I first discovered Studio of Art Patterns in early 2024 when I was asked to create 2 bridesmaids dresses with a quick turnaround through a referral from a wedding planner. I was delighted to have the gig and got started right away finding a pattern to create the 2 special occasion dresses having the same skirt style with different bodices using a lovely sage green silk charmeuse as the client requested.
I love to spend time looking at all kinds of sewing patterns, especially patterns that have the potential to turn out a beautiful result that looks like it came from a fancy boutique or bespoke design house. I like to collect these type of patterns, even if I won’t use them right away, or ever, just so that I can learn about how to construct and sew the details that make them unique or create those hidden details of a garment that are not immediately apparent.
After searching through my own pattern collection of formal dresses, as well as through the usual avenues of obtaining commercial patterns, searching on Etsy I came across this new-to-me pattern company, Studio of Art Patterns. They had a very good selection of formal dress designs to choose from with details and features not found in other commercial patterns for sale. The patterns didn’t have much detail to the Etsy description or the other pertinent information readily available, such as fabric yardage needed to create the design, unless, as I discovered, you purchase and download the pattern. They have, however, added a really cool feature to the pattern images of an AI generated video clip of the dress as it is worn on the runway. Amazing!
AI generated clip of one of the gown designs. SOLD!!!!
Once a pattern is purchased, they send you the PDF pattern and instructions to download and print at home or a copy shop. They include multiple size files and all of the information needed to construct the garment including a detailed size chart, suggested fabrics types including any interfacing, lining or stabilizing fabric yardage and notions needed, pattern cutting layout, and sewing instructions, and a few photos of a finished garment made from the pattern. The sewing instructions are quite sparse, somewhat confusing, and assume that you have a good amount of prior dressmaking experience and ability to construct a dress. In addition, the sewing terms and language are not always clear, there are no photos or illustrations of the construction process, just the step-by step words themselves, so you are somewhat on your own for figuring out the difficult parts, therefore these patterns are not for the beginner sewist by any means. However if you have any questions or need help with the sewing process, they are readily available to help and respond right away which is great.
Studio of Art Patterns, found only on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/StudioOfArtPatterns, is a small, woman-owned company that creates sewing patterns for the experienced sewist. As I’d love to support and promote this small, yet growing, business, and wanted to know more about them, I reached out to the shop owner, Anastasia, for more information about the company and she gladly replied with this to say:
Studio of Art Patterns – Our Story
Studio of Art Patterns has been creating and sharing sewing patterns on the Etsy platform since 2021, and our shop is only beginning to gain momentum. In this short time, we have published 281 modern patterns, including 125 wedding dress patterns, each offered in five sizes. Even an experienced professional sewist can appreciate the tremendous amount of work our small team has accomplished in such a limited period. Our team is made up of three passionate specialists: • Anastasia – graphic designer, assistant, and shop owner • Angelika – designer • Julia – customer service and marketing specialist Every day, we continue improving our products, but our main goal remains the same: to expand our collection with fresh, high-quality sewing patterns that have no analogues online. Our team carefully selects the most elegant and desirable garment designs and transforms them into detailed, professional patterns to help our customers create stylish and beautifully crafted pieces. At the moment, our patterns are available exclusively on Etsy. However, we are actively growing and working on launching our own website in the near future.
Going back to the bridesmaid dresses, we decided on this pattern, mostly for the draped skirt, and I would make the bodice in two different styles to attach to the same skirt for the ladies:
The dresses turned out satisfactory with the short time frame to complete and the fussy nature if the fabric, so I won’t go into much detail about it, but I wanted to share my moment of discovery of this amazing pattern company that led me here!
After completing the silk bridesmaid dresses, I went on to purchase and make several more Studio of Art patterns from their Wedding Dress category of designs. I will share the patterns and the creations I made from them, mostly making them just because I wanted to make them and show off the new skills I learned from constructing them:
Corset Bodice Slim Skirt Gown Made in ivory satin. Boned bodice with spaghetti straps and slim skirtI added a lace-up corset back to this dress patternI added a trumpet to the bottom of this skirt to this pattern to make a new design out of a sleek black leather-like satinThe lace up corset back allows for an easier fitPlunging neckline gown with skirt overlap opening.Made in a soft peach satin, I love how this gown turned out! The skirt side opening, the mesh side insets in the bodice, and it has pockets!74 self-fabric covered buttons adorn the center back seam into the trainCorset bodice with off shoulder puffy sleeve I made my version eliminating the corset and bra cup seams to keep the integrity of the toile print of the fabric. I also eliminated the bottom part of the sleeve and lengthened the skirt.Draped halter neck bodice gown with shoulder drape and low draped backMade in a stunning green silk satinThe open back with drape was difficult to do, but turned out really wellModeled here by the gorgeous Christine Lewy at my runway show at FashionXT 2025 in Portland, ORI added sleeves, lowered the back and added a little lower back bar to support the low back for this black wedding gown for a client.
I have since went on to purchase several more Studio of Art patterns with the intention of studying the pattern details, mixing and matching the details, and making them up as I get the opportunity. Some I got for a certain detail or technique that I’d like to learn how to do, some I like the entire dress and would make it as is. I have a few already in the works as I get the chance to print out the HUGE pattern pieces and cut them out, purchase the fabrics (each one takes lots of fabric!) and decide on the pattern adjustments I would like to make in order to make them with somewhat of a unique twist, if I can.
Here is my collection of Studio of Art patterns that I have become obsessed with, but have yet to make:
Basque waist ballgown with off shoulder lace sleevesDraped evening gownCorset bodice gown with flouncesOne shoulder gown with draped bowGown with overskirtlace overlay gownCape dressStructured draped gown with trainSeamed corset bodice gown with split skirtScarf and rosette collar gownV-neck gown with trainEvening gown with embroidery detailStrapless bodysuit and ruffled sheer overskirtMermaid strapless gown and ruffled sheer overskirtWrap dress with long bell sleeves
These are just a few of the patterns that Studio of Art patterns offer in their gallery of designs. They also offer more casual looks, athletic and kids patterns, so if you are curious or looking for something different to sew, definitely check them out!
Time to go sew a fabulous Studio of Art pattern and make another dream dress come true!
Making a fashion collection has always been a dream of mine. I did a small collection while in a fashion design program at Portland Fashion Institute (then called Portland Sewing) back in 2015, which was a great experience and a lot of work, however it was not even close to this amount of work, time and organization than this most recent undertaking. Also, when I look at other big designers collections and the unbelievable amount of time, money and effort it must take to do such a show, mine pales in comparison.
None the less, this was one of my biggest undertakings to date. I began by entering as a designer and signing the contract for FashionXT back in March for the show happening in October. Once I signed the contract and paid my submission fee, there was no going back.
Then the real work began! I asked a few friends if they would be willing to be my little support team, there to bounce ideas off of, help me make decisions, keep on track, and stay motivated. Early on, I held a meeting with them and shared my ideas and concepts for what I was going to make for the collection. I had some wonderful fabrics already, enough yardage of each fabric to make a big dress or a suit, and some style ideas already swimming in my head that I was dying to make up. I came up with a little line plan with simple sketches and brought my fabrics to show & tell over a brunch meeting, no husbands invited!
Giant Post-It Notes come in very handy for conceptualizing!
I sat down with my calendar and made a plan. I figured I had to make about a dress a week in order to meet the deadline of the show, then broke the days of the week into more goals and tasks, all because I know how much of a procrastinator I am, and always underestimate the time needed to make something.
Flash forward to show time, I nailed it in terms of timing! I was done with everything a couple of days before the show, and had the time to do any final sewing tasks, carefully steam out and pack up each dress and the accessories, and have them ready to transport to the show venue. I could relax, enjoy the night before the show, drink some wine, get a good night’s sleep, and really focus on my successes and on the Big Day the next day.
Flash Forward: The gowns are all packed and ready to go!
Back to the time being…then began the actual work of editing down to what makes sense, what flows together in a collection, and sticking to a theme. I began to conceptualize the collection with the one fabric that really spoke to me, a floral printed mikado (a type of satin) that I had purchased from Mood Designer Fabrics a few years ago. I just loved the colors and the “growing” effect of the print. I thought it would be a wonderful, big ball gown with a big skirt to show off the fabric. Hence, the Floral Garden Bridal Collection was born!
The floral mikado ballgown! Shown here completed, as well as a strapless top made in the same fabric and a wide leg pant.My fashion sketch for this gown
I made the gown with a strapless bodice, doing a folded side pleat instead of a dart or princess seams to ensure I didn’t have to cut into the fabric and break up the print. I used boning and interfacing inside as a layer to act as support, and also lined in a lovely ivory satin. The skirt was made by draping it on a dress form, creating large pleats and adding a triangular-shaped godet to the back of the skirt so that it formed a wider circle at the hem. I added side seam pockets as well, just for fun and convenience for the wearer. Also, I added a waist stay inside the gown, a belt-like support made using a sturdy piece of ribbon, sewn to the inside of the dress, worn snugly around the wearer’s waist and fastens with a hook & eye. This helps to support the weight of the skirt and helps to keep a strapless dress from falling down. I used a store-bought petticoat under the gown to support the bell shape.
The rest of the collection was all meant to circle back to this ballgown by use of a color pulled out from the print, or a shape from a flower. I made edits to my original line up, taking away a few ideas that didn’t really “go”, and adding a few that made sense to fill in the gaps.
One outfit that didn’t truly tie back to the dress was the white linen pantsuit and corset that I made. I made this outfit as I wanted to create alternatives for the modern bride to choose from, and figured a bride might not want a dress, or the ceremony is happening at the courthouse or she might want it for an event before or after the wedding yet still want to feel special and stand out.
For this outfit, I purchased an entire bolt of white linen from Joann Fabrics and chose to use a few commercial patterns that I have been wanting to make, the kind of patterns that are advanced level of sewing and take quite a lot of tailoring and couture sewing techniques to be successful.
The first pattern I tackled was the blazer jacket using Vogue 1870 view A:
Vogue 1870 Pattern View A
This pattern was a beast to make, but it turned out so sharp and really great looking! It’s fully lined with welt pockets and 2-piece sleeves. I’m pretty sure it is most likely a designer knock-off such as Gucci but I can’t be certain. Either way, I absolutely love it!
Once the jacket was complete, I went on to make the wide leg trousers. I used New Look 6769 pattern for the pants. Nothing crazy. I was going for simple, tailored and elegant with the wide leg and pockets, plus this pattern was super easy to sew. A nice refresher between to tough ones:
Then came the hard part: the corset. A zillion pattern pieces to keep track and labeled; the linen outer layer, the lining and the interfacing. Plus making the underwire and boning channels, and the bias strip that encased the upper and lower edges of the corset, and adding the front busk. Then there came the rivets! Ugh, lots of rivets. There are many, many corset sewing patterns out there to choose from, however I tortured myself by using an an advanced pattern, again by Vogue.
Vogue 1876 corset line drawingsThe Linen Pantsuit in ProgressThe Linen Corset in ProgressThe lovely interior of the corsetcovered buttons made for the jacketMy sketch for the outfit on the right, minus the blazer.
Next in line was the lace mermaid gown! I wanted to make a fitted, sexy dress, all in lace for the collection. I had many yards of this relatively inexpensive stretch lace in my fabric stash that would be perfect for this style. It’s not the highest quality lace, but I had already purchased it and it would do for the collection. It’s 100% polyester, so I decided to throw it in the laundry (gentle cycle) and see what happened. Well, it turned out just fine and softened up the fabric a bit, plus got rid of the slightly “plastic” smell.
I used this pattern from McCalls 7569 as a base and made many modifications, mostly to the interior construction of the dress and not as much as the style:
McCalls 7569 line drawingsCutting out the bodice frontTwo of the skirt panels and underliningCutting out part the bottom skirt flounce
I won’t bore you with ALL of the sewing jargon, details and construction modifications I did to make the dress from this pattern, but I will say that I made it MUCH better than the pattern instructed the sewist to do, and it turned out far better than I expected it to!
I called her Lacey
OK, for all you fellow sewing geeks out there, maybe just a quick list of how I made the dress differently from the original pattern:
I added a center back seam so I could put in a zipper
Fully lined and underlined the gown
Raised the center front keyhole neckline 4″ (too much boobage rarely looks good to me)
Added a dart to the back pattern pieces
Raised the skirt higher onto the bodice at the waistline
Added built-in bra cups
The following photos are from the dress nearly complete, yet I later made more changes to the fit once I had the model fitting (stay tuned for part 2 of this post).
Next up, as I did my best to make these garments and complete them as much as possible before moving on to the next one, is the Flutter gown.
A sketch of my Flutter gown
I wanted to create a gown with movement and romance, one that would appear to float on the bride. I had this lovely 3-dimentional mesh lace with sequins and little chiffon petals that looked like butterflies. I bought this fabric on clearance at Joann Fabrics over a year ago and knew I how I wanted to use it.
In order to make the color and shading of the fabric that I had better coordinate with the colors of the collection, essentially going back to the colors of the floral printed mikado, I decided to use a peach toned organza as a backing to the lace, creating a softer tone under the bright white of the lace. You can somewhat see what I am talking about in this photo where I layered the fabrics and draped them on my dressform:
the layer of peach organza fabric creates a softer hue under the white lace
I got to cutting out the 4 layers of this gown: the lace, the peach organza underlining, and 2 layers of a soft chiffon-like poly to be lining. That was a LOT of cutting, especially difficult were the large pattern pieces of the skirt and back of the skirt with a slight train. Keeping track of the pieces was important as they looked alike, especially the skirt front and side front pieces. I used a Burda sewing pattern to begin with, but made so many changes to it that I can’t really call it that pattern anymore.
Underlining each pattern piece with the peach organza was time consuming, but oh so pretty!
I wanted to use the same pattern again for another dress in the collection. I did this for two reasons: one was to create cohesion in the lineup, and the other, to save time. The cohesion helps the eye to recognize the similarity amongst the garments. I made essentially the same dress again, using a completely different fabric and lining. Most people probably would not recognize that the dresses come from the same pattern, but they may notice a familiarity.
3-D Lace Flutter GownVelvet Forest Bride Gown
For the Flutter gown, I ended up adding sleeves, so it looks oven more similar to the Forest Bride gown, but the two fabrics really make them unique.
Flutter 3-D GownForest Bride Velvet Gown
These two gowns were some of my favorites from the collection! I just love how the dress hugs the torso and waist, then gently flows over the rest of the body. The long slit in the skirt allows her to walk easily and exposes the beautiful lining. The sleeves are romantic bell shape (Forest also has a cuff at the end of the sleeve), and protects her from a chilly evening in the garden. I made a point to make these gowns with really nice details including lovely linings, luxurious materials, and matching hair accessories.
Speaking of the amazing headpieces made by my amazing intern Robbyn, there is so much to say, I have to save it for it’s own section. So, stay tuned for more on the wonderful handmade hair accessories and hats later!
The beautiful Stella came next!
Stella the Slip Dress (please excuse the naked mannequin in the back!)
I wanted a sexy slip dress style for the collection, and thought I already have plenty of white dresses, why not have some pink for a pop of color. I brought a large swatch of my floral printed ball gown fabric to the fabric store, pulled out one of the colors from the print, and purchased 6 yards of material plus 5 yards of rhinestone trim for the straps.
picking out fabric for Stella at the fabric store
Pink looks really good on most skin tones, and this fabric is a super soft sand washed rayon that mimics silk in the best way, perfect for a slip dress! I actually would have loved to have a few bridal nightwear lounge slip and robe sets to show, but not enough time for that! Next time!
I made this dress using another commercial pattern, this time a Simplicity pattern from the late ’90’s or early 2000’s, which I’ve had in my pattern collection for years (decades perhaps?):
Simplicity 3735
I love the design details of this dress pattern, especially the back with the low cut of it and the beautiful strappy details. So to bring this lovely gown up to what I was looking for to add to the collection I made a few adjustments to the pattern.
I skimmed out the sides of the skirt part of the dress to make it more body hugging (figure flattering) and not the A-line shape that hangs from the waist as the photo suggests.
I lengthened the hemline and added more of a slight train to the back of the dress (who doesn’t like a little train drama, right?).
I fully lined the dress instead of making a facing around the neckline. I hate facings and would rather make it fully lined (fellow dressmakers catch my drift).
The rhinestones! The gorgeous, beautiful rhinestone trim was a pain in the butt to sew on to each strap, but it looks SO pretty! Totally worth the extra 4 hours to hand sew…
The back of this gown is so lovely!
The low back and strappy rhinestone straps of this gown are “mwah!” chef’s kiss!
I wanted to include some accessories with the collection, giving the potential wearer options. I opted to make a little faux fur shrug (a cape-like little jacket type of garment) to cover her shoulders in case of a little chill in the air (personally, I hate being cold and always have a jacket or cardigan on hand just in case…):
Once Stella and her shrug were complete, it was time to move on to the next look in the lineup and keep up with the pace of my timeline.
I wanted to have options for a bride, and find that dressy jumpsuits are appealing to many. I wanted to create something romantic and flowy in a lovely swishy fabric.
This illustration is one of many that I did with the vision of a bridal, or dressy, jumpsuit as an option. I love a simple bodice, defined waist, and a wide leg pant. I added a big side sash detail for drama and to act as sort of a train.
When choosing a pattern for this, I went for one I had in my collection, McCall’s 8313, to create the look:
The pattern envelope really isn’t exciting or inspirational…
The line drawings are also not the greatest, however view D would work for me
Of course, I made changes to the pattern including cutting the front bodice out on the fold instead of having a center front seam. Also I fully lined the entire jumpsuit to avoid seeing through the garment and to give it a more “luxe” feel. I made a matching sash and slapped on some of my embellished tulle to act as a detachable train.
The jumpsuit conceptualizing process…Kayla rocks it at the model fitting!
As much as I wanted this jumpsuit to be really amazing and create a “wow!” moment, it turned out to be my least favorite in the collection if I’m honest. It just didn’t turn out as well as I wanted it to. Sure, it was fine and worked out for a look, it just wasn’t as refined and elegant as I hoped it would be, but I didn’t have time to start all over with it and make a different one, so it would just have to do. Meh…
The next dress I totally procrastinated on cutting out and making, however was one of my favorite concepts and really lovely fabric choice. I named it Laticia as I felt the fabric reminded me of a lattice feature that you would see as part of the décor in a beautiful garden:
I wanted to have one option in my collection with an overskirt as I love the idea of a transformation in the bridal outfit. She could wear the overskirt for walking down the isle, then remove the overskirt and reveal a lovely sheath dress underneath for the reception. Genius!
Part of the reason for the procrastination on this dress is I had to take extra care to cut out the fabric, perfectly aligning the motif design of the gorgeous sequin embellished delicate lace mesh:
Cutting out the pattern carefully on the lace
I hade to also add extra panels of the material in order to have the motif go all the way to the bottom of the dress which I sewed on by hand. Then, I made an under dress and lining in a flesh tone that was strapless, so boning and hidden structure were key to keeping it looking refined. The zipper was last and the most annoying part of this dress. It all turned out super pretty, but ugh, a LOT of work! Again, could have been a LOT better in my opinion, but I got it done and managed to squeeze it on to the model Grace at the fitting:
Grace looks FAB in Laticia! She loved it! I just had to make a few adjustments and finish the hem.
I couldn’t have a bridal collection without the big finale look, so I added a dress to my line up with another ballgown in a very pale peach toned satin. I used a wonderful pattern from Studio of Art Patterns which I found on Etsy. It featured a mesh insert bodice, wide waistband, a gorgeous open slit in the skirt, pockets and a train. I also opted to add little covered buttons, 72 of them to be exact (thank you Robbyn for making all of those little suckers!), all the way down the center back of the gown.
One of many lovely sewing patterns from Studio of Art Patterns on Etsy
This pattern, although gorgeous, was a bear to sew. It’s one for advanced sewists who are experienced with dressmaking and can figure out construction steps without a lot of guidance or direction. The instructions were minimal and the pattern pieces are enormous, so just handling it and keeping the pieces marked and in order are of utmost importance and added to the pain in the assery of it.
Sewing on 72 tiny covered buttons by hand down the center back of the gown, perfectly spaced 1″ apart, took hours…not to mention also sewing on the lace appliques to the waistband, that took days…It has pockets!
As much of a major pain in the ass this gown was to sew, I did really enjoy the process, I learned a few new things, and she turned out quite beautifully. She really is so elegant and dreamy! She reminded my intern Robbyn of delicious wedding cake frosting which I can totally relate to (yumm, cake!)
I named her Sophia! So pretty!
OK, well that wraps up the 9 looks I had walk the runway for my Floral Garden Bride collection! I wanted to share and document my thought process for each look, so this was a long post. It took me a while to collect my thoughts, organize the photos and write this all down, therefore more than a month after the show has passed and I am still not finished!
In Part 2 of this post, I’ll share more about the finishing touches and the day of the runway, so look out for that coming in the near future.
I gasped out loud when I was contacted through my Yelp profile: a mother of a bride was asking if I could create a kimono-style, robe like top for her daughter who was getting married. She sent over some inspiration photos and asked how much I would charge to make a similar garment:
This made my heart skip a beat!I also love this gown!
Wow, I thought, I love that idea of a fancy kimono style top to wear for the wedding! I love kimonos and robes and have made many of them over the years, but never a bridal one such as this.
The client bride Brittney already had purchased the fabric she wanted the robe made out of: a mesh tulle type of fabric with mushrooms of various sizes embroidered to the fabric and embellished with little sparkly sequins. So pretty!
The fabric!
She also wanted fringe trim added all around the edges of the kimono for more drama and movement:
I ordered 8 yards of this trim, first getting a swatch to check the color
Brittney is quite the creative type of lady as you might have already guessed, and was doing as much DIY for her wedding as possible. She made the invitations, the designed the floral arrangements and dyed the table cloths. She also wanted to use the fringe yardage she bought and try to dye it to match the fabric of the kimono. Meanwhile I ordered some swatches of fringe trim from Etsy and found this perfect match, which we ending up going for.
I had a pattern in mind for the kimono, Simplicity 1108, one that I had made before and could change up a bit to suit her needs:
Using view C of the pattern, I cut it a little shorter and made the sleeve more of a triangular shape instead of a rectangle. I didn’t even bother making a mockup of it as it was so loose fitting and easy to change up a bit to fit as needed.
She and her mom came over several times for planning and fittings which was really fun! We had a great time playing with the ideas for the look, and talking about the wedding plans.
At a fitting with the original fringe. Brittney deciding how long she’d like the sleeve to be, before the fringe was added.
She had a little slip dress to wear under the kimono that she got for a very good price, and decided to purchase another dress to use for additional fabric to make a matching sash to cinch in the waist. So, I made her two belts, one skinny and one wide, so she could choose what felt better for the look.
The kimono was coming along so well and we all were excited for the end result! I loosely sewed (basting stitch) the fringe trim by hand to the outside edges of the kimono. That took forever! Once the length and shape of the edges of the top were confirmed by Brittney, then I cut away the excess fabric and more permanently sewed the fringe on my sewing machine. That also took forever to do as I had to sew very carefully the trim to the edge so as to catch the slippery top edge of the fringe to the narrow hem opening of the sheer mesh kimono fabric, all without catching any fringe edge in the stitches or get caught in my sewing machine. Tedious work to say the least!
The fringe all sewed on to the edges of the front and sleeve of the kimono.
Brittney was getting really excited about wearing it for her wedding! I really loved how it was coming along as well, and decided that I wanted to make another version of the same concept for my own collection. I purchased enough yardage of the mushroom fabric and fringe trim, as well as fabric to make the under dress, to later make a version of the outfit for my upcoming fashion show and to display as an example of my work.
Looking so good!
Come the big day, Brittney was simply radiant in her bridal ensemble! It was perfect for her style, and a unique garment that could be worn again and again for other occasions. I am so happy they came to me for her special custom look for her wedding! It really brings me joy to make someone’s special occasion all that more beautiful!
Mom helping Bride to get ready. How fabulous does she look!What a cool couple!Love!
Another happy day and successful creation! I love my job….
One day I got a call from a young lady named Christine, looking for a designer and seamstress to take her already purchased wedding dress, alter it, add to it, and transform it into a unique gown. From the moment she said “I want a colorful wedding!”, I was intrigued and couldn’t wait to hear her ideas!
We had our first meeting and she shared her thoughts, bringing along her friend Bonnie for her input and creative ideas. Christine imagined her ballgown shaped wedding dress to be embellished with embroidered flowers, having flowers and greenery appear to “grow” up her dress, somewhat as in this image she pinned on her Pinterest board:
Multi Colored Flora Lehenga Set
She scouted out, found and purchased a colorful embroidered mesh fabric on Etsy, perfect for both cutting out the flowers from the mesh background, and also to be used to make part 2 of her bridal look: a tulle and organza bridal skirt and a custom-made top of TBD style to be worn with the skirt:
Embroidered Mesh Fabric found on Etsy
As soon as she received the fabric in the post, we planned a meeting and got to work with the creative projects. She invited her mom, friend and future mother-in-law, all to come over to my house and get to work cutting out the individual flowers, carefully trimming them from the mesh and separating them. We spread out over my living room floor, got out sharp little scissors and got to snipping & sipping champagne.
Meanwhile, Christine also wanted me to make a top for her to wear with the bridal skirt, as well as do some alterations to both the bridal skirt and the dress. We decided on a bodysuit for the top to wear with the skirt, and I got to work making a mock-up of the bodysuit for fit and aesthetics. Well, of course I didn’t consider the lack of stretch that the mesh has, much less than that of the spandex material we chose for parts of the bodysuit.
Mistake #1
It took some time and effort to make this garment. I started with a bodysuit sewing pattern, choosing this great Belen bodysuit by Masin pdf pattern that had sleeves and a boat neckline.
#belenbodysuit
Planning the placement of the flower motifs within the bodice front of the bodysuit was a little challenge, mostly as I was trying to get her favorite flowers to be closest to her face, but also appear to be randomly scattered and not placed like pasties right smack on her boobies:
Using the bodice pattern piece of the lining to find a good placement of the flowers in the fabric.
Fast forward to the bodysuit being nearly finished and ready to try on. The bodysuit looked great, and the mockup wasn’t half bad either. Well, the fitting didn’t go so well and the bodysuit was way too tight. Like, she couldn’t move her arms to save her life kind of tight. Ugh:
The colorful mesh body and the mock-up. Looks great! The fit, no so great…
Now all of my problem solving superpowers were jerked awake, stepping up and getting stuff done!
I wrote a “to-do” list (in order to keep my head strait, and to avoid having bad dreams, nightmares actually, about work, this a must for me):
Christine Chenderlin
Bridal Gown & Bridal Skirt project proposal
Wedding Date: June 18, 2023
Projects:
Strapless bridal gown alterations & additions
Added interior hanging straps
Added bra cups
Hem entire gown, including outer layer, tulle and lining layers,removing train and sewing original fringe trim back on to hem
Applique additional fabric over entire gown
Hourly rate of $60/hr for sewing work
ETA hours tbd
Help from friends
Add side seam pockets
Make a matching shrug from purchased fabric (or sleeves from cut off fabric)
Make wide straps out of lining
Edit: made straps out of lace and lining
Bridal Skirt Alterations & additions
Remove back zipper and install corset style back closure
Hem skirt, removing some tulle from underskirt
Hem outer layer of skirt
Make a crop top from purchased fabric to wear with skirt
Edit: made bodysuit from embroidered mesh
OK this is more of an outline, but I like to get my thoughts out of my head and down on paper, in an organized, shareable format, so that I can move on, plan out my time, and get to work. It’s the only way I can maintain sanity and work productively as a one woman business.
I also had a time tracker, price list, ideas, images and other notes in my dossier for Christine that I keep for each client. Keeping organized, on track, and accountable is key with helping clients such as her. She had been planning this special day for months and I was a big part of making her bridal visions come to fruition, so there was NO room for error! No pressure!
On to the gown. I added pockets, shoulder straps, bra cups, interior hanging straps, removed the entire train, made the gown floor length, hemmed it, stitched the delicate lace fringe trim back on all around the hem, plus a did a few little stitches and repairs to the lovely large floral gown.
Strap style decisions: this image was sent to Christine to choose her preference for fabrication for the added shoulder straps. Also, I added additional hanging straps (there were 2 wimpy ones included in the RTW gown that barely held up the dress on a hanger) using ribbon inside the gown to support the weight of the dress while hanging. This has become one of my favorite additions to my custom alterations, and incorporated into my bespoke garments for a little touch of luxury and garment care.I carefully slit open the side seams in the skirt outer and lining layers of her ballgown, adding in deep pockets made from lining fabric cut from her hem, so she can stash a tissue, lip gloss, and gift money!
The dress was handed off to her friends and family who were more than happy to pitch in and help her with DIY wedding stuff (and there was A LOT of DIY wedding stuff!). Like little Disney forest fairy Godmothers, they sewed on those flowers lickety-split at record speeds, creating a lovely placed, yet random, flower pattern all over the skirt of her dress. She twirled in her dreamy dress and we all gasped! Super cool!
Next, she wanted a shrug of sorts to cover her shoulders, so she chose a pretty satin to match the dress and I made a simple, yet ladylike, lined shrug for her and it worked, sort of.
Mistake #2
Ugh, WHY???? This shrug was the biggest obstacle in this whole idea. No, I take that back. the bodysuit was a bigger obstacle to overcome. The shrug was runner up. For some reason, I could NOT get a nice looking fit on this darn shrug! I made the darn thing 3x and still made her cry. I felt like the crappiest person on earth for not being able to make her happy, plus the bodysuit was giving her a major wedgie and she couldn’t raise or move her arms, so panic set in.
Well I managed to alter the sleeve by adding in a panel to make it wider and not 100% cut off her circulation. I also added a gusset to the bodysuit side seam, just so it was bearable and she could move in it (kind of). A center back zipper in the bodysuit also helped getting in and out of it.
A strip of fabric added under the sleeve seam to add some space for her arm.
As for the skirt, I added a lace-up corset back closure as the zipper was too small and that worked out pretty well:
The zipper in the skirt was replaced with a hand-made corset back opening. Also the center back zipper of the bodysuit helped her in and out of it. Also the skirt got a hem and a layer of tulle removed to reduce fullness.
Fast forward to wedding time! The wedding was held at a wonderful rustic resort in the mountains of Oregon. Out of town guests were arriving, family was wrapping up last minute details and enter frazzled and frantic Stephanie!! I drove an hour to Welshes, Oregon to her venue the day before the wedding day, finished bodysuit and shrug I made for her in hand, ready to hand off then disappear, out of her hair and let her enjoy her big event. I HAD to make sure she was ready to go, had all of her wedding outfits ready to wear, and she was happy.
Mistake #1 & Mistake #2 Backfire
She tried on her outfits, things were OK (not perfect or entirely comfortable), she looked over to me, aaaaand she cried. Sobbed really. I felt like the biggest a-hole let-down on the planet. The fit SUCKED and she was so uncomfortable! AAAGGGGHHHH!
100% MY BAD
Her friends from out of town were now arriving, she was crying (not tears of joy), and I felt like an idiot and failure. I offered what I could and said I’d do what ever I could possibly do to make it work. I had some more fabric back home, we quickly found a sewing pattern Bolero Jacket 2202 by Lekala she liked for the shrug, and one I could make up over night and drive back to her in the morning. Talk about last minute!
The Lekala Bolero Jacket pattern seemed to be the perfect solution!
I left here there crying on her friends shoulder, got home, started making another NEW shrug (version #4 I think?) with the Lekala, was in touch with her best buddy Bonnie, keeping her posted with my progress, working hard to get something done that Christine would be happy with and make her not totally hate me on her most special day.
Mistake #3
Last minute Lekala shrug jacket in progress, literally graded out to her size and slapped together in attempt to please. Fail!
I showed these photos to liaison Bonnie and she simply replied “you can stop sewing now.”
Now it was my turn to break down and cry. Literally cry. I was exhausted, crushed, disappointed, and just DONE!
So I wiped my tears, turned off my sewing machine, stuffed all of Christine’s fabric scraps, bits and pieces of undone shrugs and bodysuit parts, and a shrug that was OK from version # 1, into a bag and set my alarm to get up at the crack of ass to drive it and hour away to her on her wedding day. In the morning, I drove an hour there again, cowardly dropped of her bag of stuff at the hotel front desk and tiptoed backwards outta there, leaving a note and texting Bonnie when I was well on my way home. So, so bad, and NOT ever they way I intended to conduct business, but I just had way too much shame and couldn’t face her and her family & friends again, the disappointment dressmaker chick that made bride cry.
Well I must say, she pulled herself together and looked AMAZING on her wedding day! She was radiant in her custom designed gown, wearing one of the 4 shrugs I made her and looking fabulous walking down the DIY isle to marry the love of her life 🙂
Simply stunning!!! Cheers to the newlyweds!Love this fun and colorful bridal look!
She sent me photos and invited me to her share with her Google Photos album. She really pulled it off and looked radiant and so happy in her colorful bridal outfits! All of the decorations, accessories and details that were DIY’d from her family and friends were so incredibly touching and turned out beautifully.
Overall, I am SO grateful and happy that she reached out, chose me and trusted to help her achieve her dream bridal looks. It was down to the wire and incredibly stressful (for everyone!), but it was SO fun to work with her as she is delightful, creative, intelligent and just a great person to have met, plus her mom, mother in law and friend were ALL so kind, fun and caring. It all worked out in the end and she was stunning in her dresses for her wedding day.
The Newlyweds!
Lessons learned:
-Leave PLENTY of time to work and to make mistakes
-Make a list, or several lists, and make plenty of notes as needed
-Keep the client informed and posted with all decisions as well as pitfalls
-Wake up early, stay up late, keep focused and get it done
-Treat all clients projects as if they were my own projects
-Make smart and creative problem solving decisions
-Keep trying the best you can to get it right and please your client
-Work smarter, not harder
-Don’t be afraid to charge for my time
-Sometimes you deserve a break, rest, nourishment and praise : you are human after all
Back in April of this year, a lovely lady named Ardith sent me a request through my website asking if I would be able to create a custom dress for her. She was looking for a special little dress to wear for her wedding, but not anything traditional as she is in her 70’s and was long past the fuss of anything traditional in that sense. She wanted an elegant and sophisticated little dress that she could wear again, something that would be flattering, feminine and comfortable for the ceremony.
She sent me some photos of the idea she was looking for: a knee length sheath dress with elbow length sleeves made in lace.
Inspiration Dress 1-the length and shapeInspiration Dress 2-the lace overlayInspiration Dress 3-for color
Of course, I was delighted that she requested my services and got started right away planning out her vision. We set up a consultation meeting, I pulled some pattern ideas and began to look for fabrics that would be suitable for the great little lace dress.
Being physically active with doing many outdoor activities like hiking and paddling (she is on a Dragon Boat racing team here in Portland, OR!), Ardith is in great shape and was very easy to find a pattern and fit it with very few adjustments.
As a usual part of my dressmaking process, we had our first fitting using the tissue paper of the pattern that I thought would be best for this garment. This tissue fitting I used a different pattern than what I ended up using, afterwards realizing that a dress without a waist seam would be best to no break up the lace design.
I searched around and found this New Look sewing pattern that I thought would be a good starting point for her dress. I did a tissue fitting as shown above, as well as a muslin toile to double check for fit which was a super quick session with Ardith and hence, I forgot to get photos of.
New Look 6261 sewing patternThe pattern line drawings for New Look 6261 pattern
I felt this dress was a good match as it has fish eye darts and no waist seam so to have as little interruption to the lace design as possible, the front of the dress would be cut in one piece and the back in two for the zipper opening. The pattern came with elbow length sleeves which was perfect for what she was looking for.
Even better, I had used this same pattern previously to make a dress for myself so I was familiar with the steps to create a lovely little lace sheath dress!
I love how this dress turned out in lace for myself using the same pattern.
Wearing it for a holiday party out with my (then) fiancé!
It happened to be that I was planning a trip to Los Angeles, CA with my husband soon after I met Ardith. We were going to visit his son who lived there, plus the fashion district in LA has plenty of fabric stores to find whatever fabric you could ever dream of.
When it was time to go fabric shopping, I took along my notebook where I had jotted down ideas on what Ardith wanted in her dress, plus a swatch of fabric in a color she liked. She wanted a lace that was not floral (which most laces have some sort of floral pattern), an open design (as opposed to a dense design), a decorative edge, and in a shade of jade green that her fiancé really liked on her.
My notebook!
I shopped and shopped, walking up and down the main street in the fashion district, looking for the perfect fabric for my client. Of course, since she wasn’t there with me, I had to keep in mind all of her wishes and try not to get distracted by all the rest of the wonderful fabric there.
I stopped into Michel Levine fabrics where they have so many beautiful fabrics of all kinds. Cotton, linen, silks, leather, you name it. Most fabrics are displayed on bolts or rolls by category throughout the large store, but they had some lace options displayed in a glass cabinet which caught my eye.
Guipure lace in so many colors!
This was the closest to the green I could find. I know it is blue, but it was a similar jewel tone and a lovely color in itself!
I purchased a 1/8 of a yard large swatch of this color, as well as the coral pink lace that I thought would look really nice on Ardith. I made note of the end of the bolt so that I could call back with an order once I got home if she chose this fabric.
Gorgeous Guipure lace!
As soon as I got back from my trip to California, I arranged a meeting with Ardith to show her what I found. We agreed that although the blue was a nice color, and the other colors available were all pretty, the coral really looked great on her and that was the one for her.
So, I got to work ordering the lace from Michael Levine, and it came pretty promptly which was nice.
Next, we needed to continue shopping for materials for this dress as the lace with the very open pattern needed to have a backing sewn to it for structure in the dress and make it easier to sew the pieces together, and then also a lining as the lace and backing fabric were still quite sheer. We headed to Mill End Store in Milwaukie, OR where they stock an abundance of fabrics suitable for this project. Ardith chose a nice sheer mesh for the backing and another shade of peach for the lining. I had some additional lining at home that would finish off the inside of the dress, so we were all set to go and I could get started cutting out the dress.
Choosing the perfect lining
She wanted to keep the beautiful edge of the lace as the hem of the dress and bottom of the sleeve, so I had to carefully plan out and cut the lace to make sure to do this. It’s not too difficult to do with a simple design like her pattern, plus it saves me from making a hem, so cutting out wasn’t too bad.
The unboxing of the lace!The lace is so pretty! The mesh backing material is practically invisible under the lace.
The most difficult parts of making a dress like this is to make accurate markings in the fabric where seams match and the darts are to be sewn. I used a chalk transfer paper to do this so that the markings would brush off later and not be seen in the final dress. Also, sewing the seams and making them just blend in and not be obvious was another challenge. But with the help of some of my sewing books, I was able to to a little reading up on some of the best ways to sew with lace and achieve nice results.
The mesh backing material is used to create support behind the delicate lace and needed to be sewn to the wrong side of the lace, then the two layers treated as one.
We had a couple of fittings in the final fabric, one which I realized that I needed to have a longer zipper in order for her to easily be able to step into the dress.
Unpicking the stitches to remove the zipper from this lace proved to be quite the challenge, but with patience and good lighting, I was finally able to get the job done.
The final dress turned out better than I imagined!
The perfect little lace dress!
Once this had a good press, the zipper was nearly invisible!
The inside looks great too, although if I were to do it again, I would add a binding edge to the zipper to finish it off nicely and prevent fraying. Next time!
For the final pick up, Ardith brought along her Fiancé Ralph which was really nice. He was just delighted to see her in the dress and grew that much more excited to wed his lovely bride! She looked beautiful and elegant in the dress, the color and the style perfectly suited her and the upcoming occasion. I was SO happy with how it turned out and that I had not only one happy bride, but a pleased fiancé as well!
Congratulations to Ardith and Ralph! May you have a long and loving marriage! I can’t thank you enough for coming to me to make your dream dress come true!
The beautiful bride Ardith!The Newlyweds!Cheers to the happy couple!
I was overjoyed to have been contacted by an acquaintance to create a custom wedding gown for her elegant and opulent wedding happening in October of 2019. Dione is a lovely boss-lady who has a bold sense of fashion and an arresting beauty, so of course, I was super excited to have the opportunity to create something unique for her wedding dress!
We started with ideas, concepts and visions of what she wanted for her gown.
She was going for BIG, BOLD and DRAMATIC!
She shared these images with me for her visions of the gown:
The High/Low hem and embellishments of this dress really caught her eye.She loved the embellishment details of this dress, and the volume of the ballgown
So I got to work right away coming up with concepts that I would be able to create and achieve with the skills that I had.
I made some fashion sketches and shared them with her:
And the fittings began!
I started with this McCalls 7720 sewing pattern for the shape of the bodice, and possibly the skirt too if I could get the fullness:
McCalls 7720 pattern
I ended up just using the bodice of the pattern and draping the skirt.
At first, she wanted to have a tulle underskirt to wear for the wedding ceremony, then take off the underskirt to reveal the underside of the hem and her fabulously shapely legs. Here is a raw version of the dress mocked up in muslin with a tulle skirt underneath for fullness:
I perfected the fit of the bodice easily on her slim torso, so that was easy. It was getting the skirt length, fit and drape just right that was the major challenge:
Here she is, in the dress, cut in the satin, pinned up to make the hemline as we wantedPlacing the motifs with the tulle underneathAnd with a couple of the fancy gold trim motif’s pinned to the front.And more trim…
At the next fitting, I had pinned the gold trim all around the skirt and we tried this on for fun (meanwhile, we were moving into a new house, was planning our own wedding, and I was making my own dress, so please excuse the chaos of my sewing room):
Nice, but we weren’t happy with the back length at all so I kinda had to start over.
OK so fast forward, I was starting to admire my work as I worked late into the night up in my new sewing loft. I had a bodice, a skirt, and it was starting to look like a real wedding gown.
Playing with the pleat formation
Once we had the shape decided, I started the tedious task of sewing on all of the gold trim on, one motif at a time, with this annoying, yet beautiful, gold metallic thread. I was married by now, so I could put the making of MY dress out of my head and focus on Di’s dress:
Then, it was on to sewing the lining to the outside of the dress, all by hand:
Can’t lie, this was tedious…
Finally, the dress was done and ready for the final fitting! (Again, please excuse the pile of junk shoved in the corner, I was BUSY!)
Get ready for chills up your spine….
Photo: Dina Chmut PhotographyI can’t…SO HOT!!! Photo: Dina Chmut PhotographySums it all up: BAD-ASS BEAUTY! Photo: Dina Chmut PhotographyWith her handsome groom Howard, LOVE! Photo: Dina Chmut PhotographyThose legs go on for miles! Photo: Dina Chmut PhotographyYESSS!!!! Photo: Dina Chmut Photography
We had a BLAST at the wedding! It was a a huge, black tie event, so of course I had to throw together another dress to wear to it as the official dressmaker to the bride!
I just threw this together in a few days to wear to the wedding, no biggie..Ready to go!We were honored to attend the grand affair!
What an honor it was to create such a special gown for Dione! She was a lot of fun to work with and so great to get to know better. I loved EVERY minute of the process (ok, maybe not the hand sewing part) and am delighted to have had the opportunity.
Ode to Sew 