Wedding Tidbits

         Several folks have requested to see a post on the apparel I made for my sister's wedding. Although it doesn't look like much here, amongst the hustle and bustle of all the other time-consuming wedding preparations, it was a blessing that everything was completed in time!:)  

You'll notice, each outfit had a pleasant pink, green, and white floral material included in it's design. The bride purchased a whopping full bolt of this material, and I divided it out into the sixteen party members' apparel. 

        ***                

(Flower Girls)
Pleated pink dresses with side bows to match the boys' bow ties, complimentary edging frill,
and white puff sleeve blouses

                                       

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(Ring Bearers) 
Green Irish men's trousers, suspenders,  cute pin stripe vests,  ivy cap, and  wedding party  matching bow ties

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(Groom's Men)
Big floral bow ties. Kindly the bride ordered the vests! I didn't have to sew those!:-)

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(Groom)
Handsome neck tie for the groom.

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(Bride's attendants)
Wedding floral sashes for all six of the bride's maids.

With gathering at the seam line to flatter

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And lastly, to coordinate everything together completely the bride had the bouquets wrapped in floral strips of the left over material.

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Even the bride's bouquet was wrapped in the floral material

So, there we have it! Excluding the cloth napkins I sewed  for the quests and my sister and my rehearsal dinner dresses, that's everything.:)

Apron Evolution

This past year I've had lots of fun making aprons for my culinary friends. I've added a bit of frill here and a bit of hidden color there. A few bows and extra piping made it a delightful summer's endeavor. Here is a picture account of the growing process.

First 

A Present For A Happy Bride

Front View

Back View

Back Bow

Side Pocket

Double Hem Frill 

Second 

A Gift For A Graduated Friend

Front View

Back View

Side Pocket With Piping

Peek-A-Boo Colorful Surprise

Latest

 For a dear Friend Who Loves to Cook 

Front View

Back Bow

Side Pocket With Light Lavender Lining

                                                                                   

An Added Bow

Happy Hem Drape

Lovely Little Ladies

Now that we've seen the lads' duds, it's the girls' time to shine!

The girls' costume planning was a little more detailed than the boys. I  was actually able to design the pattern itself, not just put one together, as I did for the boys. I borrowed a basic girl's dress pattern from a friend of mine and used it as a base. I then grabbed an old poodle skirt pattern and tapered it at the waist to match the bodice of my base pattern. Next, I sketched out some sleeve pieces. Lastly, I added some ribbon work to match the womens' dresses for the show. (I'll post those later!) 

Here is my final sketch of the dress. Again straight from my design book! The sleeves were chiffon while the rest of the dress was a smooth crepe. This gave a delicate flowing appearance as the little princesses danced across the ice.  

After I experimented with my pattern a bit, and made a gaudy bright yellow dress for my little model to display; the girls' excitedly agreed to their apparel. 

My favorite part of this process was making up the larger girl sizes. Since my base pattern only came in 3 and 6, I had to make the rest. That was fun, and I was relieved when my efforts were rewarded! Everything worked out perfectly! There were no major mess-ups!

My sweet model happy in her purple (iris) apparel

THE LITTLE GIRL PARTY.
 Or at least most of them!:-)

Debonair Dudes

Designing for girls is easy! The varieties are vast and options endless. But, designing for guys is splendid! For "Uncommon Love", this year's ice show, I had a happy opportunity to spiff these fine gents up in some classy attire!



I've always loved the 1920's newsboy outfit! So, after I showed the boys a few of my daydream sketches (straight out of my design book), the easy going sirs agreed to this strapping vest/ driver's cap compo. The little boys got bow ties too.





THE DEBONAIR GENTLEMEN



Simply charming! Aye?



Computer Scratch Solution

 

The first day I brought my new computer home my little beloved nephew took a sharp pencil to it. After discovering a scratched-up computer, I decided that I had to let my imagination do its job. I worked to find something to solve my dilemma. Ideas linked together, and soon everything was in place to create!

After measuring out the case pieces, I began planning frill! I looked through my fabric scraps basket and picked out some bright patterned florals. I decided to use a look I created a few years back for a signature design. The "detached rose" had come to me while I was painting on our porch one hot summer noon. I'd been looking for an opportunity to use it. So, why not for a computer case? Unique? Sure! But, fun!





 I appliqued everything together! Then stitched it all up.





I couldn't let the cute little HP light hide, so I opened up a circle for it to show off through.



And...we can never forget the lining! A fun surprise! Neat material, aye?


It works pretty well!:)


Note: 
This lap-top cover was designed only to be on when my computer  is off. This ensures that it doesn't overheat.



Old fashioned Gift

In days gone by, gentlemen and ladies alike would carry within their pockets daintily initialed handkerchiefs such as the one above.




I had a simple but elegant gift idea to make my friend who has nagging sinuses, a handful of these. Here is one of them! 

 

Artist's Winter Attire

Ah, how enjoyable creating is! I'm excited about this jacket! It was such an engaging project, and I'm really satisfied with the out come. By altering a pattern and adding individual touches such as the zipper, sleeves, collar, and floral button strips, I completed this just before the holiday and the first snow fall. Now my friend, Anna, walks abroad  in this classy jacket suited to her artistic nature.

Materials: Coconut wood buttons, felted wool, and cozy cotton lining.

Front View

Side View

Back

***A Closer Look***

It opens to a wild lining matching the front bodice and sleeve button strips.

Button Strip

Vibrant Swirl Lining Material