Steampunk Wedding Photos!

You asked for them, you got them!  It was a BEAUTIFUL outdoor wedding!

The little ring bearer loved her custom designed dress that coordinated with the bride.

The groom was so emotional and obviously in love (he almost seemed nervous about whether on not the bride was going to say "I do," made you forget this was a vow renewal!).  I designed his vest and coat with tails.  I also made a matching vest for the best man.  I was informed that the 13yo best man was not allowed to wear his kilt "traditionally," as there were many young children present.  :)

Exchanging of the rings.  Love their hats!  I wish I could get a shot of the bride showing the bustle. If I get a better picture I'll update.

 Beautiful exchange with Unity Sand symbolizing the joining of the whole family.

Mr and Mrs!

The reception look - bustled slip removed and drawstrings let down on the back of the skirt and jacket.

The shot on the right looks a little off, because I cropped out some party guests as I didn't have their permission to be included.

Congratulations Susanna and Brien!

Steampunk Final Fittings

  Here's the lovely ladies at their final fitting.  Can't wait to see them all done up at the wedding!

This bustle is stuffed with polyfil like a pillow!

The dress is designed so that the long bustled skirt can be removed.  Then the dress can be worn again as a fun short costume. 

 

Inside the back of the skirt and jacket is a ribbon that can be drawn up and tied so the underskirt with the bustle shows.  When not being worn with the bustled slip the jacket and dress skirts are pulled down (pressed!) and worn long.

Ribbon is pulled and secured under flap for bustle

Corseted back

Striped Inspiration!

I was inspired by a contest I saw on PatternReview.com, but unfortunately the contest was ending in less than 48 hours and I was unable to finish it before the close.

I wanted to make the matching skirt, but had barely enough fabric in my fabric stash for the jacket (I might make this again with a fabric that has a few more colors in it).  Matching the stripes with so little fabric was tough!

It wasn't until I enlarged the inspiration photo that I realized it was covered in zippers!  I like my version without all the zippers better anyway.

"RTW/Designer Knockoff Contest" Rules     

Have you been inspired by some of the current � or not so current style trends? Is your Pinterest board- or your real live inspiration board- filled with pictures of garments you would love to own but either can�t afford or can�t find? Then the RTW (Ready To Wear)Contest is the contest for you!

Create a garment inspired by one that you have seen. The inspiration item can be from a Ready-To-Wear line, from the runway, or any other garment you have seen worn or pictured.

The garment must clearly be inspired by the original piece. It does not have to be, but can be, an exact copy. List changes you have made and what features you have kept.

Review requirements: A picture of the inspiration piece and your finished garment must both be included; they can be put into the same picture. It is highly recommended that youHave you been inspired by some of the current � or not so current style trends? Is your Pinterest board- or your real live inspiration board- filled with pictures of garments you would love to own but either can�t afford or can�t find? Then the RTW (Ready To Wear)Contest is the contest for you!

Create a garment inspired by one that you have seen. The inspiration item can be from a Ready-To-Wear line, from the runway, or any other garment you have seen worn or pictured.

The garment must clearly be inspired by the original piece. It does not have to be, but can be, an exact copy. List changes you have made and what features you have kept.

Review requirements: A picture of the inspiration piece and your finished garment must both be included; they can be put into the same picture. It is highly recommended that you MODEL YOUR FINISHED garment and STRIKE THE SAME POSE AS THE MODEL IN THE INSPIRATION GARMENT PHOTO. If of course that is possible! 

Steampunk Wedding continued - Wedding Party

On the left is the jacket that the groom has chosen.  I thought it was ironic that the pattern I found was also in green!  The bride has agreed to him wearing his favorite color, green, for the jacket, but doesn't want him to look like a leprechaun!  

Like the bride's dress, the jacket and vest were to be completed from my fabric stash, but I didn't have anything that looked exactly right (the bride was very concerned he'd end up looking like a leprechaun). I had a pretty soft green twill that had just a little too much white mixed in (looked like acid washed denim).  After discovering that there wasn't anything better at the fabric store, I decided to dye the green twill. My sample tests turned out great, but I was nervous about dying 3 yards of fabric, as the directions call for boiling the dye and fabric, and I was concerned there was way too much fabric to fit in my stock pot, but it worked out beautifully and I LOVE the color.  

I had a ton of dye, so I went a little crazy dying things. A white kitchen towel that was old and dingy, now perfectly matches a bathroom. A khaki skort no one liked is now a pretty olive green. Two t-shirts that had been bleached and ruined (they still look cruddy, but no worries). The best thing was this pale pink evening gown, that the girls refused to wear because they hate pink, and is now a GORGEOUS soft green. I still have a pot full of dye, and I'm looking around for something to stick in it!

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Will post pictures when I'm done!

Here's what we were planning for the adorable 4 year old bridesmaid/flower girl (not pictured here).

Then I found this picture of an adorable little steampunk dress online and showed it to the bride.  We love how much the style mimics the wedding dress.

I finished it last night and will post pictures of the dress as soon as I can!

 First and only fitting!  Isn't she cute?!  I plan to shorten the skirt and move the little tabs further apart.

  

 Check back in April for the final looks!

Steampunk Wedding Dress

One of my favorite cousins is renewing her wedding vows. We spent the weekend designing and draping a Steampunk wedding dress in her favorite color (purple), using my fabric stash.  Here's what we designed. Please don't make fun of my PhotoShopping skills!

Draping different materials on my fitting mannequin to see if we like them.

Draping  different styles on the patient bride.We tried about 4 different styles and this is our favorite.

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This is our first fitting.  I made the jacket lining to see if she liked the style.  We draped the purple fabric over it so so she could see if she liked the color.  We chose a different lace for the cuff.

 We like it, but the skirt needs some ruffles on the sides to give it more oomph!

 We also wanted to give the bustle a lot more fluff, so I tried stuffing some tulle in the back.  This really tickled our funnybone!

The vow renewal ceremony is in April.  Check back for the final pictures then!

Tote bags for Trauma Mamas!

Hummingbird Tote:  This pretty little tote bag was designed for a Secret Santa project.  The receiver of the gift likes Cloisonné, the colors blue and green, and hummingbirds.  The sturdy little bag is made with fabric scraps in a variety of textures, appliqued with a satin stitch onto a blue and green checked base.  It can be used as a reusable grocery bag or a purse.  

  

 The flowers are fussy cut from a bold print and appliqued to the bag.

Check out the hidden outside pocket!  Great for keys or a cell phone.  It also has a tab with a key chain ring to which has been attached a carabiner for keys.

The blue wings and tail of this bird are made from a gold edged trim that is left loose so it can overlap the pocket.

Messenger Bag with Bling:  This fun bag can be used to carry school books or just about anything else!  The young teen birthday girl was reported to "hate pink and like Bling!"  (Unfortunately, due to poor quality of the photographs, the majority of the glittery details are not apparent).

Messenger bag

This mixed-media bag is comprised of an eclectic blend of textures and patterns appliqued with a variety of stitches and sparkly threads.  Adjustable straps tie securely  to D rings attached to the top of the bag,  The front and back of the bag are distinctly different so the bag can reflect different outfits and moods.

Back

Please note that you can choose whatever theme you wish for your bag. The poorly PhotoShopped image below has a Wonder Woman theme including a "magic lasso handle" and machine embroidered Wonder Woman quote.  "All Women can do WONDERS if put to the test." - Wonder Woman

Winner of the BeTA silent auction and more bags can be found here.

Purchase:  If you're interested in purchasing a custom tote or bag, please leave a message on this post -

your e-mail / contact info will not be published  

20% of your purchase of a custom-designed tote or bag will be donated to BeTA 

- a support organization for parents and caregivers of children who have experienced early trauma and have attachment issues.  They offer scholarships to an amazing annual retreat and  provide continual support to women by organizing regional meetings, networking, and education. 

Additional Posts on Bags:

More Bags

Next Year's Auction Winner - Leather Luxe

Curves that don't quit!

This 17 year old girl has a curvy figure.  She is busty, has small hips, and almost no behind, but a significant tummy.  

During a reconnaissance trip to help her decide what kind of dress she like that flatters her curvy figure, she fell in love with a full-skirted micro mini dress covered with individually attached flowers. Flattering, but WAY too short

Dress she found in the store

Dress I chose (bow will be in the back)

For her we chose a dress with an empire waist that emphasizes her small ribs and is fuller over her waist and hips. It's the same silhouette as the dress she loved in the store (with a longer hemline of course!), but coordinates with the colors and style of the other dresses at her event.  

The dress has a wide, navy band (accenting the slimmer area under her bust).  The skirt is a cream tulle, full skirt (the same cream chiffon as her sister's dress) with a navy blue sheer chiffon overlay.  The bodice is a cream strapless top with the navy blue chiffon ruched a little heavier than the skirt. The bust is framed by wide straps made in the same fabric as the sash - hiding her bra straps. She prefers lots of "bling" so the bodice and hem of the skirt have rhinestones. 

She loves it!