The light on the horizon

It's been a while...

So, this COVID-19 thing has done a number on us all, as people, parents, healthcare workers, restaurant owners, and small businesses. ALL businesses, even essential ones, as cutbacks in employees and social distancing rules are in place having a limited number of people in the stores to keep people healthy.

On February 21, 2020, I received an email about contributing to a new blog that one of the writers in my building thought would be a nice way to show others what the artists at Follow Your Art Community Studios, do. Brilliant! But I cordially declined, for the moment, being the beginning of prom and wedding season, and knowing that I was going to be getting really busy, with little or no time to write, much less think of what to write!

BOOM!

Stay at home - less than one month later

All at once, I could no longer have appointments and meet with my happy brides and excited prom girls. I was confused as to what to do, how to handle it. I was panic striken at one point, not about my business, but about the health of the country and its people.

Anyhow, I did find some extra time on my hands, enough, to write my blog contribution. So, here it is. There is a light at the end of this extra long tunnel...it's dim now, but it will get brighter the closer we get. 

Read here: Diary of the Seamstress in Studio 5

Stay safe!

~Tamara

Bustles!

Unless it's a ball gown - floor length all the way around, chances are, your wedding gown will need a bustle! And now, even some prom dresses need to be bustled! Here are some photos of bustles I've done just this year alone!

1 bustle on this prom gown holds her train in place nicely

Not a long train, but she wanted it bustled. just 1 button
Also, the sash was added to the gown

Side swept - 3 bustles to the right side

French bustle (3)

French bustle (3)

1 button holds this bustle in place very elegantly

Another just needing one

3 bustles

1 bustle

Something about a lace bustle - just one needed- just beautiful!

3 bustles for the lace, and one for the satin layer underneath

And a little surprise in the front!

3 bustles swept to the side to follow the flow of the drape

5 tiered bustles required for this elegant ball gown

Close up of bustle

Prom skirt - one button pulls up the train!

Quite the bustle for this prom dress!

Love this SUPER confident bride! 3 French bustles pull this all together!

3 bustles hold this train in place nicely!

And here is the above gown in action - all bustled up!

It was a magical day!

I really enjoyed working with this bride to create her wedding gown. Based on the design she had given me, and adding custom Romanian accent pieces made by Romanian designer Ioana Avram, she looked simply amazing on her wedding day! Yet another major snowstorm the evening before, she said "even with the elements going crazy, it was simply a magical day"! Custom design

Delectable!

On this typical wintry day in New England, I decided to visit a shop to pour over their silk fabrics and lace....that's all they carry are silks, and I am working on a wedding gown which is made of 100% silk fabrics, including the lining. So I wanted some special adornments for the gown, and an internet search brought me to Delectable Mountain Cloth in Brattleboro, Vermont. A quaint town in southern Vermont. The service was exceptional and the selections incredible. I was able to find a few things that I thought might work for the gown (awaiting the bride's approval) and couldn't leave without making a purchase of fabric for myself, of course!

No doubt I will find myself visiting this town  and this store - just 2 hours away, off the scenic Mohawk Trail - many more times!

Don't keep your wedding gown in a box!

You love your wedding gown. Whether it took hours, months, or the better part of a year to pick it out, you LOVE it. So when the big day is over, what now? The more popular thing to do is to have it professionally cleaned and preserved. This means it is tightly wrapped and put in a box, and wrapped again for a nice tight seal. That's what I did, and indeed, many brides do today.

Today, I was brought such a gown, in a neatly, and air tight sealed box. And what a beautiful gown it is. Satin underneath with lace overlay over the entire gown.

The request is one that is gaining popularity - to make a Christening outfit out of the once worn gown. Yes it was sealed, yes the baby is a girl, so I asked, as I had done before, "are you sure? what if when she is all grown up, she may want to wear your gown?" to which I was answered "yes, I'm sure!" Her only request was to make it gender neutral, not too frilly, because she wants it to be a family heirloom to be enjoyed by all.

So, I am happy to say, I am welcoming this request to make a gown, bonnet and jacket for this sweet baby girl to wear in just 3 weeks! "Use my creativity" she said....undoubtedly I will..

The only thing that should matter is LOVE!

                                          All brides should be treated equally

I never thought I'd get married!

That's what Diana said when she came to me for her bridal alterations. When she walked through my door, stunning lace gown in hand, with a separate satin underlining, she said "I never thought I'd get married." This she said a few times during  her fitting. Now, in front of me was this very pretty woman, long curly hair, great personality, telling me that she never thought she'd get married.

Of course the curiosity got to me and I asked  "So what happened?", knowing it could be a very personal question, but feeling that by saying that over and over, that there was something she wanted to share with me. She said "I met the most amazing person". So the excited bride-to-be then talked about how she was overwhelmed with all the planning - finding a dress, mailing invitations, etc,etc,etc...They were getting married only months after meeting.

Feeling her excitement and some anxiety, I assured her that her dress would be ready in plenty of time, and that I would help her with a special embellishment she wanted. I also said to her "just imagine all those brides that plan their wedding 2 years in advance and stress that entire time. Look at you! You are getting it done in a much shorter time!" She smiled, agreed and at the end of her fitting, was more relaxed, knowing her dress was in good hands.

Something old, something new....

A local girl wanted to wear her mother's wedding gown - but it didn't quite fit, and the style was not what she wanted. See how I transformed this country style gown from the '80's to a more modern style, all her own.

See work in progress pictures on my Facebook page:

Refashioned Wedding Gown

Wedding Photos by Henry + Mac fine art wedding photography

Brides and Gowns!

This weekend I am volunteering at the Brides Against Breast Cancer Tour of Gowns fundraiser at the Westin hotel in Waltham. Hundreds of designer, couture, new and gently-used gowns available ranging from $99 to $4,000, all styles in sizes 0-30. They have a gown to match any wedding theme or budget!

Refashioning a wedding gown





removed lace neckline and lace from top

I was contacted about 4 weeks ago from a bride wanting to use her mom's wedding dress, but wanting to make it her own style. When she brought it to me she also brought her ideas of the look she desires. Here are pictures of the gown before any alterations. She wants to remove the sleeves, the train and all the ornamentation above the bust and have an open back. I will make a new bodice with fabric from the train, using the lace and beading from the original top, and add wide straps that will cross in the back.







original lace neckline



lace from top, to be used on new bodice

A mother's gift

     Here is the result of my previous post. An Heirloom Christening gown and bonnet made from the mother's wedding gown

I was able to incorporate almost every part of the bridal gown.  In addition to the beautiful satin, the gown is fully lined, using the lining fabric from the bridal gown; the trim around the neck and continuing all the way down center back, is from the waistline of the wedding gown; the hemline is from the bustline of the bridal gown; and I used 9 buttons, 2 hooks, and the zipper from the wedding gown. The sheer fabric used for the sleeves, the top overlay and the ribbon of the bonnet is from an underlayer of the wedding gown.

From Bride to Baby...

An heirloom christening gown was a request back in November 2011...here is a picture of the gown. The date has been set for June and she just brought me her gown. I was given a picture of what she would like for her daughter's gown. I will incorporate the gown fabric and all of the trim. The trim at the top of the bodice will be used at the hemline of the christening gown...pictures to follow!

Time to Re-Design

I just received an email from someone who found me through the internet!!! Hey, it really works! Mostly my work over the years has resulted from word of mouth referrals, and when I do advertise, very little becomes of it. For example, a few years ago a friend got married so she asked me to do the alterations of her bridesmaids gowns. The following year 2 of her friends got married, so I did alterations on their bridal parties, including the wedding dresses.

Back to my email request. What was asked of me was if I would be interested in creating a Christening gown for her daughter, using her wedding gown for the materials. Well, how could I say no! What a wonderful idea, and a great use of the gown. We are just in the talking (emailing) stage now, but will be meeting soon to discuss how she wants it to look and what she wants to use from her gown.

I am very excited about this project and will post my progress!