...currently...
Enjoying the chill in the air and dreaming up designs in velvet and wool.
One of the reasons I so enjoy custom sewing is that everything I make is unique. Even when I do several of the same item, say for a bridal party, the custom fit to each person creates enjoyable challenges. Sometimes, to get a dress to look the same on different body types, I actually use very different base templates to generate my patterns. It's a game I play, with no hard and fast rules, to make unique items look like each other.
But often, I have the joy of making something that is really unique - I won't ever make something that looks exactly like it again. In this case, I had an unusual order; to design and make a dress for a beautiful young woman as her Christmas present (from her then-boyfriend! Fellows, take note!)...no inspiration photos or guidelines given, so that I had near-complete creative freedom with it. Yes.
My dearest oldest partner-in-crime Emily of Red Leaf Photography (seriously. outstanding. photography. See her professional site, Facebook page, and Etsy shop!) just blogged a post about my sewing studio. It gives me giggles, because often, when I'm in there, all I see are the stacks of fabric and pieces of paper with measurements and the umpteen empty coffee and tea mugs I need to take down to the kitchen and enough thread clippings and pins on the floor to set up a fairy knitting factory for life...but she saw between all that and captured several of the little serene spots in all the creative chaos!
Click on the photo to go see the whole thing, if you'd like. =)
I recently had the opportunity to create a baptismal gown for some dear friends of mine. Their first child is five months old, and her baptism was a wonderful celebration with both sets of grandparents and several friends present.
My dear old friend Courtney is visiting, my dear old friend Emily is over too, and we're sitting around talking about what idiots we were in college. I expect when we're all post-middle age we'll sit around talking about what idiots we are now.
And look! A prototype dress I developed (coming out of my fascination with architectural stained glass, Frank Lloyd Wright, and such) and made a few months ago fits Courtney! I want her to live here and be my model.
The bodice is partially pieced and partially appliqued; I'm currently working on a wedding gown design based on this concept, but in shades of white, ivory, and deep champagne (if anyone is interested, I would love to make it for an actual bride rather than my mannequin.)
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