2022 was...... A LOT.....

Don’t get me wrong, it was a terrific year! There were many people who had held off on special events for the last two years and it seemed like a large amount of them decided to go ahead all at the same time. First, there were two well thought out weddings needing to be built simultaneously…..

This was the “close enough-let’s just get it because the way supply chains are right now, there is no guarantee we’ll be able to get a better one” gown.

First thing was to remove all the buttons and cut off the train.

Already the gown is much lighter.

Next, I took the entire bodice apart, incorporated in alterations that were needed and then used the original fabric as the underlay so we could get the entire 90’s iridescent effect going.

She also wanted a party look for the reception. She decided on a very full circle skirt and tank top ensemble. Luckily she bought three bolts of fabric. The circle skirt proceeded to use up two of them!

I disassembled and then covered a tank top shell she bought. Right around this part of the process, she was able to move forward in her career which had her moving out of state. This necessitated several video chats and many emails of process shots but it all still went very smoothly.

She came back for a weekend of fittings and final decisions. I determined that the hems of the party dress would have the best flow if they weren’t stitched and were instead cut with a hot knife. It was a lengthy process but very worth it.

We both really liked how this turned out.

I just love the “day of” pics!

The party outfit was a big hit, too.

The other wedding gown was a beautiful self design

She had very specific details nicely rendered out for me.

I wanted the waist section to be in just two pieces so that the beautiful embroidery she had planned out would look it’s best. I drafted the pattern piece around her body and then prepped the layers of fabric so they wouldn’t shift during the embroidery process. We sent the two sections off to her mom and once we got the waist sections back, I pinned them together and the fronts matched up so beautifully.

She had really wondered how fluttery sleeves could even happen but once she saw these, she was completely thrilled. I loved the delicate dragons in the embroidery. If you look very closely, you can even see her “something blue” in the eye of one of the dragons.

The back details came together nicely.

It’s so satisfying for the actual piece to so closely match the rendering. It was a delightful project.

Even before the first two weddings were done, I handled several alterations. This next one was particularly memorable.

This was the photo a bride sent me for the alteration of adding sleeves to her gown.

I just love seeing a client feeling comfortable and happy in their new garment.

I did manage to get projects other than weddings documented, too.

A family needed some new adaptive jumpsuits for their son. He already had some but they were boring black and he really wanted some pieces with more style. I patterned off an existing jumpsuit, made some modifications to better suit him and his parents gifted him a whole array of colored jumpsuits for Christmas.

These are pillow covers for a company who makes robes from custom woven fabric. There is yardage left over so this is a practical solution-make something else that is useful and it helps to eliminate waste!

My folks traveled to Morocco and bought this gorgeous piece of fabric that had a repeating design. I cut the squares apart and made them into a dozen pillow covers. They gave them away to family and yes, my household got one too. I made my own present…worth it!!

But, let’s be honest, it was mainly weddings!

The work needed here was bustling this gorgeous gown, adding buttons all the way down the back and making matching removable sleeves. The bride had all the fabric from the manufacturer so I just needed to develop the design of the layout for the lace.

We had a session of very carefully pinning a design in place.

Luckily, I only had to do the careful pinning for one sleeve as I was able to lay the second sleeve on top of the first and just transfer the design. Here you can see the illusion fabric is doing a great job of blending into my work table! I hand sewed the lace to the illusion netting and finished the wrist off with a couple of button and loop closures.

Sooooo many buttons! Each pin was where I sewed on a covered button.

With the end result being picture perfect.

The Pretty Pantone Pink wedding party

First, we had an emergency dress build for the wedding shower. The dress she ordered came in the wrong color and there wasn’t enough time for her to order a new one. I was able to juggle my schedule and make her a new dress in a week.

The bride had a well thought out vision for her big day.

The designs were distinctive yet basic enough that I was able to find commercially made patterns for each dress.

Each dress started out with a vision and then was gradually adapted to each bridesmaid.

Also, PJs for the “Day Of” preparations! As these were made of the same fabric as the three dresses I was making, we ordered 30 yards of delicate pink charmeuse for the entire project.

After a few samples, the bride chose this font for the embroidered monograms on each top. Embroidery was done by Scappoose Outfitters in Scappoose, Oregon.

As a thank-you gift, I had each woman’s name embroidered on a piece of matching fabric. I then quilted the fabric and made it into a lux zippered bag.

I thought they came out looking very nice.

The PJs made up so well.

The whole squad together as they start to get ready.

The final look of the big day. The three charmeuse gowns were made by Green Door Creations. I did not work on the wedding gown or the tiered netting gown.