Amanda update

So last weekend was a whirlwind of sewing, fittings, and lots of talk of Mad Men.  Amanda and her mom, Viena were in again for more dressmaking.  The out of town bride is so intense for me, and I love it.  It does take a few days to recover from it.   

These women have lived such different lives than me, so it makes for great conversation.  But most of all, they have the best attitudes.  I love a person that can live so happily and appreciate the moment they are living.  Boy, I sound corny, but you should hear them.  This is why I love this job.  I get to work with people during a happy and exciting time in their lives.  Pretty cool. 

Because of all of the talk of Mad Men, I think Amanda embodied Joan's spirit.  She isn't built like Joan, (is anyone?) but she has the attitude.  I am a strong believer that the bride has the power to make the dress much better just through wearing it well.  Amanda will do that. 

Disclaimer, Amanda will not be wearing the socks on the wedding day, but aren't they a great photo op?

Shelby, stage 1

I had the greatest time working on Shelby's dress.  She chose a beautiful silk satin.  I would say it was the color of butter.  Shelby wanted something more gown than wedding dress.  I love that.  Shelby also came with a new sister-in-law who designs beautiful things.... really really beautiful things.  So I got to be the seamstress on this one and create a dress for Shelby by Shelby and Autumn.  I really enjoyed the collaboration and challenge.  The pictures are of the bodice front and back.  I just counted and there are 24 pieces for just the bodice.  I can't wait to show the whole dress, but am having fun showing pictures of the process.  Seems like I have been doing that lately. 

Each dress makes me question my abilities, especially when I get to work with someone like Autumn.  It really shows how little I know.  It is humbling but also really enlightening.  I love the push in a different direction.  In a way, though, it is a helpless feeling that I will never get where I want to go.  Oh, that reminds me of the song the boys are learning.  They have been learning all of my old U2 songs.  "I still haven't found what I'm looking for."  It seems more appropriate than ever.  It goes to show, you can have a great husband, two beautiful boys, and still have a feeling of not arriving yet.  I think that is what keeps a person going. 

I write this while content and happy about things, just so you know. 

I believe this feeling is the reason I can sew and the reason I love to do it. 

This feeling is why I love to start and finish each dress. 

This feeling is why I get excited knowing the next project will leave me stumped, until, as I wake one morning, the answer is floating in my head. 

 Boy, I love those answers. 

Nicky and groom

Cute as a button, don't you think?  Or is it "cute as buttons"? 

I worked on this dress in the summer and got this in an email after the event.  It was great working with Nicky.  She lives in California and came up a couple of times to get the dress done.  She is one of those smart women which seems to be the case with all of my brides.  She is becoming a Doctor and will do amazing things. 

I think you can really see that they had a great time at their wedding.  I love the bride and groom that arrange to have fun on the fateful day.  From this image, you can see that they are happy, calm, and enjoying the moment. 

Oh, did I mention that I wouldn't mind having this dress.  I loved the vintage feel of it, and the lace, and the color of silk underneath.

Succulants

I am always over preachy about brides finding inspiration in unusual places.  Well, this example is more than perfect.  Amanda, who I will describe soon, wants flowers like succulents on her dress.  Doesn't that just take the cake.  This bride is so on my wave length that she likes the only plant that I will allow in my house.  I am not much for house plants... too much dusting, watering, etc, but I do love a good terracotta pot of succulents.   

Okay, should I start this story.  Plan on it being random and too wordy.  I have a lot to express on this one. 

Amanda and Viena are these great women.  Amanda, the bride, lives in San Fransisco and her mother, Viena, lives in New York City.  You think that is quite remarkable, the fact they inhabit the two best cities in the U.S.  They are as cool as the places they live.  

Here are a few reasons why:  

They were daring enough to come out to Utah to have this random dress maker design a wedding gown.  I have brides come from many places, but they usually have a friend who has worked with me.  She did it without knowing any of my brides.   

When Amanda called me from the Salt Lake Airport, she was so very excited about how beautiful the view was from the airport windows.  That is the kind of enthusiasm that just makes me happy. 

Viena raised Amanda in New York.  When I visit there I see these moms teaching their kids to ride a bike on the sidewalks of Manhattan.  Now I get to chat with these great people who had that experience of New York.

Viena has had been a career woman in Manhattan for many years.  I love the idea of that and have really enjoyed hearing her point of view.

Oh, and did I mention, Viena was "Miss Central America" at one point. 

Who leads that kind of life? 

I want to share all of these great things I have learned about these women but keep deleting because.... well, you just have to be there. 

Well, meet Amanda and Viena.  At the end of the long weekend where I sewed and they got to enjoy a snap shot of Utah, we took them up through camp.  They met the horses. 

I am hoping that the boys start calling them Aunt Amanda and Aunt Viena.

This horse was especially wanting some attention.

Here is just a taste of what is to come for Amanda's dress.  I, as you can tell, am pretty excited about this one.  I don't want to show much because it is just the start of the process and I have learned the more I work on a detail, the better it will be.  I am looking forward to being surprised. 

But really, isn't this just the best flower motif ever.  I love a good desert plant. 

Metal in the desert

I love the desert.  I consider it the most creative place I know.  I guess I am not the only one who feels this way.   Here are some great examples of creative people doing interesting things in the desert. 

Anyway, the boys and I got invited to Lake Powell for 2 days.  It was the perfect amount of time.  I had to wait for fabric to come from New York, so there were no reasons not to go.  On our way down, we stopped at Hanksville.... because it would be cool to get a picture of hank by the sign.  Well, as we toured through the small metropolis we passed the most amazing town project.... or so I assume it was a town project.  There were 30 sculptures in front of an old motel made of random car parts.  The inspiration was dinosaurs.  Another example of why I love the desert.

Slade looks like he isn't too sure about this one.

Okay, these two images are just random ones I have snapped in the last year.  I guess in a round about way, it fits the theme.  Love the color of the blue truck. 

 Just love the horse shot.  This horse is really quite remarkable.  It is located outside of my brother and sister-in-law's restaurant,  The Painted Pony, in St. George. 

Cotton Dot Organdy

Starting a new dress is always a refreshing experience.  I feel a lot of peace and happiness when I am cutting it out.  Maybe because it is in the most perfect form.  There are no known problems.... yet.  I have no idea what will come and how the final product will turn out.  I like that. 

Using this incredible cotton organdy is making my day, or rather, my week.  It is crisp, clean, insanely beautiful, and will do just the right thing for the gown.  It will be a simple dress because of the great fabric.  I can't wait to see how the whole thing will develop.  This is why I do what I do. 

I wonder if my euphoria also has to do with the fact this is my last dress of the summer.  I might even luck out and have a holiday with the kids before school starts!  What a novel idea. 

Enjoy!

Cristy's Flower Dress

I love a good image.  Doesn't Lindsay from Green Apple Photography greenapplephotographyonline.com do an amazing job?  She works with lighting in such a beautiful way.  I was so excited when I found out Lindsay was doing another one of my brides! 

I wish everyone could meet the bride in these images.  She is just so very cool.  She might be one of the most up beat people I know.  No, she IS the most up beat person I know.  She was open to some different ideas for the dress, so I was able to do these great embroidered flowers for the skirt.  In the end we used hundreds and hundreds of them.  This is just a teaser.  I will post more of the whole dress later.  

Enjoy your day.