Squeezing things in.

I got a phone call last Wednesday from a client in New York who needed a Rapunzel costume, this weekend! Luckily my schedule had an opening, I was using my "free time" to work on costumes for the school play. I fit them in and the dress went out today, overnight to make sure it arrives on time. I used a different set of fabrics on this dress and I even dyed part of them so they would be just what I wanted.

I need to figure out how to use my camera better, or maybe get a better camera! The first picture is with flash, the second without but neither shows just how great it looks in person.

On a sad note I had a client send me a bodice that needed a zipper insert, also for this weekend, and it hasn't arrived. I'm not sure where to begin looking for a lost package and I feel terrible we don't know where it is!

Repurposing special memories

I had the (sweaty palm, nerve wracking) opportunity to take apart a wedding dress and remake it in a smaller size for my project this week.

I dismantled mine years ago to remake it into a baptism dress for my girls. I also made a blessing and baptism dress for my niece out of my sister in law's wedding dress. Those dresses were "scary" to take apart because that isn't fabric I can replace, but this dress was even more scary to dismantle because I'm not related to the original owner so she doesn't have to like me and her grandmother made her dress. YIKES!!

I already used part of the dress to make a blessing outfit a few years. That was also pretty scary. 

This time I used the rest of the dress and made a mini version. I had to make the front of the bodice out of new fabric, and I put in a new zipper but everything else is part of the original dress. Doesn't she look too precious?

Sleeping Beauty

This project was unique in several ways. First of all the fabric was hand delivered, all the way from the east coast! The client was headed into town and I got to meet her and talk about what she wanted for this costume in person. It was a lot of fun and two of my girls got to see there really are people on the other side of the computer, sometimes I think they wonder. 

She brought me this dress, that she really loves, even though I didn't make it ;)

It needed a little TLC and now it looks like this.It also has a new zipper and all of the exposed seams are serged. It was very well made and hopefully the changes will keep it looking great for a few more years.

The fabric she brought was to make another top just like it. I LOVE my local independent fabric store but I'm plotting a trip to Newark to go visit hers, it has some fabulous stuff!

There was also a crown and necklace to go with it.

 

I had to ask for an extra day on this project, which I hate to do, because my 10 yr old broke her foot! Sometimes life just can't be avoided. 

Something amazing for post 100!

100 posts means, 100 dresses, that's a lot of dresses, I should know, I made them :)

This dress definitely deserves to be #100.  It tried my patience which in turn means the client also had to be extra patient, and she was, she's been more patient than I've been!

She asked for a layered over skirt, I think it weighs 10 lbs all by its self. It's beautiful but it took two and a half days to complete, I never imagined it would take that long.

It's also a very large dress, the first 2 boxes I got to send it in weren't big enough!
 
I can't wait to send it off to where it belongs and see it on the Princess!