Abi and Dave

If you have read my blog lately, you know I have been involved in a project for Abi.  Well, here it is.  Deep breath.... what do you think? 

Abi, thanks for being so trusting and open.  Thanks for letting me get crazy with the texture.  It is rare to get to do whatever I want for a bride.  It is the ultimate situation but daunting non the less. 

These beautiful photos are done by Jacque Lynn, you can check out her blog here.  I do love how intimate and surreal these images turned out. 

Am I Crazy?

Some dresses speak easily about what they want to be.  They drape this way or that and let me know how we should proceed.  Others I stubbornly decide for it.  I am not saying one method is better than the other.  They are just my realities. 

I am working on Jenny's dress.  She came with one idea, but during the first fitting, we were playing with the skirt fabric and it did some cool things.... which led us in a different direction than planned.  I feel the new way is insanely beautiful and opens up so many opportunities to make a "gown" instead of a "dress". 

Then there is Abi's dress. Anyone who knows me, knows I will be very boring until this project is done. I am not saying that I am interesting when I am not working on such a project, I am just extra boring when I am in an obsessive moment like this one.

It is the end.  I get to bead tomorrow all day and hope for the best.  This is the skirt laying on our chair.  I do love it when it is in a heap.  I just hope I can love it when it is attached to the bodice like a proper gown.  This dress has the potential to be greeted with open arms by those who see it.  It is also a departure from the norm.... which I love.... but which others might not "get". 

I hope you all have a good night.  I shall dream about Swarovski crystals and over sized vintage pearls.  Maybe I will come up with something perfect for the flowers while sleeping.  I get lucky like that sometimes. 

Grateful and a bit tired

I am coming to you with two hours of sleep from last night.  

I keep trying to make sense of this blog, but have mostly been using the delete key.  A good indication that I should just quit and watch the latest Masterpiece Theater that is recorded for me and just waiting. 

I finished Sarah's dress which I now love.  More on her when I get some photos to post.  

I finished Abi's dress so she could do a video shoot.  I will be beading and tweaking it after the shoot.  I let the dress go without seeing it on.  I NEVER do that.  I need to learn how to relax and not take this all so seriously.  That will never happen, I fear. 

It has been an intense week.  When I am this busy, I appreciate my honey and two boys that much more.  I have such a supportive husband.  He has to listen to me stew about this netting or that organza.  He has to watch "The Amazing Race" while the serger is going full blast.  He takes such great care of the kids and never complains.  My little family handles fittings, fabric, and a barrage of pins on the floor without even a thought.  I am so grateful for them. 

I do love this occupation.  I will be swimming through these next few months and hopefully will come up for air in August.  Oh, but how I am enjoying the ride.  I am loving each style of dress and  I can't get over the kind and happy people I get to interact with in the creation of the dresses.  Right now I am just loving what I am doing without a thought to that something better around the corner.  I am around that corner and working on that something better. 

I better stop.  The lack of sleep is making me a bit too nostalgic.  

Good day all. 

Gathering

I was up late last night sewing, and inevitably that makes me dream about sewing all night.  This morning I woke excited to get to work.  I imagine it was because dreaming about sewing doesn't accomplish anything.  By waking, I knew I could actually make head way into my projects. 

Above are a few pictures of what will happen on the Abi dress.  We are mixing lace and rushing together on the bodice.  The skirt will be a textured concoction.  I can't wait to be surprised by this one, it is any ones guess to how the skirt will turn out. 

Funny thing.  Abi was here tonight.  She is on her way to Moab tomorrow and we were struggling with something about the dress.  I didn't think we would resolve it tonight but I didn't want her going off on a road trip worried about it.  Come to think about it, it would stress me out more than her, I think.  We didn't want it to be too costumy.  So you would think we would simplify it to help it look more modern and less costumy.  Crazy thing is, we Added, and that fixed the problem.  Go figure.  Just goes to show you need an open mind in this process!   

Now for the second half of this blog.  While doing a slight gather to yards and yards of fabric, I thought, I will share this trick to whoever would like.  I love my gathering foot, but it gathers quite enthusiastically.  When I want just a slight gather, I simply change my tension on my machine.  It doesn't matter which way, just put the dial to one extreme or another.  Then lengthen the stitch length and have at it.  It should gather a bit.  I might even hold the fabric behind the foot just to encourage gathering.  If it doesn't gather, it is still easier to gather after the fact.  Just grab the looser thread and pull. 

Pardon me if this doesn't make any sense at all.  It is my first try at explaining something without just showing you.  Next time I will take more photos which would equal less words, and we all know that would be better.