Ted and Shay: Feels like Christmas!

Look what arrived in the mail the other day!

30 yards of guinea feathers!!! I was so stoked I actually got motivated to hammer out more of the dress.

When I started this project back during Memorial Day weekend, I had a pattern, lining material and twice as much fabric than I would actually need.  The pattern didn't translate into what I envisioned the dress to look like, so I scrapped it and went at the lining with nothing more than some newsprint and my dress form.

After multiple "prototypes" of skirts and bodices, I finally came up with one that would work, so I went at it with the satin.

Middle section is basically done. I added an interfacing to the back of the fabric to give it more stability, but now I wish I could start it over... It just didn't sit right with the seams, but I don't have enough fabric to start it over and there's NO WAY I'm going to find the bolt of fabric I got this from at the warehouse.

So I made the shell of the top without using the interface, to hopefully avoid the problems I had with the skirt. I finished the lining, but I'm not sure the two fabric will lay together properly.... Luckily I've befriended an AWESOME gal at Hancock Fabrics named Dorothy, who told me to call or stop by anytime with questions. I think I'll be dialing her up very soon.  The BIG problem is folks, I'm a serious novice when it comes to sewing. I was too busy taking all of the science and math classes my high school had to offer to even bother with home-ec.  I've taken one sewing class in my entire life, and my ex-boyfriend had to show me how to thread my first machine.  I've read tons of sewing books though. But, when you sew as seldom as I do, that wealth of information isn't at the forefront of your mind. I should have done a more thorough refresher course before tackling this beast.

But I sunk my teeth into the bottom skirt anyway. After 4 attempts, I finally got it right!  Then I started to pin my pile of feather trim on to make sure I had enough, and found out the trim is sealed with glue!!! I'm going to have to hand sew 30 freaking yards of feathers onto the bottom skirt! OY!  Good thing I still have 3 months left.

xoshayox

Ted and Shay: Headless, Legless Clone of Shay

On our only day off together in FOREVER, I roped Ted into wrapping up a duck tape clone of me.

Lots of great DIY tutorials are available online, so after a bit of research we began the mummy-process.  We started at the bottom, wrapped it tight below my butt, around my waist, and around the shoulders. All of my girly areas we kept it loose as to not squish them.  The boobs took a special cross-your-heart, up and around the shoulder maneuver. No major clumps of hair were caught in the tape, and Ted managed to cut the entire contraption off without slicing me or my bra/ooo la la's! 

What looked like a molted shell of me has now been sitting in my closet for a solid two months. I've gone to the hardware store multiple times trying to come up with some sort of frame to drape the form around before filling it with foam. No luck and worse, no motivation. First DIY of the wedding failed.

A few weeks ago I saw an ad from a fabric store that announced 50% off dressforms. I've read countless reviews about how shitty they are, and how they fall apart, snag, collapse, etc, but it's getting down to crunch time and my custom dress form will be a great halloween prop someday, but it will never become what it was conceived to be, so I gave in.

I bought a Dritz My Double model, and couldn't be more smitten! I took my measurments, adjusted the dials and doo-hickies, and voila, my shape on a stick!

Even if it cracks as soon as the dress is done, it's been worth the $117 it cost on sale.  On with the dress!

xoshayox

Ted and Shay: The Dress, Part 1: Fabric

One night I started sketching up what my dream dress would entail. After drooling over countless PFT Couture, Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood dresses I had a vision. A bottle of sauvignon blanc later and I had it on paper! A lovely tulip-shaped sheath with a feathered bottom skirt that is convertible (long-dress for the ceremony, party dress for the reception). Boom!

I'm not a very experienced seamstress. I was too busy taking all the math, science and writing classes my high school had to offer to consider home ec. In fact, an ex-boyfriend had to teach me how to thread my first sewing machine when I was in college. But I did make a winter coat using a Built By Wendy pattern a few years ago, so I figured as long as I could find a pattern, the rest was just following instructions.

I scoured the fabric stores and found a Badgely Mischka pattern similar to what I sketched (on sale for $2 from $30!)

A few dress colors popped into my head but I was hesitant to make a decision. I'm still not sure what color my hair will be in October, and as I learned from my recent adventures as a blonde, hair color can mess with your skin undertones and completely knock certain colors out of your wardrobe.

My lovely Mom and I hit up fabric stores one weekend while she and my dear old dad were visiting (he slept in the truck while we shopped). S.R. Harris, our first and final stop, is a remarkable place for fabric lovers! I felt like a kid in a candy shop the second we walked in, but I was on a mission. We found our way to the satin section and the work out began. Bolt after bolt of blush, tiffany blue, lavender, dove grey, mint green were pulled from the shelves and lined up. It came down to the pinks. Only problem with S.R. Harris is the lighting is pretty terrible, it is a warehouse after all!  I went back and forth between several different blush pinks, some were too peach, some too pale, etc. In the end I decided on a lovely shade and five yards cost a whopping $17!

They also had feather trim for $5 a yard, compared to $20 a yard online! But they only had about five yards in stock so the feather search continues. I suppose it wouldn't be a terrible thing if a few hundred dollars is spent on feathers, considering what brides tend to pay for dresses and my grand total thus far is under $20.

This past weekend I scooped up a soft gray lining fabric on clearance for $1.40 per yard. Now the scary part begins, CONSTRUCTION!

xoshayox

Ted and Shay: This project just might kill me

I’ve decided to make my own wedding dress. After looking through tons of vintage and new dress websites, I realized nothing really captured what I want my dress to look like and if I’m going to spend more than $500 on any article of clothing, it better be designer, and I’m going to want to wear it more than once.  

A few weekends ago, my partner-in-crime, Jimena and I decided to wiggle our toes (you have no idea how literal this became at one store) around a few wedding dress stores just to make sure I couldn't find anything that would save me the time and trouble of crafting something from scratch. I also wanted to try on a few things so I could get a good look at the guts of the style of dress I had in mind.

We only made it to two places before giving up and getting cocktails.  First stop, Andrea’s Vintage Bridal, which is quite the gem of a shop. Unfortunately I was more enthralled with the Art Deco mirrors on the walls than any of the dresses.

Images via Andrea's Vintage Bridal

There were some amazing vintage party dresses that I would love to prance around in, and the jewelry they have is incredible! I just can’t see myself wearing white or any other virgin-like color for several reasons: 1, Mr. T and I have been shacking up for the past few years so big shocker that white isn’t very fitting, 2- I’m blond right now, not sure if it’ll stick until October, but white, beige, champagne, and all BLAH colors make me look completely washed out. Finally 3- I shouldn’t be allowed to wear light colors, especially if there are dark, alcoholic liquids around, nuff said…

Next stop was Brides of France, which I seem to remember as a place that always had amazing shop windows with crazy loud dresses and oodles of rhinestones.  Maybe it’s been forever since I’ve been to the Calhoun Square area but the shop window looked like any other bridal shop: white, boring dresses. We stepped inside and were immediately halted by a florescent sign taped to the floor demanding we remove our shoes.  It was gross and soggy outside so I understood the need for this but the crusty, raggedy slippers that were sitting there, terrified my sockless feet.

A perky shop girl approached us and posed the question I have learned to loathe: “Who’s the bride?”  Repeat it in your head with an over-the-top enthusiasm and squeakiness that sounds like nails on a chalkboard.  I know they have to do this and I realize that many girls love this kind of attention. Those are the girls that want to be treated like a princess and have attention showered on them from the minute the engagement ring slips onto their finger.  I totally get it, but I’m still going to gag when they try to treat me in that fake sort of way.

We managed to shake the shop girl, which wasn’t difficult after she gave us the once over.  Apparently brides-to-be don’t show up to wedding stores in ratty jeans…

The dresses all looked the same to me with few distinct details to tell one from the other. Jimena noticed that the two girls trying on dresses were wearing almost identical gowns, but no one else seemed to noticed. I did find an amazing vintage hat made entirely of tiny feathers!  Other than that, it was time to duck out.

We gave up after that and went to a bar. Bridal shops are great for some girls and there are tons of different kinds of shops. I guess it's just not my thing, which is just fine because my wondrous dress is in the works after a long Memorial Day weekend! More adventures to come! 

xoshayox

Ted and Shay: I guess I am Predictable

Since my wedding planning mantra has become "I will not buy bridal magazines" I've been scouring the web for ideas and inspiration.  My google reader is subscribed to approximately 82 different blogs about all things wedding.  It's simple this way, when I have a spare minute or two during my day I scan through the new blog posts and star anything of interest. When I get home at the end of the day, I saddle up to my laptop and review. I'm big on images. When I was younger and purchased magazines on a regular basis, I found it cathartic to clip out images that inspired me. I had binders spilling over with clippings and cork boards ready to fall off the wall due to the weight of all of the scraps pinned up.

Life has been simplified and now I just save images to my massive external hard drive, which is littered with folders all titled and organized (insert nerd comment here).

I think I've mentioned that I'm tackling the project of making my own wedding dress, and I have an idea in mind of how I want to design it, but it's the details and the colors that I've yet to nail down.

I'm in full on project mode with the season change and I'm antsy to make some decisions so I can actually get started on this beast.  I decided to go through my "Wedding Dress" folder and see what all lived in there.  There was a trend:

Good lord! I know I'm a magpie at heart and anything that sparkles grabs my attention, but PINK!?! I think I'm going soft now that I'm a blond.  This little block of images wasn't all....

Maybe the dress I made for myself last summer for Brian and Rene's wedding was a premonition:

Ah camera phone pictures...It was a blush/nude/pink satin from a Theory dress I ripped apart into the above little number. The original dress was worn to a wedding several years before.

I think the color might work. My big reason for hesitating on a color is my hair color is influx right now. Naturally a brunette, currently working towards platinum, but not sure how long I'll be able to live with it. The obvious progression is to go bright red next, and then fall back into brunette and finally black.  There are over 5 months before the big day, which is a lot of time for change.  A pale pink would work with all of the options, I think.

Just as long as I don't end up looking like chewed-up bubble gum, or a blob of cotton candy, this color might be the one.

xoshayox

Row 1 images via Vintageous, Tara LaTour Lindemeier, Giles Spring 2010 RTW via Style.com
Row 2: Maggie Gyllenhall via Style.com, D&G via Net a Porter, Oscar de la Renta Pre Fall 2010 via Style.com
Row 3: Vogue image via East Side Bride, JCrew, Classic Bride
Row 4: Roksanda Ilincic via Net a Porter, Vera Wang Fall 2010 Bridal via Brides, Shana Faust
Row 5: Jorge Terra via The Sweetest Occasion, Stella McCartney via Net a Porter, Keri Hilson via Marie Claire
Row 6: 3.1 Phillip Lim via Net a Porter, Lanvin Spring 2010 RTW via Style.com, Albino via Yoox
Row 7: Vintageous, 100 Layer Cake, Vintageous



Since my wedding planning mantra has become "I will not buy bridal magazines" I've been scouring the web for ideas and inspiration.  My google reader is subscribed to approximately 82 different blogs about all things wedding.  It's simple this way, when I have a spare minute or two during my day I scan through the new blog posts and star anything of interest. When I get home at the end of the day, I saddle up to my laptop and review. I'm big on images. When I was younger and purchased magazines on a regular basis, I found it cathartic to clip out images that inspired me. I had binders spilling over with clippings and cork boards ready to fall off the wall due to the weight of all of the scraps pinned up.

Life has been simplified and now I just save images to my massive external hard drive, which is littered with folders all titled and organized (insert nerd comment here).

I think I've mentioned that I'm tackling the project of making my own wedding dress, and I have an idea in mind of how I want to design it, but it's the details and the colors that I've yet to nail down.

I'm in full on project mode with the season change and I'm antsy to make some decisions so I can actually get started on this beast.  I decided to go through my "Wedding Dress" folder and see what all lived in there.  There was a trend:

Good lord! I know I'm a magpie at heart and anything that sparkles grabs my attention, but PINK!?! I think I'm going soft now that I'm a blond.  This little block of images wasn't all....

Maybe the dress I made for myself last summer for Brian and Rene's wedding was a premonition:

Ah camera phone pictures...It was a blush/nude/pink satin from a Theory dress I ripped apart into the above little number. The original dress was worn to a wedding several years before.

I think the color might work. My big reason for hesitating on a color is my hair color is influx right now. Naturally a brunette, currently working towards platinum, but not sure how long I'll be able to live with it. The obvious progression is to go bright red next, and then fall back into brunette and finally black.  There are over 5 months before the big day, which is a lot of time for change.  A pale pink would work with all of the options, I think.

Just as long as I don't end up looking like chewed-up bubble gum, or a blob of cotton candy, this color might be the one.

xoshayox

Row 1 images via Vintageous, Tara LaTour Lindemeier, Giles Spring 2010 RTW via Style.com
Row 2: Maggie Gyllenhall via Style.com, D&G via Net a Porter, Oscar de la Renta Pre Fall 2010 via Style.com
Row 3: Vogue image via East Side Bride, JCrew, Classic Bride
Row 4: Roksanda Ilincic via Net a Porter, Vera Wang Fall 2010 Bridal via Brides, Shana Faust
Row 5: Jorge Terra via The Sweetest Occasion, Stella McCartney via Net a Porter, Keri Hilson via Marie Claire
Row 6: 3.1 Phillip Lim via Net a Porter, Lanvin Spring 2010 RTW via Style.com, Albino via Yoox
Row 7: Vintageous, 100 Layer Cake, Vintageous