Mother of the Bride dress: Custom Belt!!

The last step of the mother of the bride dress: A custom belt!

It is common to see vintage dresses with a matching belt and fabric covered belt buckle. I love that look and actually I remember that it was not too long ago that we could purchase packages in the local sewing store to cover belts similar to how you can cover buttons. Those are getting very hard to find today. I have looked online and found a few, but nothing that really excited me.

Since I really wanted the belt for the mother of the bride dress to match the dress as well as have a covered buckle, I was resigned to the fact that I might have to cover the buckle myself. Now I can make the belt, no problem. But the buckle proved to be another story. Since I only wanted a 1" buckle, trying to get my fat fingers to cover the buckle with the slippery silk fabric proved to be a challenge. A challenge that was driving me nuts! I really didn't want to spend more time on the belt and buckle than it took me to make the whole dress!

However, I found the answer to my problems! I located online in one of my vintage blogs I follow a post about a women in California that covers belts, buckle and buttons in a business out of her home. I investigated a little further and found out the following:

Pat Mahoney is a woman who has a custom button and buckle business out of Lodi, CA. Apparently back in 1965 the Singer company discontinued it's button and belt covering business in Lodi, Pat purchased all the equipment and began her own business covering buttons and buckles. I called Pat and she suggested I send $5 to her address, and then she would send me a catalog of her items. Once you receive the catalog, you simply fill out the envelope with what you want, add the fabric and the payment and send it back to her. She completes the order and will mail it back to you. She doesn't have a website and her catalog is something that looks like a simple presentation from Kinko's. But her workmanship is fabulous!!! I cannot say enough about the quality of her work or the simplicity of the process. I added an additional $5 for the rush charge as I needed it soon for the wedding (and was unsure of her turnaround time) and rush it came!! I mailed off the envelope on April 29th and received the completed belt and buckle on May 8th! Amazing!

Simply contact Pat at the information below:

Pat Mahoney (Pat's Custom Buttons and Belts)
PO Box 335
Lodi, CA 95241

Send her $5 and a little note asking for a catalog and she will get it out in the mail to you. Totally worth it!!

The cover of Pat's catalog

Perfect buckle!!!

I seriously couldn't have done this!

 See below to a link for an interesting article about Pat. And stay tuned for final mother of the bride dress pictures complete with gloves and shoes!

This weekend it's off to the Bay Area for the first wedding dress fitting!  So excited!!!


Pat's custom buttons

Mother of the bride dress! Making good progress!!

After a long week with both work and what is happening in the world, I spent a good majority of the weekend working on the mother of the bride dress. And I made great progress!!

I started out by working on the side drape and adding the skirt section to the bodice. The drape is attached first to the skirt portion, then the skirt is added to the bodice. I also used grosgrain ribbon as a waist stabilizer, because the skirt is so much heavier than the bodice and it helps to keep it's shape.

The side drape on the skirt

The skirt attached to the bodice

 Then I started working on the sleeves. I had already constructed the sleeve itself, hemming it and finishing off the seams but now I had to add the sleeves to the bodice of the dress. Not a necessarily difficult step, but it is very important to get the fit right so that there is no puckering or pulling of the sleeve. I basted twice and then stitched the seam, finally finishing off the sleeve seam with seam binding.

We have sleeves!

 Then it came time for the zipper. Recall that the original pattern had a zipper on the side of the bodice, and I changed that by adding a zipper down the back of the dress. This was done by slicing the pattern piece in the center back (after adding the necessary allowance for the zipper) and inserting a 22 inch zipper down the back of the bodice and skirt. I decided to attach the zipper by hand, which is a more couture effect. I made this decision for a couple of reasons. First, you have much more control of the zipper when attaching it by hand. Sometimes a zipper can slip when machine attaching it and I didn't want the bodice and skirt to be askew. Then you have to take into consideration the type of fabric. The silk fabric that I am using is not really delicate but it can snag. So I wanted to have the least amount of potential damage to the fabric. Lastly, the hand applied zipper is a finish that is not done much any more. This dress is fast becoming more of a gown and work of art than a simple dress!

Adding the zipper by hand

A terrible picture of the zipper

 So far it is coming right along. As you can see from the picture, the dress is hanging on the dress form, so that the bias on the panel can set before I hem it. I probably won't tackle any more today, needing about 24 hours for the dress to "settle" before hemming it. I still have to work on the belt and do finishing as well, such as adding the button to the top tab.

Not done, but looking good!

Very pleased with the results so far! I will post a pic with me wearing it once it is done enough to model.
Also, I have made the decision that I am going to make my mother of the bride hat. I have been very disappointed in the selection of hats, either the price is wrong or the color is wrong, etc. So I decided to make it myself! Stay tuned for more excitement!!!

Mother of the Bride dress: Take 2!

So here we go! I have been working on the dress a little here and there during the week in the evenings. I am lucky that right now I am not traveling for work (at least this week!) so I am making good use of the evenings to sew! I want to get as much done as possible in the hopes that I will be on a new project soon and will have to travel.

The main portion of the work that I have done is on the bodice of the dress. It is very fitted and a rather challenging pattern with the neckline and the draping. Luckily I have made up a muslin of this so that I was familiar with the instructions as well as and shortcuts that I may have found.

One of the decisions that I needed to make was how to finish the seams. Since I am underlining the dress, and not simply lining it, I needed a way to cleanly finish the seams. The silk ravels quite a bit and I really wanted a nice, clean finish on the inside. Not only does it make the wearer of the garment feel good, it does extend the life of the garment.

So I decided on a Hong Kong finish on the seams. This is basically when you enclose the seam allowance in bias binding on either side, so that it completely finishes off the seam. It gives a rather nice look and doesn't add bulk to the seams. Vogue Sewing details it out below:

Hong Kong finish

How the finished seams look

I added the finish to the darts as well

The back seam of the skirt, with the Hong Kong finish

 I found that the extra time taken to use this finish really pays off. You have a garment that is as beautiful outside as it is inside! And no extra "threads" hanging around!.

The finished bodice is shown below. I have added all the draping and finished the seams and darts inside. It is hard to tell from the dress form, but it looks lovely on the body! The draping on the lower bodice will extend into a draped panel from the waist of the skirt and will fall down to the hemline. Because my dress form is so much smaller than the "real me" is now, it really is hard to judge the outcome. But the lovely silk fabric has worked up so nice and I am excited to get moving along!

The final bodice, with the draping attached

 Stay tuned for further dress making adventures! Only 8 weeks to the wedding and I still have to finish this dress, work on a gray casual skirt I am making for the trip, find gloves and shoes for the wedding. And then decided on either purchasing a hat or making one. Arghhh!!!

Mother of the Bride outfit: Let's get started!!

 So here we go....!

The first cut!!

 Today I have started work on the mother of the bride dress! I had previously worked on a mulsin to do all the fittings of the dress and see how it will turn out. The idea of making a muslin is to do any alterations on the muslin instead of the fashion fabric. This way you don't "overhandle" the expensive fabric. And you can make any adjustments on the muslin as well.

I am planning on several changes to the dress. The original dress (which is a 1951 reproduction pattern) has a zipper on the side of the dress. I am planning on having the zipper down the back like similar dress of the current era. (Many dresses from that time frame had zippers on the side of the dress. Some of them even had zippers on the side with a small closure at the back neck as well.) I don't really like the zipper on the side of the dress. I find it uncomfortable. So I will put the zipper on the back of the dress.

The very fashionable muslin of the bodice!!

Not much to look at

Looks like a mess, doesn't it??

I also had to lengthen the bodice as I am very long waisted. I had to extend the sleeves a bit as well. In addition I will have to shorten the overall length of the dress because I am short. Care will need to be taken to not shorten it too much to take the overall effect of the dress.

After a few hours of cutting out the fabric, cutting out the lining and working on the bodice I have the main part of the bodice started.

I must say it was a little nerve wracking starting to cut in to fabric that cost $95 a yard! I was a little nervous at first but as I went on I treated it the same as $1.99 cotton. Just go slow and pay attention!

So not bad for a few hours work. The hardest part going forward will be to make sure that the fitting is correct as well as the lining matches up. So far so good. Stay tuned for future posts! So excited to work on this dress. I must say that I am THRILLED with the fabric. It works up so nice and has a fabulous feel to it. Paired with an interlining, the dress should fall beautifully!

Say tuned!!

Mother of the bride outfit! Fabric found!!

So! My trip to San Francisco last weekend was wonderful! Although I got home on Sunday night and had to be back at the airport Monday morning to fly to North Carolina for work! Busy Busy!!  But we did a great deal of wedding stuff while I was there, including finding the fabric for my dress!

I had been going back and forth about what color I should wear. Meghan was completely unconcerned about it; she left it up to me. I did however, need to coordinate with my husbands USMC dress blues uniform, so that really left out colors like yellow and light green, etc.

Even though it is a June wedding, I was really feeling red. I look good in red. I love the color. I bought a new car in red. It’s MY color! So we headed over to the orgasmic Britex Fabrics on Geary Street early Saturday morning. We looked at a couple of different fabrics, but when the salesclerk showed us a fabulous red silk faille, I was in love! It was a lovely red (not that orange red but a clear, blue red) and was a nice weight with some texture to it. 100% silk and just fabulous! I was sold! And so was Meghan. It has a nice weight that should drape wonderfully with the pattern I chose for the dress. This is not the type of fabric one could get at a Joanne’s or Hancock fabrics. (And at $95 per yard I can understand why!)

The button purchased for the dress!

100% silk faille

It's not nearly this pink

 

The pattern I chose. I will be making the short sleeve one.

The pictures don’t really do it justice; I blame the late afternoon sun in my sewing room! The plan is to do all gray accessories, with gray gloves, shoes and hat (and potentially a purse) to complement it. I also have been thinking of lining the front skirt drape with a lovely gray to bring out the gray accessories as well. Will think on that!

So, what do you think? Is it weird that I am wearing red to my daughter’s wedding. (Not that I care!)  I figure that as long as Meghan is happy, that is all that matters!

Stay tuned for shoes!  Ahhh….Shoes….

Plaid, Plaid, Plaid!!

So here we are another weekend and another weekend project! I know, it has been all sewing all the time for me! I attribute it to the cold weather. Or something. Not sure why I have been so busy in the sewing room, unless it is because I am getting close to making my mother of the bride dress!

This being said, I started work this weekend on a cute cardigan type jacket. I have a wonderful plaid wool that my daughter gave me for Christmas one year. I this it was 2 years ago and I have been dying to use it, but wanted to use it for something special. Plaid is tricky. You have to use just the right pattern or run the chance of looking like a 1970's throwback. Basically I feel that you should use a simple design for the garment the more "busy" the fabric is. I have never been a super fan of plaid but this is just a lovely fabric with a great "feel" and is very lightweight!

The plaid I am using is a beautiful lightweight wool with an all over brownish beige pattern. It is very lovely and just a joy to work with. Used as the lining is a rement that I bought a few years ago at Britex on their rement floor. It is a brown silk with a slight dotted pattern. Another lovely fabric!

Vogue basic cardigan style jacket

I used a simple Vogue pattern for a basic cardigan style jacket. No buttons or closures and patch pockets on the front. I used view B of the pattern.

Beautiful wool plaid!

Looks kind of funky 1/2 done!

Somehow, I managed to match up the pockets!

 Plaids are tricky. You have to make sure that if the design is very visable, you have to match up the plaid in certain areas. That means paying attention when you cut out the pattern, and it may be necessary to obtain extra fabric (more than the pattern calls for) to allow for the matching. Also, if you have pockets in the front, there will be a need to allow for the pattern to match up on the front. It is not difficult, but it does require more time and patience. Also, this wool was a loose weave. This means that it unravels easily so extra care will need to be taken to finish seams to discourage the fabric to unravel. I used both bias tape as well as finishing the seams to provide a more finished look (even though it is inside the jacket and will never be seen!

View of the inside lining

Hand sewing the lining on

The finished product!

I really like how the finished product came out. The picture above does not do it justice (and the pattern does match up on the jacket in the front, it just looks funky on my dress form! I really like the option of having a cute, lightweight jacket that I can dress up or down. I can pair this with a dressy skirt (brown or blue) and I have a suit for work. I can throw it on with a pair of jeans and a bright scarf (purple or pink would be nice) and I have a cute casual look.

 A view of the inside facing. 

I love my labels!

All in all I am very pleased with the outcome. It took both Saturday and Sunday (1/2 day each day) to complete the jacket (including the cutting out of the fabric and matching the plaid). I would use this pattern again, it was very simple. Hopefully I can post a much better picture of the finished product on me instead of the dress form. It looks much better on!

I intend to stay away from the sewing machine for the next few weeks to give myself a break. I plan on traveling to San Francisco to the fabulous Britex fabric on Geary Street to shop for fabric for my mother of the bride dress. I am leaving the weekend of the 22nd so stay tuned for fabric blogging!!

The easiest blouse ever!

So while I am waiting to decided if I am going to SF to fabric shop and also waiting for the Oscars tonight, I decided to whip up a quick blouse!

Now like more fabric-holics, I have a fabric stash. I have a small dresser that I keep most of my fabric to be used "someday" for fabulous creations. I have more fabric than I have time at this point (and yet I buy more!). Is there an intervention for fabric buying??

I had this beautiful 100% silk print that I bought while in NYC a couple of years ago. I was there for work and our office is on Times Square, near the fashion district. I found this fabric at a retailer near the hotel I stayed at. It was so beautiful and I had been saving it for "something"!

Some things to think about when working with silk. It is really not as scary as you think. Silk is very strong and is wonderful to the touch. It drapes beautifully and can be both dressy as well as more casual. But you do have to stay focused when sewing as it can be slippery and may be hard to work with. It is necessary to use silk pins as well as a ball point needle to avoid pin marks or snags in the fabric. If you take your time and focus, there is no reason to fear using silk!

A business card from the fabric shop

100% silk: lovely

Close up view of the blue flowers

As you can see, it drapes beautifully

Now I decided that the time was right for me to do something with it. Maybe I was longing for spring. Maybe I was just wanting to feel productive. Maybe I was bored. Who knows? The end result is a blouse that I whipped up in less than 2 hours (and that includes cutting!).

Butterick pattern

The above Butterick pattern was used for the blouse. I had previously made this top out of an inexpensive red polka dot fabric that I picked up at Joanne's fabrics. I wanted to make the blouse first out of an inexpensive fabric prior to cutting into a pricier fabric. This is so that any mistakes or fitting errors can be made without sacrificing the more expensive piece. (see below for red version). It also allows me to see how I like the finished version and if I want to change anything (sleeves, facings, etc).

Red polka dot verison

I liked the way it came out so much that I decided to use the same pattern for the silk fabric. I did make some changes. I lengthened it about an inch. I am seriously long-waisted and often I have to alter the patterns to accommodate that. Also, I changed the sleeves to a non-flutter sleeve. The original pattern called for flutter sleeves (made on the red version). Now they are ok, but if I wear this with a cardigan (which I often do) then the sleeves tend to bunch up. I don't like that so I changed the silk version to a set in sleeve with pleats at the top.
Also, the silk pattern is a one way design. In order to make sure that things match up properly, you have to be careful when you cut out the pieces. That does require some planning and you have to make sure that you have a little extra fabric to work with. And since the collar is cut on the bias, make sure that you allow for that as well.

All in all, this is a very simple blouse. There are no buttons, closures or zippers of any kind. No interfacing is used and it comes together very quickly. I will use this pattern again and there are options to change it up even more. Used a different color for the collar, that will make it look completely different! If you wanted to add a placket and buttons on the front, that would change the look as well (something that I thought of for this version). It would also look good sleeveless for the summer, just use a bias fabric to create an edging of the sleeves ( which would also be great in a contrasting color to match the contrasting collar)!

So there are many ways you could change this around. I have a grey pencil skirt that I wear continuously (more often than I should!). This would work wonderfully with that!

The finished blouse!