Some Bridal Work

There really is nothing I love more than doing wedding-related things.  I am a sucker for all things bridal.  That's why I was so excited when I was contacted by an ol' college pal to do some sketches for some girls in her family.   Hope they love!

Saturday Sketching

Here are some sketches for a project I have coming up over the next year.  I'll keep it mum for now, but  its going to be pretty darn awesome.

Bridesmaids

Boy, do I have wedding fever.

I'm doing another wedding!  I'm so very excited for it.  I am creating the wedding gown, and then two bridesmaids dresses as well - and this is not your average wedding dress.  The bride is one of the most unique, most stylish people I've had the pleasure to meet, and I'm honored that she chose me to design and create her gown. But more on that at a later time...

I'm also doing a bridesmaid dress for a gal whose bride is doing one of those muted pastel themed bridal parties - no nominated dress, just pick a little frock in a different shade:

(image via Pinterest)

Here are my first sketches for Emily (she chose a very light grey in a gorgeous crinkle-chiffon):

I'll keep you posted on what she choses!

And The Crowd (me) Goes Wild!

There are more images coming, but here is the always-lovely Jenna wearing the (finally) completed Black & White Striped gown.  I will admit, there were some fit challenges with this one, but we were able to work through it and as you can see, she looks dynamite.

I love the way she styled the gown with bold jewelry - It's always interesting to see how people accessories the dresses I make.  I may make myself a shorter version for a summer wedding this year, and I may go with a sock bun, red lipstick and some gold cluster earrings.  How would you style this gown? 

 earrings | Robin McCormick, shoes | GoJane

I will post new pictures as I get them!

Hey Ombre

Well there were many other pictures of the dress on Christmas eve, none of which involved the flash.  So here's the best I got:

dress: cat got dressed

I never noticed how downright floral my parents living room is.  Yikes.  I also would like to thank my littlest (17yr-old) sister Bitsy for encouraging me to wear the dress even though I thought I didn't love it on me.  And also for lending me these tights.

And just because I'm a romantic:

Project Ombre: Completed.

Merry Christmas Eve-Eve!

So remember when I was going to do this?

Well, I did.

(I need to start taking my pictures out on the back porch.  The poor light in this room is inexcusable.)

The process was really very easy:

1. I boiled some water in a pot and threw in half a package of black Rit dye (I had half an envelope leftover from another project).

2. I pulled the lining of the dress up into the bodice (no need to dye this) and rubber-banded the waist.  This kept the lining up, and also kept the bottom of the dress even so my dye-line would be somewhat level.

3. I dipped the dress in by hand, using a spoon to drizzle some dye upwards, and left it in where I wanted to start the color for about 30 seconds.

4. I lifted it up and held it a few inches higher for another two minutes or so.

5. I left the pot on the counter (on a towel of course) and hung the dress on the cabinet knobs and left it there for about a half hour.

6. Rinsed with cold water and hung to dry (be careful not to spill the dye on your white kitchen counter)

I can't wait to wear it this week!  Hopefully the images will be better. I think I should take over the other bedroom for a photography studio, what do you think? 

Ta-da! It's Deirdre.

(dress: Cat Got Dressed)

 

I cannot believe that my very oldest friend is getting married tomorrow.  Since before I could remember, Deege and I were inseparable.  Two peas in a very weird pod.  Wearing matching outfits, putting on plays, trying to sell random crap on the sidewalk - the usual best friend hijinks.

 

(chic)

It has been an honor being her friend for almost 30 years (ew.) and I am so proud of her in every possible way. 

I couldn't be happier for her and Jonathan and wish them all the very best!

Let's party!

Rehearsal Dinner

Guys, Deirdre is getting married.  Like soon.  Like on Friday.  I can't believe its here already!

Here's what she is going to be wearing to her rehearsal dinner:

She loved the dress I made for Maria, and wanted a bridal-esque version of it.  I think she's going to look just lovely.  I'll try to snap some candids for the blog, mostly because I know she'll hate it.  What are friends for?

Jewels for Judy

Aunt Judy is one of my mom's best friends.  She's technically not an aunt, but she IS technically like a second mother to me. Her daughter Deirdre happens to be one of my oldest and most dearest pals...and she's getting married!  I haven't seen Aunt Judy's mother-of-the-bride dress, but I've been able to sneak a peak at her jewels for the occasion: Some amazing vintage pieces that belonged to her grandmother.  They needed a few adjustments, and she trusted me to make it happen (no pressure).

First off, the necklace was a little too choker-ish, so we added some length:

The earrings needed to have post-backs and also a little extra bling hangin' off:

I can't wait to see the whole ensemble together!

After the party its the....

after-party dress!

You lovely blog-readers may remember this rock-star of an after-party wedding dress for the lovely Bridget.

Well, it looks even better on the bride:

Is she not the most outrageous bride you've ever seen?  Anyone who can dance the night away in this number really knows how to have a good time.  Thanks again to Bridget for wearing my dress and to Rob Ninja at Humbled Eyes Photography for the amazing pictures!

Bridal Inspired

You may say I've been very inspired by the wedding party I'm working on.  We had a fitting with everyone on Saturday at my place in Astoria, and it was a success! A few tweaks here and there, and everyone was happy (including me!). I took a little break from alterations afterwards to make this dress. It would be perfect for a bride at her shower, rehearsal dinner, or any of those fun wedding-related events.  And what's better?  I got the fabric for free from work during our office move (it was about to be tossed) and the trim is from my cousin Dena.  For Christmas she gave me a box of trims (seriously, the most perfect thoughtful gift) and I haven't found the perfect project for them  - until now!

I know, I know...

I have been busy (proof below!)... and not blogging.  I promise one day soon I will be more consistent.