Noteworthy Sewing Projects

Hello again.

I just wanted to share with you some of my favorite sewing projects I've made over the years.

When my husband and I decided to marry, like most first-time brides, I wanted a fairy tale wedding and accompanying dress.  I scanned through every bridal magazine on the market to find the perfect dress, and I narrowed down my choices to several differnt styles.  But, I fell in love with this dress when I saw it advertised in one of my magazines, so much so that I had to visit a local bridal shop in Birmingham to see it in person and try it on.  This gown was so beautiful and I felt like a princess wearing it.  But, I could not afford its $1,500 price tag.  Today, I believe this gown's workmanship would easily fetch a $3,000-$4,000 price tag.

So, instead, I made my wedding dress using Vogue 2590.

During a one-week vacation I took from work, I was able to cut out and assemble the entire dress, and assemble the bolero-type jacket, with the exception of attaching the sleeves to the jacket body.  I then had to return to work and sewing time on my dress became a concern.  So, I enlisted the assistance of a church member who also ran a home-based sewing business.  She attached the jacket's sleeves, made the detachable train, and beaded the dress bodice, trimming and train.


  I also made my headpiece and viel

With my son and niece

At the alter taking our vows

Mommy and me

In 2009, my daughter wanted a new dress for her eighth-grade promotion ceremony.  As student body president, she would deliver a speech conveying her thoughts and emotions regarding the class's collective experiences and the new ones which lay ahead of them.  So, I really wanted to make the moment special by custom-making her outfit.  After agreeing to let me make her dress instead of buying one, she scanned through my pattern collection and settled on Vogue 9323 (view B) for the dress and Butterick 6991 for the jacket.

The dress is made of a tropical-print crepe fabric, and the jacket was a linen-blend.


She had a touch of static cling...

Last year in June, her friend (yes, really friend) asked if she would escort him to his senior prom.  After meeting with him and his mom, my husband and I agreed to let her attend the event.  She checked out various prom dresses online and settled on this dress, but I couldn't bear the idea of spending $300-$400 on it, knowing I could make it for a fraction of the cost.

Instead, we found Vogue 2931, and I was able to crank this dress out in about a week - my fastest time ever, given its degree of difficulty.

I made the bodice top in a contrast color and omitted the halter strap, and I was literally hemming the dress minutes before she walked out of the door.  I felt an adrenaline rush when it was all done!!

Last October, she attended the Homecoming dance with her friends, and we used McCall's 8832 for the bustier top, and McCall's 9380 (view A, shortened) for the skirt.

 

She fell in love with a black faux leather fabric we found at JoAnn's, displayed with all of the other Halloween-costume fabrics.  I omitted the flounce on the top, and instead of gathering the skirt as instructed, I decided to place box pleats in specific areas of the skirt to minimize the fabric's bulk.  I do not yet own a Teflon presser foot, so I had to experiment using different things to get this fabric through my machine without sticking.  The temporary solution at hand - WD-40!!  Add this to its list of over 2000 uses.

The projects currently on my table include a black silk-linen blend skirt (Butterick 5966 - view C) and coordinating yellow/black silk-linen blend top (Butterick - view B).  Both of these garments are unlined, but I want to line each piece to extend their wear.  The skirt pattern pieces have already been adjusted and cut out, but I will detail the adjustment process I follow for the top in a later post.

 

Thanks again for visiting!!