A Wedding Blog Party...

If you're here for the
BLOGGERETTE SORORITY EVENT
please click here.

Today I'm participating in the Wedding Blog Party,

hosted by Stephanie at Angelic Accents.
Our only guideline is that it be romantic or wedding-related.

My regular followers know that I recently completed
a wedding gown for my mum's April beach wedding,
but if you're new to Brynwood, I'd like to share my favorite
photograph from her big day:
Our family has known Burt for over 45 years.
It was a match made in Heaven, and their celebration was perfect
and I was honored to make the gown she wore for her special day.
You can click here, if you'd like to see the entire wedding album.
In 2008, my eldest niece (who is also my goddaughter)
was married. I made her gown, the attendant's dresses
and the cummerbund for her husband and his son,
who she has now adopted.

In March of this year, she gave birth to their second son.
I made his christening gown from the surplus fabric
I'd purchased for her gown. (I'd planned ahead, knowing
that they wanted to have more children together.)
You can click here to see their entire wedding album,
from choosing the fabric, to Handsome and me
dancing at their reception. I've even included a photo
of their new son and his finished christening gown,
which I am hand delivering to them this weekend.
I couldn't do a romantic post without sharing my wedding
photograph to Handsome. It was 60º on December 29th
in Wisconsin!! (Yes, it was a record heat wave in 1984.)
We celebrated our 25th anniversary last December,
and I'm as crazy about this man now as the day I met him.
(It was love at first sight...really!)
In the words of the vicar in The Princess Bride,
"If it's Wuv...Twoo Wuv."

I hope you enjoyed my romantic post today,
and that you get a chance to visit the other participants
in The Wedding Blog Party.

May your days also be filled with love and happiness.

A Travel Day For Some...

(photograph taken by a professional gallery in MN)
My loving brother, Lydell and his family...
wife, Jennifer and sons, Lydell III and Westyn.

Yesterday was a travel day for them. They had to be at Ft. Myers airport
by 1:30 to turn in their rental car - and then wait until 6 pm to board
a flight back to Minnesota. A long day for them, to be sure.

It was so wonderful to have them here in Florida for Mum and Burt's
beautiful beach wedding. We were able to visit and spend time together.
Handsome and I were able to see what thoughtful and remarkable
sons my brother and sister-in-love have raised. We're blessed, for sure.

Tears were shed when they left. We miss them already.
It's hard when there is fifteen hundred miles between our homes.

Sunday was a day of travel for them...and a day of rest for us.
Mum and Burt are at their beach cottage,
all the rest of our family has returned to their homes and
Handsome, Kes and I are home together.
Today, I'll be spending some time in the studio and
I'll have some new things to share with you very soon.
I've added a Flickr album to share more wedding photos with you.
Just click HERE to see them.

Sweet Love...

The groom's first look at his bride.

He started to cry.
This wedding gown was especially sweet to make.
How often does a daughter get the privilege
of making a wedding gown for her mother?
The bride is my mum! The groom is Burt.
He and my mum have been friends for about forty five years.
Our families spent many hours together when we were growing up.
I went to school with his daughter...and she and I moved in
together when we got our first apartment...and our second.
Now, she's my sister!
The weather was perfect.
Our family is now larger.
Love after forty five years leading to marriage to a good and dear friend.
That's Sweet Love!
Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Burton Rentmeister
With Love From Your Family.

Click HERE to see more of the wedding photos in my Flickr Album.

Silk Rose Tutorial...

So, I admit it. As Madelyn Kahn said in Blazing Saddles,
"I'mmmm tireddd".
It's been an exciting week, and tomorrow is the big day,
but a promise is a promise...

I promised a silk rose tutorial for you. Yesterday, I photographed my process for you, but soon I'll do a video tutorial which will help anyone who has trouble with my photo version.

All you have to do is click on the photo to go to my Flickr album tutorial.
Please comment if you have any questions or need any clarification.

Today is the big day!
It's my brother's 51st birthday...
our daughter-in-law, Jessica's birthday,
(of course, I won't give away her age!)
and also
We're celebrating a beach wedding today!!!

If you come back tomorrow, I'll share photos
of the bride and groom, some of the festivities,
as well as family and friends who
are here to honor and bless their union.

Happy Birthday, Lydell and Jessica!!!

Wedding Gown Accomplished...

The result of two round trips to Tampa, approximately sixty hours, and endless moments spent thinking about how I wanted this gown to look, and now it's finished. (With the exception of elastic in the sleeves and hemming the gown - both of which occur when the bride tries it on
for her final fitting.)

Thoroughly feminine, a bit ethereal, and completely perfect for this bride.

After discussion with the bride, I'm sewing the train to the gown,
instead of making it detachable. She wants to carry it over her arm
when it's not down and trailing behind her. I think that will be pretty.

I thought of my blog pal, Maggie (whose alter ego is Miss Pearl) the
entire time I sewed all those pearl motifs to the train and to the gown.
Even though it's purchased trim, I felt there were too many opportunities
for pearls to loosen and fall off, so I reinforced all of them on the bodice.

I think having just this motif arrangement on the bodice is really elegant.

And then, in a flash of inspiration, I decided that one motif
at the top of the zipper would hide the pull,
and add another beautiful touch at the same time.

There you have it.
• One finished wedding gown.
• One huge sigh of relief and sense of accomplishment.
• One bride who will wear it in two Saturdays
as she marries her Mr. Dreamboat.
I promise you loads of photographs from the wedding!

Sometimes, You Need To Be Flexible...

I don't mean like Mary Lou Retten. I mean, flexible in one's thinking.

Here's a perfect example. Last week, I showed you the wedding gown fabric and trim. It wasn't just any ol' trim. It was the "perfect" trim. Yes. Until Tuesday.

I told you I made the four hour round trip back to Tampa to purchase more fabric. I didn't run out. I made a mistake, and then I ran out. (I know. Gasp! I made a "mistake". giggle) I actually made all those scrumptious silk charmeuse roses with just enough fabric to make sleeves...until I had to make sleeves...and fix a mistake on the bodice lining. Rats! Not enough fabric to do both! So, back to Tampa I went.

I looked at that yummy train with those roses, and using the sparkly trim just didn't seem appropriate anymore. I needed something more elegant. What I found was theee. most. elegant. trim. Pearls. Beach-theme wedding. Pearls. Perfect! No, this time, the trim really was perfect! So, I purchased more fabric and this trim and headed back home.
Yesterday, I fixed the bodice lining, installed the zipper and finished the inside of the dress. Then, I spent hours stitching TPT (The Perfect Trim) to the bottom of the train (shown in these photos). After that, I cut and pieced some of the trim to stitch to the front of the gown. I worked for nearly twelve hours yesterday and really needed to stop for a while. I'm so close to being finished, but not close enough to show you the final photos.

Today, I'll finish trimming out the front, and then add a little trim to the sleeves and attach the train to the back of the gown. The only task that will be left is hemming, which I'll do after the bride puts the gown on for her final fitting early next week. I promise gown photos for you tomorrow. So, tell me. Do you agree? Isn't this TPT?

Almost Like Project Runway...

Making a wedding gown without a proper pattern can be a little daunting. Especially when one is cutting fabric as beautiful and lush as silk charmeuse. But, my friends, that's what I'm doing. I'm making this gown, customized for the bride, without a pattern.
I began by draping and manipulating the fabric. Then, I pinned, cut and began sewing. In the first two photographs, you can see that I'd already completed the shaping and sewing for the bodice, and I'd also completed all the gathering and sewing for the skirt. Then I pinned bodice and skirt pieces together so that I could see how the fabric would drape. (There was some "unsewing" and rework involved, too!)
Yesterday, after all the adjusting, checking and re-checking (and a little lip-chewing), I finally sewed the bodice and skirt together. I haven't done the finish work on the seam for the empire waist yet, but I'll do that today. I'm finishing most of the seams as French seams, which conceal all the raw edges, but the bodice seam will be given a different treatment.

I attached the lining for the bodice so that once the seams are trimmed and the lining is sewn down, the inside of the bodice will look as nice as the outside. Trimming will also help the seams lay nicely for a flattering fit.
The gown will have 3/4 length sleeves, which I'll be cutting, sewing and attaching today. Then, just for fun, I pinned some of the trim to the neckline so I could see what it's going to look like. I've decided to put this trim on the neckline and on the seam for the empire waist. It will all be attached by hand, instead of using my sewing machine, for a finer finish.

What do you think of it so far? I wasn't kidding.
It's almost like Project Runway!

At Last...

I traveled to Tampa yesterday in search of the perfect fabrics and trims for the wedding gown I'm making. As soon as I saw this gorgeous, milky white silk charmeuse, I knew I'd found what I was looking for. Charmeuse will be the main fabric for this gown. It has a beautiful drape, with the right amount of "lilt" to make it float when the bride walks. The fabric is lightweight., extremely soft and has just a tiny bit if sheen. Then I ordered chiffon for the train, which I'll have in a few days.

Lastly, I needed the adornments. You know how it is. You search through piles and piles, but then you see it, and there's just no doubt. I found it! A beautiful trim that will embellish the bodice of the gown. It's subtle and elegant and will be hand-stitched to the fabric after the gown is put together. There's just enough sparkle to mimic the glint in the eyes of the groom...the shimmer of the ocean at sunset...the perfect time of day for a beach wedding. At last...

Daytime Seamstress/Nighttime Knitter...

If you look at my list of "Lofty Goals for 2010", you'll see that one of my goals is to finish my current, albeit small, pile of UFOs (UnFinished Objects). This is a project that has been on the back burner for a while, but I'm happy to be back at it now.

I usually knit at night when Handsome and I watch a little television together. I started this project right after Christmas last year, and picked it up a couple of nights ago, after I finished the Beads on the Beach clutch. I finished the front and back so far. Two three-quarter length sleeves to knit up, and then I'll be ready to sew it all together. After it's assembled, I'll block it and I'm hoping to have it all done by the weekend. At this rate, I'll be wearing it next week!

For those of you who knit...the yarn is 100% Egyptian cotton called King Tut. For those of you who don't knit...it's soft, breathable and has a great drape to it. I'll actually be able to wear it all summer because it's cotton. I also love the mint color of the yarn. Before I know it, I'll be able to check another UFO off my list! yippee!
Today, I'm on my way to Tampa to the bridal fabric shops. I'll be choosing the materials to make the wedding gown on my list. I'll be sharing progress on that all next week for you. I'm looking forward to getting started.

Hmmmm...Looks like I'll be sewing during the day and knitting at night. It's a good thing that all these things are fun and relaxing for me. Otherwise, it might start to feel like work!

Just in case you want to follow my progress on my list..."Lofty Goals for 2010" is located at the top of my blog in my menu bar. I'll mark off my projects as I complete them.

A Gift To Dream On...

I was in Michael's last week and came across this beautiful book box. It was exactly what I was looking for! (Remember, I told you a couple of days ago that I'm the wedding planner for an upcoming wedding.) I wanted to give this new bride a collage of colors and items that I'm planning to use for her wedding to her Mr. Dreamboat. This bride is wonderful as she's leaving all the planning in my hands. How often does that happen?

I love the sentiment on the front of the book box. It says, "True Love is a friendship set on fire". Perfect words for this couple as they've only known each other forever. The theme for their wedding is "At Last".
When they open the box, they'll see my vision for their special day. A beach wedding in colors of the sky and sea. White and aqua ribbon roses, sparkling gems to mimic the shimmer of the ocean - and the love light in their eyes, the fabric for their attendant's dress, and seashells that will be the theme for their dinner table. The bride's dress is going to be flowing layers of white organza or chiffon, accented with ribbon roses (which I really love creating!). I'm going shopping for the fabric very soon. The wedding is April 17th, so there'll be no dawdling on this project.

Between now and their wedding day, I hope the bride and Mr. Dreamboat love this gift to dream on.

If you're new to my blog, you can always click on my photos to enlarge them. I will be posting photos of the dresses and wedding, as they're available, for you to see!