The Wedding!

My little sister got married yesterday. It was a fantastic wedding, filled with love and laughter, family and friends and all those things that make a wedding a really special day. My sister looked absolutely amazingly beautiful, and I am so proud of her and her new husband. The location was stunning, and despite loads of rain the day before, the sun managed to appear just in time for the outdoor ceremony. It was kind of perfect.

We spent the morning at my parent's house having hair and makeup done, a very weird experience for someone like me who literally never wears makeup or does more than a simple ponytail. It was actually quite fun, but my 3 year old daughter didn't recognise me at first when we arrived at the ceremony, which freaked me out completely. She kept walking past and looking at me like I was a stranger, not an experience I'm eager to repeat. The photo above was after she had decided I was actually her mum :o)

Both the bridesmaid's dresses were handmade using this beautiful Art Gallery Fabric Floressence print - I made mine and my sister made the other bridesmaid her dress. Mine is the Crepe dress by Colette patterns. You might remember I made a test version last year - I made a size smaller for this one and it is a much better fit (the test version was quite baggy in the bodice, mostly because I am very narrow across my back I think). I really need to pull my finger out and try an FBA for the next dress I make - but because this one is a wrap dress, the bodice fits reasonably well without fiddling around with adjusting the pattern. Best of all, it is the kind of dress I'll actually wear again :o)

We actually have two more family weddings in the next month (my brother's and my cousin's), which is going to be heaps of fun. It also means I have a couple of quilts I'd like to design and make within the next three weeks (feel free to wish me luck with that!!)

xx Jess

I made a dress!

My little sister is getting married next March, and she has asked me to be one of her bridesmaids (eeeep!). Which is why I've made a dress - this isn't the bridesmaid version, but I wanted to test out the pattern before I dove into making it for real. I did do a bit of garment making before I started making quilts, but it's been a couple of years since I have made anything for myself. I'd completely forgotten how much fun it is!

The pattern I used is the Crepe dress pattern by Colette patterns. It's rated as a beginner pattern which is pretty spot on. It is a wrap style dress, which eliminates having to do buttons or zips, and makes it relatively easy to get the fit right. It is has several darts on the bodice, and the facing around the arms was a bit tricky (there are some very tight curves to sew) but other than that it was pretty easy to make.

I didn't make any adjustments to the pattern - I'm pretty much a standard size for my bust, waist and hip. I made the size 12 version - although the bodice is a wee bit baggy so I'm considering making the size smaller for the 'real' dress. I'm incredibly camera shy, which is why these photos look like I'd rather be anywhere else than having these taken ;o)

One of my favorite things about this dress is that it has pockets. And it is a very flattering style for those of us with ample curves. I used a quilting cotton for this version - a DS print from Spotlight. I think I will end up making several of these for summer - it is extremely comfortable and easy to wear.

xx Jess