It's Bridesmaid Time!

Tomorrow we fly to Oregon for Anna's wedding on Sunday! I really like the dress and it's very flattering!

Accidental detail shot- it has a gathered neckline and the ruched waistband.

The back is pretty elegant and it fits pretty well.
Oh, and that's not a train- that's just about a foot of extra fabric Mom is going to help me cut and hem. I already bought the thread; it's a grey-purple and it was hard to match!

**And, to not misrepresent, I did not make this, I bought it at David's bridal!**

Skirt in Progress

This post could also be titled RIP mirror. It has been lovely weather lately and we had all the windows open. Then, the door blew open and slammed the mirror face down on the ground and it shattered. Boo.

It is nearly finished, and a bit wrinkly.

I did the button-holes in grey, so they are barely noticeable. It will have ten buttons down the front, when I get around to doing that. Ick. This is when I wish I had a fancy sewing machine that would sew on buttons for me!
Plus it has pockets, woot woot!
Maybe I will sew on the buttons in the airport- Anna's wedding is on Sunday!

Birthday Dress Photos!

Andrew and I went to Cochon, a nice restaurant downtown. It was excellent and all of the food was delicious! Plus, I got to wear my birthday dress, which is great! I should start making fancy dresses more often and make Andrew take me to nice restaurants! Hee hee.

Again, it is not quite so shiny in real light, with no flash. I also wore the shoes I plan on wearing with my bridesmaid dress- conclusion: maybe for the ceremony, but they are very pinchy!

The only changes I made to the pattern were to shorten the length dramatically, make the waist about 1 inch bigger, and to add the bra strap carriers for the boat-neck.
Here, you can see that the back has a V neck, which is pretty.
All in all, I really like this dress. It is pretty, but more importantly, comfortable enough to enjoy a nice dinner without being pinched like a sausage! Yay!

Mappy Mirthday Mo Me!

As a child, I used to force my mom to sing me happy birthday over and over, starting every word with a different letter each time. I am pleased she never strangled me, and I was able to turn 27 on Wednesday.

Andrew and I will be going out to dinner on Friday night, so hopefully I will have pictures on my birthday dress soon.

Here's my important birthday thought:

Never did I imagine that I would begin my 28th year on this planet with tiny wrinkles growing on my forehead and a face FULL of zits!!

And that it all.

Have a good Friday!!

Birthday Dress Complete!

It's really shiny in the sunlight and keep in mind the dummy is not wearing her bra.

Front, with a wide boat neck.

Side. The side seams doesn't match up because I used one big strip of fabric and The Ruffler to gather the skirt. Oh well, who will notice but me?
The back has a V neck.
I put in the zipper by hand, and the puckers are much less obvious in reality. I can't even envision how ugly it would have been if I had tried it on the machine!!
I attached shiny green ribbon and hemmed it by hand; it took one episode of Rome.
I am going to add bra strap carriers, like on the yellow dress. With the wide neck, it will be very beneficial. The Fray Check is drying right now, but I will try to finish them today.

Next, I am making a skirt.

A valuable trick to know!

I sadly can't take credit for having made this dress, because it's really pretty. I bought it on ebay in my obsessed-with-ebay phase in 2005. I think it cost maybe 15 bucks? It's cotton and a pretty spring yellow.

It has this great senorita ruffle on the collar.
It is made for someone with far more impressive proportions than I have. The waist fits at about 26 inches, but the bust is probably for a 36 or 38 inch bust? Luckily, the ruffle covers how deflated the top looks one me. ;)
As you fasten it up, it has two snaps on the skirt, two hooks and eyes at the waist, six fabric covered buttons and three snaps at the neckline. Impressive! The seams are pinked and the facing and the skirt hem are covered in ribbon and hand sewn.
But here is THE TRICK you should know!! It has bra strap carriers!
What a quick and easy fix so that you can wear a bra, but not have tacky straps slipping out all the time! Two snaps and a little piece of ribbon about an inch long. I used them, and it has the added bonus of holding a slippy top in place so it doesn't move around.

Pretty awesome, right?

Anyone else like inspecting vintage things for sewing tips?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Look at this awesome valentine I made for Andrew today at school. I sound like a child! Anyways, I am sooo proud of how awesome it is!

It says, "Andrew, I love you like... zombies love BRAINS!"

I felt inspired by the LeeAnn Rimes song I heard on the radio this morning that goes "I need you like water like breath like rain..." lol. Enjoy here.

I also made this EXQUISITE drawing during a teacher meeting last week. I love to doodle.
It's a zombie chasing two children with giant, delicious brains. Did you notice how I cut it out in the shape of a brain? I was giggling while I made it, it was so awesome.

Have a happy day! We're going bowling, if we can get a lane.