Making a Mockup with Sally’s Stripes
When creating something custom, there’s a lot of trial and error. Every new design is an experiment and so is every new body. I actually find this freeing rather than frustrating. In custom, you don’t have the same expectations for perfection that you would if you had a set of blueprints and directions to follow. […]
Adventures in Patternmaking (and Stripes!)
Once the design was approved by the bride, I was ready to roll on Sally’s custom wedding dress! Finding the perfect stripe… Throughout our design process, Sally and I both explored options for fabrics. Sally had a very specific vision of what the striped fabric for her custom wedding dress would look like. She wanted […]
Break free of sizes: Learn custom sewing!
As you probably know by now, I am new to “home sewing”. I first learned to sew as an adult in professional theatrical costume shops where all the garments were designed, patterned, and created custom to fit all kinds of styles and all shapes of bodies. (Learn more about me and how I learned to sew in […]
Back to the Drawing Board with Sally
After I sent bride-to-be Sally her Design Proposal featuring the ideas, inspirations, and custom sketch I shared in my previous blog post, I couldn’t wait to hear her thoughts. Sally’s response: She loved it! It was everything she asked for! But seeing exactly what she asked for inspired her to change her mind about the […]
Sally’s Design Consultation
In my previous post, I introduced my most recent bride Sally and shared some initial ideas for her custom wedding dress. After reading the answers to her questionnaire and having a few phone and email discussions, my mind was absolutely buzzing with possibilities for her one-of-a-kind design! I collected dozens of inspirations on a Pinterest board […]
New bride blog series: Sewing for Sally
Sally is someone special. Back in December, I got an email from a dear friend named Sally that I had lost touch with. The subject line: “dear lord i’m getting married…” I met Sally back when I was getting my Master’s Degree in Costume Construction from UNC-Chapel Hill. At the time, Sally was an undergraduate […]
Join me at Camp Workroom Social!
When Jennifer Wiese of Camp Workroom Social asked if I would be interested in teaching at her sewing retreat this Fall, it made me fall out of my chair (almost). Camp Workroom Social is a sleepaway camp for grown-ups who love to sew. And as much fun as that sounds, it gets better… Camp Workroom Social is […]
This Summer is for Skirts!
Skirt Skills starts July 11! Registration opens June 3! As many of you know, I recently started teaching my custom sewing and pattern drafting techniques to women who want to make clothes for themselves. I chose to start off in a digital platform and offer the course online. It has been very well received and […]
The Custom Couture Process
Before I get into blogging about my newest bride, I thought I’d write a general post detailing an overview of my process and what to expect when commissioning your custom couture wedding dress. I know! I know! This big long post looks like a lot of work. And it is, but it is also a […]