October's Posting to Etsy.com

Yes, your eyes are not playing tricks on you, these look like products I have posted before, but trust me, they are not!!!  These triangles are a mini version of the originals. They stand only at 5 inches tall and fit in the palm of your hand!!!  Use them to carry anything you want, from cosmetics to sewing/knitting notions...  They will definitely start a conversation... ENJOY!!!

Etsy Shop

Wedding to a Christening, It's a process!!!!

This will show the my first time creating and designing a Christening outfit from a Wedding Gown...  When I was first approached I was very nervous, but very honored at the same time.  I was trusted to take something that was once very special and turn it in to an item even more special... So stay tuned as I continue to give updates throughout this process!!!

The photo below to the left shows the gown as it once was...  I have to admit, I made about 10 calls to the original owner to make sure his was what she wanted... it took me about an hour, just standing there with my scissors in hand, before I would make the first cut... a lot of pressure!!!

 

The photo to the right is the aftermath... I stood there a just starred, and also prayed that I was not about to get a phone call stating she had changed her mind, yes I was paranoid!!!  The owner had requested to keep the bodice preserved, so I came up with a design for it so she could place it in a shadow box...

So above is the bodice of the wedding gown...  It was actually cut on an angle to preserve the one beaded applique detail on the right side and I then decided to cut through the one on the left.  This was so I was able to pull the applique and use a piece of it for the Christening outfit. Then it was all hand sewn around the bottom to close it up...

Now the fun begins and how to design the outfit, many ideas are in the works!!!!  Hopefully they won't be that difficult to pull off...  I am really enjoying this experience though, it is a great challenge and I am always up for that...

The sewing finally commenced!!!  I started to construct the Baby Christening outfit I was asked to design. After many drafts and ideas, I believed and decided to design the Christening outfit to resemble the mother's wedding gown.  I new I was using a base pattern just for cutting the material.  We had fun with the construction...

I never could follow a pattern to save my life, not sure where I ever got that, but I know I goes back to when I first started quilting. My instructor drilled it into our heads to first read the pattern instructions and then follow them!  I followed how the material needed to be cut and then right to the construction, then I would read the instructions, and yes, I NEVER did it the way they were written, but I did come out with the same end result...well most of the time!!!! I always make designs mine in some way...my husband calls it 'my little control issue'! Below are some of the photos during the construction...

 

 

I was able to use the wedding gown as the primary material,however an over-skirt was required to be purchased due to the construction of the original gown and also the fact that I think the wedding was set in a muddy field that day...  But that just allows me to improvise even more!   I hand made appliques for the over-skirt to fill in areas that could not hold the roses from her gown.

I was also able to save a piece of the applique from her gown and applied to the outfit.  I set it on the bodice, offset to the left side around the upper waist area.

Below is the final garment, along with the original wedding gown...

 

This process took a total of 1 month to complete, that included all steps, from designing to cutting, to sewing and construction...  And after all the paranoia and fear, I cannot wait until I get this opportunity again.

Welcome to the New MAHQs Blog Site!!!!

As always, we stare in one location and then we feel another is better, only to realize the beginning was the best.  So you guessed it, I am one of those people that did just that...  We are back on Blogger and not going to make the move again!!!

For some of you, the posts will look somewhat familiar as they were posted previously.  I will be transferring only a few over to this site to get it started...

My website, of course, will still be available and updated regularly with photos of new products and Etsy updates.

So sit back and enjoy, and thanks!!!

MadeatHomeQuilts