Bridesmaids, Studio Blues and Desire Lines.

Howdy!

If I blogged more frequently, there would be fewer mammoth posts filled with too many photos about different unrelated subjects.  Alas, I prefer the mammoth approach and hope you all do also.

First, the bridesmaids dresses I've mentioned.  My brother got married a week or so ago to a lovely lady who also loves sewing (hooray!)  She had a vintage theme in mind for her wedding and I offered to help out with the dresses.  It was the first wedding I've been a part of and it was exciting to be involved!

It turned out to be an eventful day with a freak storm, power outage during the band's first set, down power lines, 150 people held hostage by the storm in a barn and things like that.  But above all of Mother Nature's shenanigans, it was a lovely wedding, the dresses and people's spirits were put to the test (sweat, rain, alcohol, etc) and it is an unforgettable story!

Andrea chose Butterick B5708 which is a reprint of a vintage pattern from 1953!  It was fun to work with and so pretty to wear.  She chose a pale blue cotton and a sheer polyester floral fabric to overlap the skirt.   Felt like a very full 50's party dress and fun to dance in.  Here's some shots of the dresses.  I'd love to post a more detailed shot of all us girls once the official wedding photos surface.  

For now here's a few:

A very focused maid of honour, and a nice dress shot.

Might I add, the church had no air conditioning and it was exactly 6000 degrees that day. She looks fabulously vintage.

Myself with the groombrother

You can see the sheer floral overlaying fabric here.  My dress was kind of stuck to me by this point but you get the idea.  

Blurry Bluebells in a Row

By using my vintage hem-marker from a few blogs ago, I was able to create that even hemline thing going on. Always mark from the ground up for an even hem! Very neat effect.

Tips for others looking to make garments for a group:

I found it best to tackle each one like an individual garment.  I think assembly line may have taken less time, but since each one required a bodice muslin and the pattern pieces to be altered for fit, it made more sense for me to treat them differently.

Give yourself lots of time especially to test and practice.  It's always a smart idea to test out the design on some scrap, not only for fit, but for technical issues that may come up (i.e. the Y-Seam blunder).  Practicing allowed me to screw it up a few times before the real deal.

Luckily for me I had a lovely bunch of girls to work with.  They were really easy going and had much faith in me but not everyone can be as sweet.  My advice is to just follow the pattern well and ensure fit by measuring bustlines/waistlines (or better, fitting the actual humans, along the way!).  If the dress fits well, even if not everyone is happy with the design, it will look great!

I found this very similar pattern online by McCall's (sans Y-Seam, with bust and back darts).  Must have been the hip style....Interchange-a-dress?  Wear it 5 ways! Now in Gingham!

Technical need-to-knows about this pattern (for sewing nerds):

• Y-Seam in bodice front is tricky, I opted not to follow exact instructions.  Instead I turned to quilt piecing methods and found this useful for nice, flat Y-seams.
• Like most commercial patterns there's about 2" ease built into bust and waist measurements so I sized down for a more streamlined look.

Next on the agenda,
I thought I'd post some things from my studio.  But wait, that's not sewing!  Actually it kind of is....my artwork and my sewing sometimes overlap and I suppose now's a good time to share it.  I've been missing my studio time lately working on other projects.

Here's my quaint space within Paper Box Studios.  My studio is in a neat old industrial building in Hamilton's east end.  Rumour has it they used to make paper boxes there.  I share the space with my friend Laura, she is much neater than I am.

Welcome to my organized mess! Everything is on display and has a place.

Did a makeover show declutter my studio? Nope that's just Laura's side. :)

Some closeups of my random collections.

I found this old pair of shoes on the train tracks behind the studio.

One of several cork boards.  This one's all miniature garment muslins/patterns...yep, thorough research.

House photos, old documents too nice to collage and the best scissors ever...No I don't give haircuts.

Map dork

Um..ART!

The next few are images of some of my sculptural work.  My work is pretty material-based, but I'm going to throw out some phrases that describe this work to lead your interpretation:

-championing common experience through miniature, parade-like banners 

-frail, delicate, floating remnants of the past

-clothing as a stand-in for people who aren't here or  representing those who have died

-unravelling of truths found in the past

Some new pieces in progress...These 2 are very tiny, about 3" across

Playing with light

A sneak peek of an unfinished WWI uniform. This is miniature also. 

 This dress measure about 5" tall and the bodice is made from a real pattern that has been scaled down.  The materials include paper, wire, fabric and thread.

Close up of embroidery and sheer fabric collage on the skirt

That is all for now before this becomes  a novel.  There are some new an exciting sewing adventures to come that will be next on the agenda. 

I leave you with this song by a great band that I had the privilege of meeting a few weeks ago.

Desire Lines by Camera Obscura (with a glowing and 6 month pregnant Traceyanne)

Let's see where the desire lines lead me....