A Wedding Dress, By the Numbers: Part 3

 Just a quick post about cutting out the fabric.

While I waited for the ordered satin, silk organza and embroidered tulle to arrive, I cut out the lining, purchased at Stitch Sew Shop. 

Full disclosure: I work at Stitch Sew Shop in Alexandria, Virginia, but I don't get any compensation if you click through to the site.

Once the other fabric arrived, I headed to Stitch on one of my days off and proceeded to cut out the rest. 

It's a big job, with lots of yardage and large skirt pieces. I couldn't have cut it out at home. Although I'm

an employee with access to Stitch's large cutting tables, anyone can rent the workspace for $14 an hour. Just call ahead to find out available hours and make a reservation. With Covid, we are limiting it to only 2 using the workspace at one time. Also, see above disclosure. 

I don't remember exactly, but I think I cut the satin and organza on one day, and the tulle on another. 

All told, with the 4 different fabrics I would estimate that it took me at least 8 to 10 hours to cut out this dress.

Catch up on the story:

Make a Wedding Dress: Part 1

A Wedding Dress, By the Numbers: Part 2

A Wedding Dress, By the Numbers: Part 2

 By the Numbers Recap

The Muslin Pile Up

So, at the end of part 1, the getting started and making muslins "episode", I had spent about 5 weeks making 7 or 8 muslins. But we aren't quite ready to get down to the sewing 

Choosing and ordering the fabric came next.

 

 

Sourcing the Fabric

1: Embroidered Tulle; 2: Satin; 3: Silk Organza and 4: Bemberg Lining

 Long gone are the good ol' days when you can waltz into a fabric shop and waltz out with everything you need for a wedding gown. Here in the Washington, DC area, one of the go-to shops was G Street Fabrics which had a fabulous bridal department. They still have the bridal department, but the shop's look has more of a warehouse feel than it used to, and it's down to one location in Rockville, Maryland. Still, Laura and I took a field trip to Rockville. I wanted her to have a chance to feel the kinds of fabric that we were talking about. We made one purchase. The boning.

Moving on, we went online, and a priority was anyplace that could send swatches. We ended up concentrating on 3 online places:

1. Bridal Fabrics, located in the UK. They have gorgeous fabric with reasonable prices and ship around the world. Our biggest concern was turnaround time. Our window for sewing was tight, and while there were some definite maybes, we just didn't know if we would get everything in time.

2. NY Designer Fabrics. Also had some gorgeous fabrics but the fabric Laura loved from there had prices that were higher than what she wanted to spend.

3. Mood Fabrics won the day for 2 of the 4 fabrics (2 & 3 in the above picture) that we needed. Laura ordered so many swatches! She ended up ordering the polyester satin for $8.99 a yard and is hands down the nicest polyester satin I have ever seen and worked with. Frugal minded brides should not turn up their noses and the "polyester" aspect. It has beautiful drape and glow with none of the harsh sheen I have seen on other cheap satins. We also got the silk organza underlining there.

Laura ordered the embroidered tulle (1 in the picture) from an Etsy shop, and this was the fabric we waited most of August for it to arrive. This definitely played a role in our "can we finish the dress in time for an October 2 wedding" stress!

Locally, we purchased lining (4 in the picture) and notions from Stitch Sew Shop in Alexandria, Virginia (where I also happen to work), as well as fabric for my Mother of the Bride dress and for the flower girl dress (more on those later).

How Much Fabric?

Since I wasn't using a pattern calculations had to be done. From the muslin making, I knew the bodice would take about half a yard. But the skirt? I took to graph paper. I didn't know any other way than to draw it out to get the estimate.

We settled on 7 yards of each of the 4 fabrics, and had leftovers of everything except the embroidered tulle.

Bonus: All the fabric used is machine washable!!

A Wedding Dress, by the Numbers: Part 1

 

Making a Wedding Dress: Part 1

 

How it started...

The story begins on June 8, 2021. After trying on dresses at a popular salon, Laura and I had lunch and went over the options. She really liked one dress in particular, but just wasn't ready to commit to spending over $1400. I suggested that, if she wanted me to, we could probably create a beautiful gown for around $500. I wanted her to be sure, but the wedding was in October, so we would need to get started ASAP!

She said yes to the dressmaker, me, also known as mother of the bride and grandmother of the flower girl... there was going to be more sewing than just a bridal gown!

Getting just the right fit and style...

So off we went! She found a knock off pattern on Etsy, and I mashed together some patterns for the first muslin. No pictures of this because after the first try on (with pictures taken on her phone), she sent said pictures to her friends and it was a big NO. Back to square one.

She had a second choice dress from the try on session. Square neckline, deep scoop back, princess seams, full circle skirt with train. Simple enough, right?

So I made a second muslin.

Not too bad. Definitely had some issues. Then I started thinking. Not always a good idea in hindsight. 

I was concerned that where the center bodice met the side bodice/strap area at the square neckline, the satin, lining, potential lace would just be too much fabric. Of course I didn't decide to make any changes right away, but tinkered with this fit at least one (maybe two?) more time before going with a design that had the princess seams curve and end at the armholes instead of the neckline.

I bought real muslin! Things were getting serious now. A princess-seamed fitted bodice combined with a bride that (rightly) wanted it just so meant I really needed to get to work. 

July

More muslins, more fittings. She worked from home, so popping in for a quick try-on was easy enough.

The straps in the back seemed to be the hardest thing to get right.

Eventually, you just have to say... this is it! We can work with this one!

And so it was on to the buying of the fabric! Coming up in Part 2.

Testing. Testing. Does this thing still work?

 It's been a minute since I last posted. Technically, over 3.5 million minutes. Lots has happened in my life since then. There will be no recap. This post is simply to see if I still know how to work Blogspot. It does seem since I last checked in, I got 3.5 million spam comments... at least 1 a minute. 

If all looks okay... and I do mean looks okay and NOT reads okay or is in any way, shape or form interesting... then I do have some ideas for future actual sewing posts because, hey,

 It IS a Sewing Life.

Barrett and a Lemon

 

 

In the meantime, enjoy this picture of my dog, Barrett, waiting for something better than a lemon slice to fall on the kitchen floor. Can you just see the disappointment on his face? I mean, there are only 3 things in the world that he doesn't like: mint, garlic (which I know dogs aren't supposed to eat) and lemons. 

Vintage Pattern Sale

Hello again, fellow sewing fans! I'm dropping in here to give you the news that I am closing my Etsy shop, Down the Street Creations! Life. Sometimes you just have to know when to move on.

Anyway, I have all these patterns, which is a dilemma. My first method of dispensing with them is through the shop itself. I'm placing them in groups of 2 to 5 patterns, all similar in size and decade, but hopefully a good mix. There are some individual patterns listed simply because they were the only one in a particular size, or were too specialty (i.e., a wedding dress).

The groups can be mixed and changed, so if you contact me through the shop, and let me know which ones you want to swap, I'll be happy to do that. We'll have to talk if you just want one pattern in the group. This is an experiment that may not work, but it's just step one in the liquidation of my inventory. (Oh, yeah, I am keeping some of them!)

If you've stumbled back on this little blog, use the coupon code BLOG10 for an additional 10% off your purchase. And even though I have unashamedly linked my stop throughout this post, you can even click through directly to it from the "Come See me on Etsy" box in the right sidebar.

Thanks! And if you have ever purchased patterns from my shop, thank you twice!!

The Disappearing Blogger

Hi! Just wanted to drop by with a quick post, letting you all know I hadn't fallen off the face of the earth. I just haven't been sewing. I am still blogging, though.

The theme of this particular blog just felt kind of limiting, and if you come here to read about sewing, and I'm chatting about other things... well, it just wasn't working for me. I do still plan to post here now and then if I fire up the sewing machine and make something worth blogging about.

But about that new blog. It's called Ellen Maybe, and the scope of the posting is much broader. It covers a broader spectrum of creative outlets (painting, knitting, sewing), some random reviews, more on just life in general, and well, just whatever the hell I feel like writing about.

I hadn't even planned on mentioning it, but decided, what the hell. I've added it to my non-sewing blog list in the side bar to the right, so if you stumble over here, you can easily find it. (Shamefully, I've noticed that my blog lists are somewhat neglected, but that clean up will be another day.)

I am still following and reading sewing blogs, and am somewhat envious of abundant sewing time. For lots of reasons, though, I'm just not really into sewing at the moment. Sewing and I sometimes do have a complicated relationship.

Anyway, I'm rambling on. On today's Ellen Maybe post, I reviewed a company that is offering a new way to shop for bras, that y'all might be interested in. Pop on over and say "hi" when you get the chance.

Happy Sewing!

Bring on the Rain!

Well, I don't know about y'all, but my "sewing life" has been way less about sewing, and way more about working. But way back in June, my mom requested a raincoat. One that I make for her. One that matches some rain boots she has. I've been sewing every spare minute since Thanksgiving!

It wasn't until her visit to Atlanta in October that she chose her fabric, and well, it won't match the rain boots. I used the Amy Butler raincoat pattern that I made for myself and for Laura. She tried on mine, and while she really isn't any larger than me, she wanted it bigger, because she wants to be able to wear a sweatshirt underneath. People. She lives in Texas. It's hot there (recent ice storm notwithstanding). Oh, well... I think she'll be able to wear a sweatshirt.

Since I've already made this twice and blogged about it each time (click on the links for the posts), there's not much left to say. Gonna bullet-point it...

• I used laminate this time. A first. Wasn't too hard, but occasionally gave me problems.
• The sleeves were still a bitch. And not just because Mom wanted them looser and bigger.
• My sleeves were too short. Hers are extra long because she wants to roll them up to show off the lining.

• I used some of my previously traced pieces, and traced some from scratch, and had some weird things happen. They were fixed in the muslin stage.
• I was nervous about making the buttons with the laminate, but they went together like a charm.
• Don't worry about my mom seeing this ahead of Christmas... she never reads my blog. :/

And that's about it. No more sewing planned for 2013... the cutting table has been transformed into the wrapping table. If you celebrate Christmas, then you know what I'm talking about!

Happy Holidays and Happy 2014!

A Vintage Pattern Sale

Are you looking for a CyberMonday deal on vintage patterns? Denise, of the Blue Gardenia, is holding a sale that could be considered more of a CyberDecember kind of deal. Her website will be having a Grand Re-Opening January 1, 2014, but until then, you can still shop. And more importantly, the more you buy, the more you'll save!

The details:

Spend $100 (before the discount) and get 20% off.

Spend $200 (before the discount) and get 30% off.

Spend $300 (before the discount) and get 40% off.

Spend $400 or more (before the discount) and get a whopping 50% off.

Sounds great! She's only accepting Paypal during this sale, and you can also buy gift certificates with the sale rates that will be honored during January.

Head over to the Blue Gardenia now! 

The Avocado Project Lives!

I know I've been scarce around here, but, like a broken record, this full time job is kicking my butt. Anyway, without any help from me aside from a little water now and then, those avocado seeds that I encouraged to take root, are all still alive and well.

I had almost given up on the little one in the middle, but it looks like it's going to pull through and give me a few leaves!

In sewing news, I have just finished a red tulle skirt to wear .to a Christmas party, pictures to come. Roland totally rolled his eyes at the floof-i-ness of the thing, and I may have to tone it down a little. And I'm making a raincoat for my mom for Christmas, at her request. I'm just waiting for the muslin I made for her to make it's way back to me so I can get started. Sewing long distance can be a challenge.

I'm so far behind in my blog reading, I may never catch up, but I do hope all is well with everyone. Have a wonderful December!

The Vintage Wedding Gown

Thirty years ago today, at 2pm CST, I walked down the aisle of Perkins Chapel, on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and married my college sweetheart, Roland. In a vintage wedding gown.

Well, back in those days, I didn't call it a vintage wedding gown, but I was wearing my mother's wedding dress.

We were so young!

30 years later, we have made it through the better and the worse. We have lived in 9 different houses in 5 different cities (including 3 houses in Prague, Czech Republic). We have 2 beautiful children, Laura and Kyle, and now one fantastic son-in-law, Thomas. No grandchildren yet, but 2 grandpuppies. Do they count? We have had 5 pets: 2 cats and 1 dog, all deceased, and 2 great rescue dogs now. I'm not counting the fish OR the hamster (thank you, Laura, for that wonderful experience, lol), but we had those, too.

But, really, you cannot simply quantify 30 years of marriage. It is time passing, and life being lived, doing the best that you can do.

Here's to 30 more!

Finally, a picture of my mother, Corinne, the original owner of the beautiful gown I wore. We did have to make some modifications, the most significant was replacing the yellowed lace on the bodice with new. Leftovers of that lace were used on Laura's wedding gown she wore in 2010.

A Knitted Minion

Do you love the minions from Despicable Me? Who doesn't?!! So when I saw this free minion pattern that someone pinned, I instantly repinned! But I didn't just repin! I actually knitted, and made one for Laura's birthday that was Monday, the 9th.

If you click on the pattern link above, you'll notice that I made some changes. Some were intentional, some were probably a knitting gauge thing, or knitting inexperience thing. Like I'm not sure why his feet look like he's wearing elf shoes.

I made his goggles removable, and one change was to make the eyes out of felt with painted eyes instead of knitting them.

His overalls also come off, so theoretically, I could knit him more outfits. Or maybe I'll sew him some... that would definitely be faster.

The birthday girl was happy!

She named him Frank.

Witches and Widows and Bad Guys, Oh My

Or... how I feel about wearing all black to work...

It feels negative and stifling. Keep in mind these are my feelings, and one could certainly make an argument for slimming and chic, but that's just not what I'm feeling.

source

Our dress code is pretty straight forward. All black. No print, polka dots or stripes. We can get away with some color in our accessories, i.e., scarves, necklaces, belts and shoes.

source

It is definitely a unifying look, and customers can find us without having to do that embarrassing "excuse me, do you work here?" thing. We stay reasonably clean. I spilled my lunch all over my skirt one day, and after just a little dabbing and wiping, you couldn't even tell.

And the bad guys?

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Suffice it to say that I do not like the dress code. It's a pretty common one for some retail and restaurant workers. It's practical on many levels. And while I've made a handful of things to wear, but there's not a lot of creativity involved and that's what I love about sewing. And that's why you'll be seeing my creative side coming out in a few other mediums. Maybe even a little sewing. ;)

The Avocado Project Continues

The 3 avocado seedlings are continuing to grow. The first, Buck, has been planted and is probably almost 2 feet tall now! (I haven't actually measured... that would be too scientific of me!)

The second one, Austin 2, has finally sprouted a root.

And the 3rd seed, Austin2, is going like gangbusters. I'm going to try HGTV's method. This method instructs you to pinch off the stem about halfway when it reaches 6".

I've tried this pinching off thing twice before, but each time once the tree had already been planted. The first time was a success, though, like all things avocado, I had to be very patient and endure a summer of the stick plant. The second time resulted in death. Yeah. That wasn't really the plan. Let's hope this time it results in a bushier, less stick-like plant.

A Little Painting

I haven't been sewing lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been creating. Sometimes, I fear that I am afflicted with what I like to call "crafter's ADD". Always dabbling, never perfecting. Maybe that should be my motto.

Last year about this time, I took a painting class. It was called something like landscape painting with acrylics and collage. It was really fun, but shortly thereafter I found myself to be employed (you know that story), and, well, no more painting. But I've had a couple of ideas floating around my head, and had to get them out!

I did 2 last week. Both with acrylic paints, and photographs (personal or otherwise noted) printed on tracing paper. Mixed media. The first was based on this personal photograph (I don't remember where it was taken):

And this drawing, scanned from an original drawing that my father made in 1952. (I happened on a stack of these on a recent visit to my mom's):

And here is my interpretation:

A collaboration of sorts. The red was drawn with a marker which ran when I decided to top the whole thing with an acrylic glazing liquid. Oops. I'm leaving it for now.

The second one was based on this photo of my dad (photographer unknown).

And my collage:

You can see these and the other paintings that I did in my class here on flickr.

Picture of the Week

I've written a post every day. Apparently, that's only happened in my mind. We're back to Thursday, so I thought I'd share a quaint little thing I did back when my kids were babies. When Laura was born way back in 1987, someone (my mom?) gave us a Polaroid camera, and it was decided (a request perhaps?) that I would send both my mom and mother-in-law a "picture of the week". Oh, and then I would mail these pictures.

Quaint, right? In this day of digital photography, I suspect grandparents are now inundated with photos on facebook, instagram, and in their email inbox on a daily basis.

But, you know, back in the old days, we had this stuff called film that had to be developed and frankly, sometimes you just didn't know what you were getting. The first commercial "instant" camera was unveiled in 1948, so they had been around for awhile. One of the great things about these pictures, is that the frame around them can be written on.

Anyway, last year, I brought home my mother's collection, and scanned them, primarily to preserve them. Some were fading quite a bit. And now, on throwback Thursday, I'm going to share one of them. Yep, just one.

On this day in 1989, Laura was taking a train ride in Wheaton Regional Park in Wheaton, Maryland, not far from our house. She's wearing an adorable shorts outfit, that I made her. Those objects in the cotton print are cows.

Hope you had a wonderful Thursday today and back in 1989!

Throw Back Thursday

I bet y'all know all about this "throw back Thursday". It's all over the twitterverse, instagram and facebook. Don't know when or how it started, but hey! Better late than never. Today is the perfect day for me to start because yesterday, I spent a little time scanning slides. What?

I have the Epson Perfection V330 Photo scanner that I bought a couple of years ago to easily scan the pattern envelopes for my Etsy shop. It's great! I highly recommend it. Of course, you would now have to buy the newer model. The scanner also came with this weird little holder device thingie which, if used correctly, scans slides (positive film) and negatives. I haven't given it a test run of the negatives, but even if doing moderately correctly, does a great job of scanning the slides. Like when you have the slide in the projector and the words are backwards and upside down... if you only guess when you put the slides in the thingie, sometimes your scans come out that way too.

Here's what the thingie looks like:

The long, narrow part on the left is where you would put a negative in.

And, if it has been decades that you took any photos with slide film, this is what might turn up (the first 2 had what appeared to be a 1985 date stamp on the frame):

What? Something you would now delete if you were using a digital camera! Unretouched, by the way.

 Elliott (I think). Photo only cropped.

And finally, a stray slide that I scanned, with a 1970 date stamp, truly a throwback!

It appears to be me on the left, but I do not remember that jacket or that haircut, and you think you might remember something like that. It is definitely my sister on the right. Those are some groovy sunglasses!

It takes about 4 minutes to scan 4 slides, so this isn't a super quick process, but the discovery is fun. Unless I unearth a few more boxes of slides, I only have about 5 more rolls to scan.

Have a great Thursday!

Avocado Project - Still Growing

I'm a little behind in the avocado update, and there has been some significant growing!! Buck was ready to plant when we last left the little seedlings, and look at him now:

Apologies for the lack of focus... my cell phone camera apparently doesn't view the tall, skinny stick as a worthy focal point. Apparently, according to HGTV and this post, I have actually done it wrong. I quote:

Here’s how to start:

1. Remove the large pit (seed) from inside an avocado, rinse well, and dry (a wet seed will be slippery!).
2. Push three or four toothpicks into the seed at its widest part so that you can suspend the pit over a glass of water with the pointy end sticking up. The water should cover about an inch of the seed.
3. Put in a warm place and make sure to maintain the water level.
4. In 2-6 weeks, roots and a stem will sprout from the seed. When the stem is about six inches long, trim it in half.
5. When the stem leafs again, transplant the seedling to a pot with loose, sandy soil. Plant the seedling root down, leaving the top half of the pit sticking out of the soil.
6. Give your plant frequent, light watering and keep it in a sunny place to encourage growth.
7. Pinch back the newest top leaves every time the stems grow another six inches or so to encourage more growth and a fuller plant.

- See more at: http://www.hgtvgardens.com/guac-n-roll-grow-an-avocado-tree#sthash.XpZkbewt.dpuf

Yep, I totally missed step 4. I think I'll carry on, but perhaps for one of the Austins I will actually follow the above steps.

Ah, but what about the Austins? The first Austin is proceeding at an astonishingly glacial pace with only minimal visual markers to give us any optimism at all.

Honestly, I'm kinda ready to just chuck this one, but I'll give it a couple more weeks.

Austin2 is showing more progress, but then he started out progressing in fruito, as it were.

I've never seen one with a double root, so that's cool. And the crack is large enough that the stem development is also quite interesting. Something that would be great for kids to watch. Besides plant growth, it would be quite a lesson in patience.

A New Style of Posting

Hi Friends! Not quite sure where to begin, so I'll just jump right in. You may have noticed less sewing posts. I mentioned some "fitness goals", and those goals are still on the table. But really, my life has taken a new trajectory at the moment, and for me, working full time means way less sewing. I'm not sure if it's an exhaustion thing, or a lack of desire thing what with having to wear only black at work, but I'm just not feeling it.

(For the record, a phrase that you won't ever read here is sewing mojo. I don't mind reading it in, but for whatever reason, it does kind of give me the heebie jeebies. While I'm at it, you also won't see me substitute the word "sew" for "so". No criticism of those who do, but it's just not for me.... ok, back to the post.)

So if you come here just for the sewing posts, which from a critic's standpoint had actually become more of a "here is what I made" rather than a "here is the process", you'll be out of luck. There will definitely still be some sewing posts, but just not as frequently.

But, there will be posts on the avocado project (still going strong--update soon), other creative outlets, vintage sewing patterns (still selling 'em), life in general, and the wedding industry specifically (my opinion of it, at least).

Oh, yeah... I'm still reading your blogs, too, admittedly in more of a lurking style than participatory.

Bottom line... the goal here is to post more often because sometimes there is just stuff I gotta write about, but the content will be broader. I will try to label appropriately (wink!). I would love your feedback and comments!

Have a great Monday!

A Little Knitting

Thanks for the fitness goal encouragement. That little "project" is coming along. And thanks for the other sewing suggestions... I'm not opposed to sewing for others, and actually have something planned for my mom that she requested a little later this year. And home dec... my home is pretty much "dec-ed" out right now. I actually don't mind "recharging" breaks from sewing, as I have other creative outlets.

I've done a little messing around with painting and drawing. No real talent to speak of, but sometimes I just have to paint. Kind of weird.

The other creative outlet that I enjoy is knitting. I would still classify myself as maybe an advanced beginner, and am not really interested in knitting garments for myself. And my mom keeps me well supplied with scarves... I have more than enough for the warm climate in which I live. I do see myself knitting for babies (when the time comes). And I like knitting toys. Go figure.

My primary source for toy patterns is the book Itty-Bitty Toys by Susan B. Anderson, and I've shown off some earlier creations. Click on her name and you can see lots that she creates... not just the toys.

Last year I started the sock monkey, and then put him down, about 90% finished. So I finished him. I really did a terrible job on him, and didn't add his hair because I couldn't figure out the instructions, and really couldn't be bothered. But here he is, in all his weird glory.

So ugly that he's kind of cute, right? Maybe not. Anyway, I'm knitting something else right now that I'll be taking on a little semi-spontaneously planned beach vacation. Hopefully that little creation will turn out a bit more successfully.

And if you want to see some really fantastic "itty-bitty toys" knitted by a fellow sewing blogger, check out Clio's blog!

Fitness Goals -- Bridesmaid Series (Sort of)

This is kind of a dual purpose post. First, just want to explain the absence of any sewing projects here on what, on first glance, might appear to be a sewing blog. I have embarked on a new diet plan. Let's call it a lifestyle eating plan rather than a diet. Really, it was either that, or amass an entire new wardrobe, because the current one was apparently shrinking. Phase 1 is 21 days, and while that sounds like a formal plan... it's not really. Just how long I'm giving it to see if it works for me, and if it does, I'll certainly tell y'all how I did it. I'm about halfway through this experiment, and am cautiously optimistic.

That means that I just don't want to start a sewing project if my measurements will be changing. Seems logical.

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The Bridesmaid part of this post.

Ah, "fitness goals". That's the phrase we use in our note when a 'maid wants to order a size smaller than recommended because she is going to lose some weight, work out more, etc. Sometimes those goals are met and the dress fits like a glove, and sometimes, well, you know the end of that story.