which is how I became involved with the whole thing. A couple of my clients helped organize the function, and one of them asked if I would like to donate a dress to the auction. I was happy to oblige, and constructed this pretty little thing:

The main dress is made of an off-white satin with a somewhat violet hue, and the overlay is a lavender, sheer, crinkled, slightly-thicker-than-chiffon polyester. The bodice is lined with a fine cotton batiste, which makes it more comfortable to wear than a usual polyester lining would. It turned out quite nicely, and I heard several people gushing over it. For some reason, though, someone put on the card that it was a Karen Bedding dress, which is not my name; and no one knows whence came that name, either. It was very odd. However, my website was listed correctly on the card, and I am quite glad about that.

The eventual winner of the auction wanted to get the dress for his mother, but I overheard him tell someone near him that it would not fit her. Seizing the opportunity to introduce myself as the maker of the garment, I told him that I could make another one in her size. He checked with the people running the auction, and we worked out a deal: If he won the auction, I would take back this dress and make another one for his mother. He won, and I brought the dress home with me.

I will be posting more in the future about the dinner and the gorgeous dress I made to wear to it.

Navy and White

It is a very pretty color combination. A project I have in progress uses it, and it reminded me of a friend's wedding, last summer, for which I had the privilege of doing some sewing. Among other things, I made the ringbearer pillows.

My friend had two ringbearers; their sister was the flower girl (a set of triplets, no less). She wanted contrasting pillows for the rings: a white one for the bride's ring and a navy one for the groom's ring. The ribbon trim on for each was the color of the other. They turned out quite nicely, if I may say so. She was thrilled, as well, which was the important thing.

Fun Little Skirt

It is odd how a camera flash can change the color of something in a photo, is it not? The fabric shown to the left is actually black--black polyester microfiber, to be precise. It feels somewhat velvety, but it has no nap. Having no nap makes it really easy to do pattern layouts. Yay!

The image is a close-up of the stitching detail on a skirt I made recently. I used one of the pattern stitches on my wonderful little computerized sewing machine to add some subtle interest to the seamline between the skirt and the flounce around the edge. You see that bit of stitching in the lower right corner of the photo? That is the other front of the skirt: It is a faux wrap design. It actually has an elastic waist with a separate sash to tie over it. Easy to make (I think the decorative stitching took the longest of any part of the construction) and easy to wear. Such a fun little skirt...

The Mother of...Style?

It can be difficult to construct a skirt without a zipper. One must have some way to cinch the garment around the waist. Of course, there is always elastic, but it usually does not provide a very tailored fit. The design of the skirt has to be conducive to an elastic waistband in the first place, too.

A few weeks ago, I was in the predicament of needing a zipper for a skirt I was making--but I did not have one. Granted, zippers usually are not very expensive, but I wanted to use what I had on hand and not make a trip to the fabric store just for a zipper. (You might have noticed the high gas prices recently.)

So I dusted off my resourcefulness.

Last fall, I spent some time reading various materials from the 1940s, such as some Cornell Bulletins for Homemakers (archived online) or a copy of The New Encyclopedia of Modern Sewing. (Modern, in this case, is definitely relative: The copyright date is 1943.) If anyone knew how to be resourceful, it was the woman on the homefront during the Second World War. Nearly everything was in short supply--including zippers, because most of the metal was diverted to the war effort.

Anyway, when I began the skirt I was talking about and I ran up against the wall of having a need with nothing to fill it, I recalled a passage from one of the resources I had been perusing (I wish I could remember which one), in which the author mentioned that clothing designers became very creative during wartime in order to compensate for the lack of various things--such as zippers. One of the techniques mentioned was that of using lacings.

Aha! I did not have a zipper, but I could make a lacing. It was quite simple, actually, and it gave an ordinary corduroy skirt quite a striking feature. Perhaps I will have to make more items with similar closures...

Salutations!!

Welcome to Seamly Thoughts, a record of my musings and activities related to sewing (and possibly other needlework). As a self-employed seamstress, I have a good many of them. Each new project is an adventure, and it is always exciting to finally arrive at the destination of a completed product.

I am delighted to have you along!!