Pencil Skirt in Vintage Herringbone and Bamboo 2 Tiered Top

Better late than never here come the photos from the Spring Shoot! The top is made from the softest bamboo jersey and the skirt from vintage herringbone that I picked up at the second time around! Love the leather bow belt!

Mint Love Mint

Sooooo I am happy to see that mint is the it colour for Spring 2013 along with button down skirts and other reoccurring 80's trends. Has Mint ever had it's day in the lime light or mint light? Alone and not paired with dusty rose or peach or another sad popular 80's colour?

Today I photographed a doozy of a vintage treasure that's been hanging around in my closet for about 8 years and will now have its day!

                                                      The Vintage Mint Wiggle Dress

Here are some of my other fave mint fashion pieces. This one is on Etsy!! click the pic for the link!

I have a major attraction to these 80's sweater vests!

Simplicity is best.

Because it's pretty!!

Prom 2012

I had the pleasure back in June of last year to create a custom designed prom dress for one lucky girl! It was a lot of fun despite hand gluing all the sequins onto that tulle! Here's how it turned out!

The Importance of Good Photography

It was a fun and tiring day working on this photo shoot with Michael Grills but it was definitely worth it. Because I put a lot of time and effort into the designs I make I decided that I would be cheating myself if I didn't have some professional photos taken to show my work. Like this article on the Importance of Good Product Photography from RGBDIGITAL says "one thing you can never do twice is make a first impression" and I really wanted my designs to look good online because not everyone can come by the shop to see for themselves.
Good photography can make a big difference in whether or not you present your product effectively and whether or not you make a sale!  Everybody now days has a camera and can take photos and post them online but a professional photographer knows how to use the right angles and light to make your product look it's best when it is intangible.

Here are some fun shots from my last photo shoot with Michael Grills Photography!

 

Michael Grills setting up for shooting.

 

I don't think the photographer is used to getting his picture taken 

Here are a few more articles on the importance of good  product photography.
http://ukhandmade.co.uk/content/business-importance-good-product-photography

http://kspicknell.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/importance-of-good-product-photography/
http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2010/etsys-guide-to-photography/

Circle Wrap Sweaters

These very versatile circle wrap sweaters are perfect for dressing up or down. Wear them with your favourite comfy jeans or your best dress slacks. When closed the sweater hugs around your shoulders creating a nice shawl look around the back, pin with a large kilt pin or your favourite brooch! When worn open the fabric drapes beautifully in folds creating a look of comfort and carelessness. Available In The Shop or on my Etsy store. Also available in grey, brown and heathered grey.

Photography by Michael Grills Photography

Pin It

Pin It

Pin It

 

Reversible Faux Fur Vest

I don't normally like to work from a commercial pattern but I made an exception in this case because the pattern was already cut out and my client had already had a similar vest made in the past so it was already going to fit! Voila!

My First Figure Skating Dress

I've often thought about trying my hand at figure skating dresses and was finally presented with the opportunity to make one this fall! Tiffany and her mom Laurie came in to the shop to ask if I could make Tiffany a custom sized figure skating outfit. Because Tiffany is tall it's difficult for her to buy dresses that fit her through her torso. Finding the fabric to make the top was a bit of a challenge for the ladies but after some searching they found something Tiffany really liked. I was so thrilled that they loved the dress. Here's the finished result.

January Through March

January and February were quieter months in the shop but I managed to take on some bigger jobs like an 11 ft valance and drape! Yikes! Looks like we are branching off into drapery now! Pics will follow!

Aside from all the hemming and fixing and stitching I managed to squeeze in a design! Amanda Downey's custom bridesmaid dress was finally finished too! Thanks for the pics Amanda!

The Sewing Bible

Ok this isn't really a tutorial, it's more like a guide...no it is the guide. Every sewer or aspiring sewer should have the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing. The book is full of step-by-step instructions and explanations on everything sewing from how to sew a button, different types of interfacing and fitting your own pants.

 

 This edition is from 1976. It belonged to my Grandmother and I love it! There are several editions of the guide to purchase. I believe the latest was published in 2002.

Summer time

This is one of my favourite summer dresses I've made. It was inspired by a vintage pattern I found at the Sally Ann one day. I really like the madras pattern and colour, it's vibrant and sweet! Instead of the scoop neck design in the vintage pattern I used a cross over front on the bust line for a more feminine touch.

My Inspiration Book

Every designer gets their inspiration from somewhere whether it's fabric, some awesome trim or some funky notions. I get a lot of my inspiration from styles I see in magazines and to keep track of what I like I cut and paste the things I see into my inspiration book. Whenever I'm in the mood to design something new I just flip through it and get inspired. As well as the magazine cut outs you can glue in swatches of fabric you love and ribbons and trims and notions too, anything that inspires you!

The Peplum Dress

I first clued in that 80's fashions were making a come back when skinny jeans arrived on the scene, next it was the multi-coloured tennis shoes, then the large belts and slouchy shirts and finally the peplum skirt.
While I was browsing for vintage just before the holidays I was surprisingly drawn to a blue satin strapless peplum dress. It was the colour and the pattern in the fabric that I was initially attracted to but after some consideration I realized that the all over effect was really cute.

I have to admit I am a bit prejudiced against  80's fashion trends making a reappearance so my initial reaction to the peplum was a resounding "ewww" and flashbacks to a three tiered cotton skirt I would not stop wearing when I was 10. I even thought of removing the peplum altogether because as a strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline it would be very stylish as well.

As I said the dress grew on me and I took it home and organized a poll asking women between the ages of 18 and 35 what their reaction was to this style of dress. Here are some responses....

Anya - Customer Experience Manager
I just bought a really cute dress with a peplum skirt. I love it, it looks fantastic. I thought it was totally 80s, but because I carry a bit of extra curve (and, that's in) I'm into anything that works with me in a flattering way. It reminds me a little of old Cadillacs and the wings. I think it can be really classic with a pair of heels. It's a really basic look that can add a lot of structure to a fairly ordinary outfit.

Kirsty  - Dental Hygienist
When I first encountered this style of dress/skirt, it was being worn by late teenage/early 20-year-old girls. I didn't initially think "that's so 80's", but now that you mention it, it IS very retro, and I probably would have worn something along these lines circa 1985. That being said, it makes perfect sense to me that girls in their late teens/early 20's would so readily grab onto this style ~ they haven't lived through it before! For someone who has leapt into an older demographic, I however, wouldn't wear it.

Joslin - student - I don't find it 80s at all to me, but then again I wasn't around then.

Mandi - Hospital Patient Registration
I do not particularly find myself attracted to this style skirt....not because it is too 80's though, I just find it too fussy and it would not be my general style of dress. I think that with the right fabrication and details you can update any style and bring it into this decade, I just think this would be a difficult style to work with.

About Peplum
The word peplum originates in the greek word for tunic. The peplum is a short overskirt or ruffle that is usually attached to a dress but you can create the look by belting a fitted jacket or blouse at the waist. This style was popular in the 1940's where women's coats and dresses were designed in the peplum style to emphasize a small waist and classic hourglass figure. It appeared 40 years later in the 1980's and has been revived in 2009/10.

Let's just hope we don't see giant boxy shoulder pads, neon colours and wave bang hair do's!



                YES                                                      NO

Reworked Vintage Holiday Dresses

I was inspired to rework vintage dresses after I was approached by a woman in 2006 to redo her mother's 1960's wedding dress. This holiday season I decided to start working on a few more.

While I was shopping at Value Village I came across these lovely old frocks and it was easy for me to see that they had potential.
The sparkly top and the pleated skirt on the elastic waisted dress were elements that caught my eye.

If you are going to reconstruct a vintage garment it's important to consider the embellishments that are already existing on the piece, (like the sparkled clusters on the dress to the left) as well as the original structure of the dress ie. darts, princess seams, pockets etc.

The tie neck style and the striped pattern in the dress to the right were elements that caught my eye. This dress is made out of 100% silk so I knew that it could stand a little handling. The fabric the original dress is made from is also important to consider before beginning a reshaping project. Is it strong enough to handle being taken apart? How old is the original garment?

This dress has new waist treatments in the top and the skirt. Originally this dress had an elastic waist so I removed the elastic and gave the bodice some darts. The skirt has pin tucks in the position where the darts would be. I also gave the skirt a new Hemline.

After I removed the puffed sleeves I added facings to reinforce the armholes.  Under the neck tie at centre front I added a keyhole opening so the tie could be worn open without looking dull. I finished the dress by adding an invisible zipper closure in the back.

 The sparkly dress was much easier. I merely shortened it on the top and added new elastic at the empire waistline and above the bust.