Emily's Wedding Dress: Adding Sleeves

Emily got married last weekend! 

During the wedding dress shopping stage, they were sending me pictures of any dress that she liked and we would quickly brainstorm what could be done to make the dress modest. She sent a few pictures of different dresses, and then she found THE DRESS. It was the perfect length and the bodice fit her like a glove. The only work that needed to be done was adding sleeves. Granted, that is a huge job, but it can be done!

She fell in love with the beading detail and the overall silhouette. Adding sleeves wouldn't be too much trouble because the front is not too low cut. I was confident right away that I would be able to create sleeves that would match the dress almost seamlessly. I did a similar alteration on a prom dress last year. 

We had two fittings with a cotton mockup of the upper bodice. The first draft was way too big and the second one fit her almost perfectly. After making minor adjustments to the second mockup, I finally cut the pieces out of the white satin, using the cotton as the pattern and eventually the underlining.

The first change I made to the dress itself was to remove the beaded flap from the neck edge. Even though it was a gorgeous detail, we all agreed the dress would look better without it once the sleeves were added. Luckily, the beading extended underneath the flap so I didn't have to re-bead the bodice.
I wanted to reuse the beads from the flap so I spent a lot of time removing those.

Once the satin outer layer was attached to the lining and the finished sleeves were sewn on, I then pinned it in place on the dress.

Shoulder pieces pinned to the dress ready to be fitted and sewn

After she tried it on one more time, I had a few adjustments to make. Once those were made, I had her try it on one last time! This time I was confident with the fit so I finally attached the piece to the dress. After that, I began beading!
The beading was easy, but oh so time consuming! I continued a border around the neck edge to make it look continuous. I also continued some of the bodice beading over the seam onto the shoulder pieces. This made it look as though the dress came with the shoulders and sleeves (I REALLY didn't want it to be obvious that sleeves were added).

After I finished beading, I hand stitched the lining fabric closed, added a few hooks and eyes, and it was finished! With not a moment to spare! Thankfully, she was a very easy-going bride so she didn't seem to mind too bad that I got the dress to her only a few days before the wedding.

Days before the wedding. Its finally finished!

I am so happy with how it turned out. I am so proud of the beading especially! I was sure to text a few update pictures to the bride as I made progress. This close up of the beading was one picture that I sent to her. 

Some of the beading detail

Congrats, Emily! So happy I got to be a small part of your big day! Now that I am finished, I think I might reward myself with a new dress...

Second Annual Prom Season

Prom season just came and went!

Lately I have been so busy with taking care of my almost three month old that it is hard for me to find time for my projects. Its been really stressful because I've had some MAJOR projects: altering two prom dresses and building sleeves onto a strapless wedding dress. 

During our busy season for our business (April through August), my husband doesn't get home until 8 or 9 at night. Most nights he comes straight home and is on "Peter Duty" for the rest of the night. If Peter needs something, he happily takes care of it so I can sew.  

A few weeks ago I finished my work on the prom dresses and it turned out great. 

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The beautiful result!

The first dress was a beautiful blue floral dress.
I hemmed the dress about three and a half inches and added blue satin underneath the sheer part of the bodice. It matched the lining fabric so perfectly!

The second dress I altered was a champagne lace off-the-shoulder dress with a train.

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I raised the lace off-the-shoulder detail to cap sleeves. Along with that, I removed some of the lace from the neckline to expose the sweetheart detail.
The hem had a beautiful train, but it may have been a bit over the top for a high school prom. I evened the hem to be straight across.

The lined cap sleeves and even hem

Clayton Clothing

My brother Lane is a very talented seamster (male form of seamstress? Maybe correct?). In his free time, he makes ties for himself, stuffed animals for his nephews, and beautiful custom pieces for friends. He is also an entrepreneur and is always coming up with business ideas and putting them to the test. 

He and his good friend started a business called Clayton Clothing. They sell handmade, stylish ties and have managed to keep very busy doing so. They even do custom orders for wedding parties.
I know from experience that ties are not easy to make. The pattern, cut, and assembly have to be perfect to get a symmetrical and straight tie.
I'm really proud of them and very impressed with all of their hard work.

Jesse sporting his handmade Clayton Clothing tie on Easter Sunday

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My Creative Outlet

Sewing is my creative outlet.
I see it as a challenge. I think its a great skill to be able to make something out of nothing!
I'm reminded of this short video released by the LDS Church. I think everyone needs a creative outlet, be it writing, sewing, cooking, or playing a musical instrument. All we have to do is use the talents we have been blessed with. 

One woman that inspires me is Alexia. She has handmade nearly 100% of her twin daughters' wardrobe and she also makes beautiful pieces for herself. Her little girls are undoubtedly the best dressed kids on the playground.

Another woman who is so talented is Merrick of Merrick's Art. She shares pictures of clothing she makes and includes a simple tutorial on how to make it yourself. Her pieces are so stylish and simple.

I've noticed a lot of other seamstresses I know are using the Month of May as an excuse to make more and showcase it. Me Made May. I'm hoping that my recent motivation (since being NOT PREGNANT) will result in lots of finished projects.

A few things on my list:

• French terry shorts for Peter (they will be so stinking cute)
• Forrest green knit tie-front top
• Ultra long circle skirt
• Sleeper for my niece (due any time!)
• Tie for Jesse