Thursday, November 20, 2014

Alterations

On more than one occasion I have purchased a dress thinking, "It's not THAT short" only to later regret it. There isn't much fun derived from constantly shimmying your dress closer to your knees. It's just awkward. 
   With my mistakes in the past I've been able to remedy that problem for others. Last winter I added a strip of fabric to a maternity dress, it looked perfect and I felt so much better. My cousin, Caitlin, bought a really cute dress but didn't feel comfortable wearing it due to the length. I'll add that she has legs for days which just emphasized the short length. The dress was made from a medium weight brocade. I found a suitable piece of fabric in the home decor section.
Due to the flare of the skirt, I patterned the extension in wedge shapes. It took a little longer but I think it was worth it!
My Grandma bought this dress a year ago and decided it was too short. She asked me to add on to the hem. I couldn't find a good match for the dress fabric so I chose a contrasting color.  She was really happy with the results. 

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Autumn Projects part 1

Occasionally I will look at my blog and realize it hasn't been updated. I'll stop and think about recent projects. Then, I will realize how much I have finished and that realization will lead to a feeling of being overwhelmed. Here is what I have been up to during the last month and a half. 
When Magnus was born we moved all my crafting stuff downstairs, converting my sewing room into a nursery. I mentioned to James how nice it would be to have pegboard in my sewing nook. He framed out a piece of board from our shed with some leftover molding. I painted it with some leftover color used in our kitchen. I swiped some accessories from the pegboard in the utility room. I'm very happy with my little sewing area. 
My next project was a dress for a wedding in New York. One of my friends from my mission was searching high and low for a dress for her daughter to wear to her brother's wedding. 
We discussed the dress design, measurements and timeline. It needed to be there in a few short weeks. I was really happy that I was able to help. 
There were a few fit issues but nothing major. I thought it was pretty good for a dress made several states away. 
After the dress for the wedding I made my nephew's blessing outfit. Graham's romper was the same design as his twin's burial outfit. Hilary sent me measurements and I redrafted the pattern. Graham as come a long way in a few short months!
Along with the romper I also made a pair of shoes. 
It's a good thing Graham was blessed when he was because the outfit was almost too small! Keep growing Graham!