Progress

Those of you who have been wondering about the Decades of Style pattern “Girl Friday” with the triple collar can see the first fitting with the addition of length in the sleeves. My client asked for 4 inches to be added and well you just can’t add something like a rectangle onto that pattern without thinking about the transition area. I widened the side seams to make the big swoop down to her elbow. Knowing that the side seams could then again be narrowed and pinned was a bonus to get the shaping right.

Because her fabric  is a silk blend lightweight and at the same time crispy and snappy like silk organza and shows off all sorts of places to tweak…I tweaked them. The waist darts are being sewn higher up and lower down on the hem. Shoulder pads are usually needed so they went in too. The pins on the neckline mark where the bias strip facing will go and be turned under and although I wanted to extend each collar to the neckline for stability, this thin fabric would not be good. What you end up with is 8 layers of fabric all sewn to a single layer…not this time! So each collar piece will be topstitched with a variegated thread from YLI cotton machine quilting V79 “Havana Market”.  So stayed turned for the final photos!!!

Meanwhile the sewing room has been stuffed with poofy dresses, poofy girls and not so poofy dresses that need more corset backs and letting out. One girl came telling me that another seamstress told her that nothing could be done for her pink bridesmaid  dress and she needed a corset back. Now you all know this just gets Mrs Mole’s whiskers all a’twitching and I just had to do the right thing. After opening up the side seams and lining all the way to her knees…she will get the extra 2 inches she needs to zip the zipper and cover her tummy. Another bridesmaid came with a dress that was deemed “hopeless”. The bride had ordered all the dress on the internet and somehow this girl got stuck with the largest in the package:

She needed 6 inches removed and I did the zipper-out-zipper-back-in technique…and the finished product:

It fit perfectly, the one shoulder strap with ruffles was shortened and she was off to the wedding in Michigan.

For those who think maybe the bridal season is slowing down…here are a couple of challenges still left: 2 big girls with big dresses:

The one with the corset is a size 22 needing more room and the one on the left has a 4 foot train that is being bustled up with 7 points underneath.

And on the other end of the spectrum is this little honey…a former beauty pageant princess turned princess bride…we are turning a pageant dress badly made into a better made bridal gown…insane. Here is the before version: Guess what is going to be done with it? Well the belt loops were for a leather belt…crazy, that goes, the satin skirt goes, the straight across center back goes and a new indecent deep “V” goes done to her crack, the front goes where the safety pin is holding it up and a new indecent deep “V’ goes there past her cleavage, straps will be added but only at the front and then wrapping around her shoulder joint to her underarm seam not crossed as I have suggested. The skirt will be replaced with yards and yards of gathered tulle so she can look like Glenda the good witch in Wizard of Oz. Then this entire mess will be skin tight and covered with embroidered and beaded lace which cost $129 a yard….stay tuned for that! I told her I would finish the dress just as she envisioned but that in the end all she was getting was a fancy apron and I worried about her being able to hold it all up with 2 tiny armhole straps. Her mother says to just give her what she wants. Maybe some of you or your daughters have been in pageants and you turned out OK but my experience with these girls has always been packed with selfishness and no compromise…I fear for their unsuspecting grooms and I wish I could give them one word of caution….”RUN”.