Bride who Twirled x

Earlier in the year I had a Bride-to-be come to me with some pictures of styles and her only other requirement was that the skirt should swirl as she was dancing .

We chose a Champagne satin and burnt orange as an accent colour. I made waistcoats and ties, small bridesmaid dress to go with it. And it looks great when she twirls x

HO HO HO x

Well, as it is Christmas, I thought I would show you one of my latest creations !!!

A little bit unusual for me, but I could not refuse to help .

My sons old junior school was in need of some assistance for Santa, he needed some new clothes !!

I donated my time, and FABRIC MAGIC in TROWBRIDGE , generously gave a discount on the materials.

He arrived a little differently than he would normally !!

Just call me Santas Little Helper !!!! My good deed done x

Wedding Dress pictures

I have not written for a while, I just don't know where the time goes.


Although , these days I have a job to get my hands on the laptop !!!

Earlier on in the year I was working on a wedding dress that meant I had to keep moving the furniture round. The skirt part was so long.

My customer based her idea on the Wedding Dress worn by Princess Margaret, designed by Norman Hartnell, in 1960.

However, she wanted tulle to be used , instead of organza. We had to change the style of the collar because the fabric was just too flimsy to stand up as high. It was quite a challenge but this is the result.

The tulle jacket was edged in ribbon , as was the skirt. I also had to make a cathedral length veil which was again, edged in ribbon. I bought some diamante buttons which were sewn on the front, the cuff and there were six at the back of the neck ( three on each side for decoration, it had hooks and eyes to fasten at the top)

The bodice underneath was ivory satin.

I still hope to receive some official photos, I dont know why I dont take more myself , but I just can't take good photos. I hope you like it xx

Something new

I have recently made something new for my Misi shop.

I have worked with some gorgeous fabrics in my time and find it very hard to throw, even the smallest, leftovers away. So I decided to make this large brooch / corsage .

The first layer is red silk Dupion, left over from a Medieval style wedding ( shown in old posts if you want to scroll down).

The organza petals on top of that, fabric left over from the beaded bridesmaids earlier this year ( again in previous post).

I then added some seed beads and glass beads.

I also thought that it could be used to decorate a handbag or a dress.

My shop is www.misi.inspiredbrides.co.uk

I am pleased with the final brooch, thought I might make some more. I know just the fabric for my next one !!

Just wanted to share

Found a blog when I was blog-hopping http://rag-mad.blogspot.com/ with a lovely Bob Marley quote. Just wanted to share..
I can't seem to add the quote myself without writing it all out !!! I really don't know what I am doing with computers, there must be a way of doing it. LOL . I just don't know what it is.
When my son was 5 and at primary school I used to help with the reading sessions. Once, a young boy asked me to do something on the computer, I looked at it but ...........
So, another 5 year old came over and sorted it right out !!!!!
I was sooooo embarrassed that I went and enrolled on a college course. Did all the Clait exams and even got a 'passport' (I think thats what it was) for a computer. And to think , that is supposed to mean I can 'competently' use any computer. Go figure !!!!!!! I just want it to do what I want it to do. Is that too much to ask :(

Bridesmaids

Over the summer I have met and worked with some lovely people.

I met Caroline, she wanted 3 bridesmaid dresses and could not find the colour that she wanted in the shops.

Also, there was one little problem, one of the bridesmaids was in America and would not get her dress until a day or so before the wedding. Caroline was getting married abroad so there would have been no way to alter her dress if it did not fit properly.

Did not think of it before, but maybe I should have said that if she paid for me to go over with her I could have done the alterations abroad with them !!!! Ah, missed opportunity there !!

To overcome the American problem, we got her mum to measure her and we sent a sample dress over for her to try, just made in a lining fabric, her mum emailed me to say that it fit perfectly. Great, so I could just get on with making the dress.

Also, a couple of weeks later, Caroline rang me and asked if I could do another 2 bridesmaid dresses !!! Ofcourse, you can't say no can you, so I ended up making 5. I hand beaded all of the dresses and had to make them all look the same even though they were different sizes but it all looked very nice. I hope to receive some of the actual wedding photos when things have settled down for the newly weds but for now here is a picture of one.

The dress is in orchid satin with organza overlay and these pictures are takaen before the final press. I hope you like x

See , I have done some work, just been a bit lax in my blog posts, and I always wait until after the events have happened so that no-ones secrets are out the bag !!

Do you think its too soon to show pics from another break I had ??!! I went to Glastonbury too xx LOL

Back to sewing

Well, I have chatted about my mini break but my blog was supposed to be for showing some of my work !!! Inbetween my little excursions I have done some work.

This one was for a Stepmother of the Bride. The lady in question had actually found a shop which stocked a line from http://www.linearaffaelli.com/ . Unfortunately they did not stock her size, she was told that if they ordered one she would have to have it. It is difficult to be sure of something if you can not try it on and they are costly if you decide that once it arrives it does not suit you ! However, their clothing is lovely.

She showed me a picture of the one she liked, however, she did not want a bodice so we changed the top completely. Also, we decided on a longer length skirt. It is made in tafetta, Chinese Red and Black. The red is lovely, it catches the light and looks purple/red. I had extreme difficulty in finding a lace motif that I liked. I ended up buying some Chantilly lace and cutting it up !!! Rather expensive to do, but it was the right thing to get. I added some black beads and sequins to it.

This is the end result. She was very pleased and enjoyed being able to make her changes to suit her own figure.

Last Day at Milan

The final installment of my break :(

We only had the morning to spend in Milan, we had to be at the airport in the afternoon.

On the Saturday we were going to climb the roof of the Duomo but, due to security for the parade, it was closed off.

However, even though there were people inside for a service, we found out that we were allowed to go up on the Sunday so our disappointment was over. So worth the visit !! Beware, even though we used the lift, there were still lots of steps to go up.. Leg muscles !!! And so not the time to have worn a short skirt !!! But it was not planned.

The views were amazing . Apparantly every statue, of which there are loads, is different. It was lovely. Have I mentioned about the lovely weather !! (not in this post, ha ha ) Well worth the trip. Although the view from certain points, over the city, was not too spectacular. Unfortunately there seems to be lots of development going on, I am glad I got to visit when I did, I fear that they are spoiling bits of the city which is a great shame as there is some truly beautiful architecture.


After our Cathedral visit, we went for a last drink in a cafe beside the square. Watching the people go by and already missing the place. I had the biggest Mojito on the menu , full of crushed ice and absolutely gorgeous on that hot day.

Thank you Milan for a lovely time x

Just to finish, here is a pic of me, terrified at the airport. I hate flying, but I force myself to do it because I like to get to somewhere else x

Milan Trip

Continuing on from my previous post x

On the Saturday the weather was glorious again. We had found the Tourist Information and bought tickets to go on a bus tour which you can hop on and off whenever you like. It was lovely to hear a bit about the different places, we saw The Castello Sforzesco, which we had a look around .

Then, got back on the bus and were dropped off at the shops with a more reasonble price tag ! This was, for me, a bit disappointing, a lot of the shops are the same as ours and I was hoping for more special boutiques.

However, we did come across a couple of nice shops off the main drag which (unfortunately can't remember the road) were a little more individual. One shop inparticular stood out for me. Penny Black , feminine, beautiful , affordable clothing . Loved it and I understand its quite a new brand, doesn't have an internet base yet.

In amongst all the bus trip we had popped back to the main square
LOOK !!

A special parade was going on. How nice of them to treat us on our trip LOL

There were dignitaries . Lots of Police !! Definately the safest time to have visited Milan. Everyone was stood there for hours in absolutely baking heat. Old soldiers, forensics, firemen, etc. They really did look fine in all their uniforms. People were being called up to receive awards. Because it was hot, we went to a cafe for a drink. Next thing we know, the parade has finished and some of the people walked right past where we were sat.

Was very nice to see, Men in uniform !!! Lovely .

As promised, here is me in my new shoes, with my handbag, outside The Duomo. For some reason, this gentleman wanted to get in on my picture !!!

Catch Up

Well, life has been so hectic that I have neglected my blog, in fact, at one stage I was on a limit of half an hour per day on the computer !!!! Just because time can wizz by on the darn thing .

I have been busy working on a wedding dress which caused me a few design issues and took rather longer than it should have. Also had several other jobs to do .

However, the last time I posted was back in May !!! That was to show you my new shoes which were going to be travelling to Milan with me.

I thought I would share some of it with you, but will have to do it in stages as there are so many nice pics . It was absolutely gorgeous weather. We stayed at Hotel De La Ville which turned out to be just a street away from the main square. Very Old English gentlemans Club type feel to the place. More English than a lot of our places in fact. Was great, would highly recommend it and the breakfast was gorgeous . Top Marks x

Well, of course, the first thing any self respecting woman would do on arrival in Milan on a Friday lunchtime, is to head to the shopping mall. Bit out of my price range !!! But was nice to look at the Prada, personally I am not a Louis Vuitton girl so was not too bothered about that. Gorgeous building thoughAnd here is the Italian Mr Bean, our lovely waiter that Friday evening . LOL . A street away from our hotel and next to the Ferrari showroom !! was a lovely restaurant, very reasonble prices, gorgeous food and wine, fantastic service. And here is a pic of my lovely Auntie who took me away for my birthday treat. Cant quite believe I am nearly 40, its creeping up very quickly now !!!! I have more pics but will leave it there for now. But it is certainly a lovely place to be and the fantastic weather certainly helped. I think the European lifestyle, eating and drinking out in the sunshine, certainly suits me xx LOL

Couldnt resist !!!

I am just loving this year, becoming 40 is not as dull as I thought it might be and I still have a while to go yet !!!!

A couple of weeks ago I went to London for the weekend. I have family there and it was a pre-Milan shopping trip. I cant possibly turn up to one of the fashion capitals looking rubbish now, could I ???

Went to Westfield shopping centre and found some irresistible shoes, which 3 people commented on and I had not even left the shop !! They look sooo sexy on, but the picture only shows you how they look off. I think I will get a picture done with them when I am in Milan so that you can see where they get to.

I have even been getting them out of the box just to look at them. Who said shopping does not make you happy !!! I know they are lying xx

I also bought myself a Jasper Conran handbag. I do like it, but somehow it does not have the same effect as the shoes !!

I very rarely go shopping, and even more rarely , enjoy it. Me and my son had a lovely time with my Auntie and Uncle and I should really do it more often, but I am not sure if the purse strings can handle it !!!! Westfield shopping centre has soooooo much stuff.

Back View

Hi, hope everyone who reads this is well. Just thought I would show the back of the wedding dress sash from a previous blog showing the front of it.

I like to do my bows in seperate pieces, because I like them to stay in place exactly as I make them, I do not think a sash that you tie into a bow looks as nice on a wedding dress.

First I made the pieces that hang down the back. I used chiffon and bound the top edge with some satin because its firmer, and I was stitching this to the dress on one side of the zip. Then I put a popper on the dress and the bound edge. This means it will not hang off anywhere.

Then I made my bow pieces in chiffon, with a satin in the middle bit. I did start to bead this but found that because of the design on the front being wavy, it did not look right with similar beads on the bow. I had to unpick all my hard work !!!!!!

Being a perfectionist is a blessing and a curse xxx

(he he he )

So I opted for the gorgeous sew on Swarovski and used the philosophy , less is more.

The dress is gone now, I am working on other projects at the moment . I hope you have enjoyed looking at my creation x

Is it just me ???

Well, is is just me or does anyone else do this?

When I get flowers, on that rare occasion, I like to keep them for longer than most people would.

They are dying in fact. I still think they look beautiful, even in this state.

This is my last flowers I got and they were beatiful when I first got them.

But they are still beatiful when they look like this, dont you agree ????

Wedding Dress Sash

Amongst other things, I have been working on creating a new sash for a wedding dress.

The dress started off fairly plain and my customer wanted something with a bit of sparkle.

This is what I started off with.

I had a bit of muslim, cut in a strip, so that she could give me the correct width of what she wanted. She also wanted a bow at the back.

I started off with a piece of organza that was the correct width ( + small top seam) and used some chiffon behind and over the top of it and pinned it into place (as picture).

There was a small strip of fabric on the dress and a bow that needed removing so I had to undo the stitching that held this in place, cut and remove it. I had to undo an area along the zip edge and open up the sides to put the sash into it!!!!

I find it difficult to 'create' beaded areas, purely on a design level. What one person would like is not necessarily the same as you might create and because it takes a long time to hand sew beads into place, I must admit to being a little nervous !! I showed her some beads that I was going to consider and she liked them, Swarovski crystals, whats not to like, truly my favourites, plus a few others. Bit too extravagant a budget would have been needed for it all to be Swarovski .

I also got sew on ones (because I like them and did not want to risk burning the chiffon with some hotfix ones) which I got from http://www.cheapfabrics.co.uk/

She came around the other day to check out the beading, just to make sure she was happy before I continued with the back and the bow, and she was really pleased.

So, thought I would show you it so far.

Re-styling a dress

One project I have just done is a little unusual, and not at all easy.

A young lady comes to me every now and then with unusual requests, and this was no different, she brought me a dress

The problem was, she did not like the top of the dress, wanted it taken off and a new one put on.

I told you it was unusual.

Problem one; she wanted a top with floaty sleeves.

Problem two; dress has a side zip . A top with sleeves can not have a side zip !!!!

Oh yes, and there was no centre back seam on the skirt.!!!

I love problem solving and a challenge, just as well in my job.

I made a muslin top with floaty sleeves with a centre back seam. I found the centre back of the skirt, marked it and stitched a V shape around it because it was made of chiffon and would have frayed !!!

We had a fitting, just to make sure everything was to her liking and it was fine.

There was no way to find a matching colour, so we picked a contrasting one for the top.

Made the top and attached it to the skirt.

For the centre back I used the sash that had been around the waist, to surround the raw edges before inserting the zip.

I made a little flower, using a technique I found on a blog, to bring both colours together. Unfortunately I can't remember the blog, otherwise I would happily tell you where I got it from. I changed the technique because I could not find the blog again and repeat it !!!!! I was quite happy with the result though. Here is the finished dress

Christening Gown

The date for the Christening has passed , so I feel that it is ok to show you my picture.
As usual, my photography is below par and does not show the detail of the skirt or bodice.
The lace was taken from a wedding dress, it was then placed onto the skirt and bodice (as shown in a previous post) and then re-beaded. The flowers were also taken off the dress.
It is the first one that I have ever made and, although it took longer than anticipated, it was a pleasure to do. She is a beautiful little girl.

I WON , yay !!!!

I won a prize !!!!! I have never won anything before !.

Spratsie, one of the people on http://www.misi.co.uk/ had posted a thread to win one of her sculptures. you just had to pick your favourite one and say why.

I picked the one called Blowing Kisses Your Way . I really liked it, and as I am a wedding dressmaker, amongst other things, if it wasn't for love I would have no job !!!!! What a lovely name for a sculpture.

I am not giving it away either, its beside my TV , blowing kisses my way !!

Well, you can't possibly expect me to give away the only prize I have ever won, can you !

here, could you give this away x

She has other ones, and they are very reasonably priced, so if you are looking for a gift thats a bit special go to www.misi.co.uk and check out Spratsie store - The Seven Seas

Happy Valentines xx

Next Blogs

Do you ever just go to the top of the page and keep clicking Next Blog until it stops changing them.
I love doing that, you can find some lovely sites that you did not know existed. Do you think it's just because I am nosey, I like to think of myself as being curious.
Sometimes it is a shame that I do not know the different languages as I seem to come across lots of blogs not written in English, I really think it might be nice to learn a new language.

Time is my enemy. At the ripe old age of ' nearly 40' I find that it slips away so much quicker than it used to.
Perhaps I should spend less time 'browsing' the internet, and more time 'doing'.

I do not know why the writing has changed !! I have pressed the same button again and it did not go back to normal.

I am afraid computers are not a strong point for me. Probably why I 'waste' so much time, making mistakes. But there is soooo much on here.

I shall make a list. That seems to be my hobby lately, lists of everything. I have joined a yahoo group called Getting Things Done and although I have read some of it and tried to follow the rules, I still have not found the 'time' to do it properly. I have however found that I am much more productive than I used to be, and that is definately a good thing. So , maybe its not a bad thing that I am 'nosey/curious' (take your pick). I would, after all, not have made myself more productive by being this way.

Note to self; its ok to have the time to be curious, you might learn something useful. I think it should be on everybody's list

On my twitter I have been writing about one of my sewing projects.
It is a Christening Gown.
The customer came to me with a pattern (McCalls M4865) and her wedding dress. She asked if it would be possible to make the Gown from the train of her dress. The wedding dress fabric was too thick for this, so I suggested a thinner satin.
I took the lace and beads from the train of the wedding dress, had to also make the wedding dress train shorter and finish the hem.

I positioned the lace onto the christening gown skirt, tried it in 3 different patterns before I decided that I liked this way best.

I have hand sewn it into place, added the beads, then attached a lining so that it hid all stitching.

I made up the gown, although, I sort of followed the instructions. I had lined the skirt, which was not in the instructions. I attached the skirt lining and skirt together, then continued, as one piece. I also made the sleeves longer, I needed to add elastic around the 'cuff ' part because they were quite wide. I found fiting the sleeves a bit tricky because they were so small. But got there in the end.

The little baby is beautiful, I cant wait to see the pictures . Valentines Day, what a lovely day for a Christening