2nd dress is all cut up!

Well we had a wonderful Christmas and hope you did too. My youngest daughter (age 12) had some friends over last night and they giggled and had fun until 4a.m.The girls were wonderful and a joy to have over as they were quite with the giggles . They are roller blading out side so I thought it would be the perfect time to cut up my dress. This way I couldn't get too lost in memories or thought. So with scissors in hand off I set to remove as much lace as possible leaving something to work with for the other two daughters to have if they so choose. I have left the queen Ann neckline in tact and the tons of ruffles.

The lace I cut from my dress may be enough to go around the bottom of the dress with the train, ummmm maybe but not sure yet. For now I have it safely tucked away until it will be needed.

I am hoping my book on tutus will arrive soon I am very much looking forward to receiving it.I have steel spirel boning and ordered more it should be coming in soon also.

It is time to go and buy muslin for the mock up this will be a great time to use one of my coupons for 40% off! I am thinking of getting 10 yards, I know the whole thing will really only need about 6 yards but that is only counting one bodice and I doubt that is going to happen:). Besides I can always use muslin!

cutting up the first dress

This is the back of both dresses.



Well I did it I cut into the first dress! The wedding gown will have lace applique all over it. So that will take a lot of little lace flowers. I had some lovely satin lace from an Irish step dancing dress my youngest daughter out grew. I love the lace and cut it off the dress and put it away thinking I would use it on another Irish dress, it is the perfect lace for her wedding dress so I have cut out each flower to make into an applique. It took a little time but I cut on it while waiting at dance class and piano lessons and in the evenings while watching t.v. and before I knew it all the flowers had been cut out.


Next is the dresses! Those dresses that each Mother~ the Mother of the Bride and the Mother of the Groom wore on their special day. It was different cutting up one of these. I thought about the special day for each bride, the beginning of their new lives. Both of us are still married to the man we married that day, each almost 30 years ago! As I hold the Mother of the brides dress in my hands I wonder about what her wedding was like.


I have removed all the lace from the dress now and the lace is beautiful, it will need a little mending here and there but the lace itself is exquisite. I have removed all the little buttons from the jacket, dress and sleeves, the lace is all ready to be formed into applique pieces. The rest of the fabric at this point looks like a skirt. I have now tucked it away for later use. All of the Mother of the grooms memories are still in tact and beautiful even though the dress is now, no longer. But her dress will now be a part of something more, I guess kind of a material verson of what happens in the hearts of the Mothers, now her dress will become new again but different, part of something new something larger but still looked upon with love and hope. I know both of us Mothers look to this new bond with hope for their future, Love for them both and we hope their marriage will be long and wonderful.

Okay I have become very sappy over cutting the mother of the grooms dress, hopefully when I cut up mine I can control myself. :) Mine will be next, but not sure if I will have time to do it today or wait until after Christmas.



Merry Christmas

wedding veil

I love the way everyone pitches in for weddings! My sweet daughters mother-in-law-to-be's twin sister (how fun is that!) Has offered to my daughter to wear the veil that they both got married in! So sweet! This is a beautiful veil of Belgium hand made lace! It has been preserved and is still in the box ,I look forward to when it is time to take it out, it has small flowers along the outside edge and is long and lovely.

with every wedding dress you need shoes

Along with the wedding dress I am making my daughter her wedding shoes. She asked if I would crochet them for her.

I have taken a pair of her favorite shoes and cut the top of the shoe away from the sole of the shoe.

Here is one shoe cut apart.
Then I used the top of my shoe to make a pattern for the new shoe. It was a kind of hit and miss here. I still have to finish the beading on the first one and hopefully it fits!
Then to figure out what I did the first time and try for a repeat!

Project wedding

Welcome to my blog! My 3rd child is getting married. We are so happy for her, she is marring her best friend and he is a good man. I hope they have many many years of happiness. They have set the date for October of 2012.

I will be making her wedding dress, something that is a great honor for me to do, but yet a bit intimidating also. I have never made a wedding dress nor a strapless dress before. But I do have lots of experience sewing. I have sewn for my beautiful children all of their lives, from baptismal gowns, to smocked dress, to Irish dance dresses to Scottish highland kilts. This is a new adventure for me one in which I am thrilled to be taking.

We started with what kind of style she really wants. The Bride, mother-of -the-groom, youngest sister and I all went to a bridal shop. We had tons of fun, and it was wonderful to see my beautiful daughter in all those lovely gowns! She knew which one she liked immediately, she blushed, smiled and twirled in the dress. I haven't seen her twirl a dress in many many years, brought a tear to my eye. She has chosen a ball gown style dress, strapless, train, and has lace flowers all over the bodice and comes down to points around the skirt. The flowers are not completely sewn down but the edges are free. And the dress has a lovely wide gathered sash made of silk. The bodice made the shape of a"V" in the back.

Now, since the trip to the bridal shop my mind travels to the dress many times a day. The how, is what I mainly think about.:) So I am gathering information. Talking to people about different techniques and ideas. I have a Christmas present coming that I am looking forward to called "The classical tutu book" I am planning on using this for another idea that I have but realized just the other day that it may be the perfect thing for the fitted bodice of the dress! I can't wait!

The mother-of -the-groom has very graciously offered her own wedding dress to be used in anyway for the dress and possibly ring bearers pillow. We are also planning on using my dress and Her grandmothers dress. That is a lot of dresses, some lovely lace and beautiful buttons!
Below are photos of both dresses.