Butterick 6203 - A Valentine's Day Dress

Finished this dress over the weekend, a few days after Valentine's Day, but oh well! I got to enjoy my lovely pink roses while I sewed. :-)

I'd seen this bright, happy floral cotton lawn at Joann's a while ago, and I thought it would be perfect for a pink dress for Valentine's Day! But it was a little pricey so I decided to pair it with a more economical Valentine's Day cotton.

The latter is a bit wrinkly in the photos, as cheapy quilting cotton can be, but oh well. I love the little hearts because you don't really notice that they're hearts from far away.

I used Butterick 6203 for this dress.

 It was a quick make, the bodice fit me well (it has cup sizes so that's always nice). I had planned on adding the sleeves, but they ended up a little snug and I didn't feel like altering or fidgeting with the pattern, so I just decided to use some bias binding and make it sleeveless.

I'd love to make this again in all one fabric, I like the shape of the skirt and the fit of the bodice. It's comfy and practical, there are pockets (always pockets) and I think works well with vintage or modern styling which is always a plus. I had the perfect pink flower to wear with it this time. :-)

So another month, another dress, yay! Maybe I can keep this up...

Bluebonnet Dresses - Finished!

Happy Easter to everyone!! What a perfect time for pretty little girls in frou-frou dresses wading through Texas bluebonnets! We had a gorgeous weekend here in Austin, sunny with a lovely cool breeze.

It was another week of whirlwind sewing for me, of course, and I am just ecstatic at how these dresses came out, they were so much fun.

As a bonus, I actually got to meet Sally of SallyKate Photography for the first time, though we've known each other online for many years! She and a friend came with their darling model daughters to take the traditional (around here) photos among Spring wildflowers. In a lovely coincidence, another mutual online acquaintance of ours happened to be crashing at my place when she stopped by. I always love meeting longtime online friends!

So, I missed a few days again of the My Daily Sew challenge, I just got so busy trying to finish up that I didn't get a chance to come post. But I hope to make it up for it with this post!

On my last post I had finished the bodices...

Next I had to start figuring out the skirts. I needed a kind of cascading ruffle effect, with a lot of volume and movement. I decided to just gather a good amount of the nylon chiffon over the full circle skirt lining (which all sits on top of the hoopskirt, of course), and then start layering with circular shapes on top of that. Gathering all that fabric took a while!

I figured out the ruffles by adding the full length of the skirt to the length I wanted the top tier to be, and using that as a diameter. Then I cut big circles using that number, and trimmed the edge in a sheer ribbon to give it some body and define the edges, and it worked perfectly!

Then it was just a matter of pinning everything on, attaching it all, and sewing it to the bodice.

On the yellow version, I added a bit of cream dotted lace on the side just for some different texture and interest. The blue version had some lace trim around the edges of the fabric on the sides.

Then I added a zipper on the back, and a ribbon tie at the very top. I kept it long to hang down and blow in the breeze. :-)

Finally, I embellished the front with flowers from the shoulder to the waist, and falling down the skirt a bit.

And they were done just in time, lol! The girls came and tried them on, and they fit great and looked fabulous. Then they were off to take pics, and I got to wait for my favorite part, seeing some amazing photos!! I'll just leave these here. ;-)

Julie Peveto Photography

The Purple Wedding Dress - The Wedding Day!

The dress is done, the wedding past, and what a whirlwind day it was! The bride looked absolutely stunning.

I missed my last couple days of posting because I was so busy finishing up the dress, but here were a few of the last details I finished up.

First I finished attaching the lace and sewing on all the beading. I was pretty pleased with the seam on the lace, I think I managed to hide it pretty well! Can you see it?

Next I gathered lots of tulle and netting for the petticoat!

Then I added lingerie straps...

And of course, a waist stay!

And finally, I made a little flower for her hair!

And that was it, everything was done! Here's my revised sketch (after nixing the capelet) and the final product.

 

It all looked so much better on the glowing bride!! I wish I had some better pictures, but it was a big rush to get dressed, get married, and have a reception all within the couple hours allotted at the lovely outdoor venue. Throw in some missing shoes, and a thunderstorm starting just as the bride was about to walk to the outdoor chapel, all at dusk, lol, and it meant I didn't get a chance to get a great picture. But she looked beautiful! Here are a few of the fuzzy phone pics I managed to snap. :-)

A flash, of course, picks up all the purple sheen!

Here's a short little video which I thought captured the movement of the dress well. :-)

The lovely bride and groom ringing the bells announcing their marriage! #weddingday

A video posted by Stephanie Lochet (@slochet) on Mar 18, 2016 at 9:31pm PDT

I'm so pleased to have been able to play a small part in my friend's wedding, and I wish the couple a lifetime of happiness!