I used the bodice from one pattern, the skirt from a second and the train of the dress from a third. No easy task as they were all different pattern companies. Yes, I got it done. She looked beautiful and even more importantly, it was exactly what she wanted and she was thrilled with it! This coming from the girl that refused to allow me to make any of her homecoming or prom dresses was huge!
The reason she never wanted me to make any of her formal dresses? She didn't want them to look home made. :'( Really? Okay, so a few years passed between her high school days to her wedding day and she realized that just because it was "home made" didn't mean it had to look like it. I'm glad she trusted me with the job!
So, now that I have a young lady wanting to learn some fashion construction tips I have to think back to some of my first sewing projects from 4-H. One of my first sewing projects for the "review" was an elastic banded, light blue gingham skirt. It was very 1970's! Haha... I looked deep in the crawlspace for a photo, but no luck! Your loss ;)
While deep into the crawlspace I did locate my
Beginning Clothing book from 4-H!
There are a number of projects that are perfect for beginning sewers... a draw-string bag (I remember using one I made for a gym bag... made out of pink hand towels), a skirt, a tote bag, a poncho and an apron. (I still have the apron... our girls spent numerous hours playing "restrump" {their pronunciation for restaurant} and be waitresses.)
All very good ideas... I believe I will meet with Brenna and see what project she would like to start with and then we will need to go shopping for fabric and notions!
Fun stuff!
What sort of projects would you suggest for someone interested in fashion design?
And don't forget!... Week one of the New Quilt Bloggers blog hop is still going on! There are many wonderful prizes available, so be sure to visit all of the links below. =D
Just click on the links given below...
Amanda at Gypsy Moon Quilt Co.
Paige at Quilted Blooms
Tish at Tish N Wonderland
Many thanks to Yvonne at Quilting Jet Girl, Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs and Stephanie at Late Night Quilter for coordinating the blog hop and making arrangements for some amazing prizes!
Be blessed ~ Happy Sewing!
Melva
Stop by Quilter Blogs to see what other quilters are talking about...
I think you've mentioned most of the first things I ever sewed except maybe shorts with an elastic waistband. I would recommend looking for commercial patterns marked simple. I loved spending time in the fabric store, browsing through all the pattern catalogs, and dreaming of what to make. My mother helped by guiding me towards doable projects so I wasn't overwhelmed and I'm very thankful she did that.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder Jennifer. I do plan to help her make a pair of elastic waisted shorts or pajama pants. :)
DeleteThose are exactly the sorts of beginner projects I started with as well. Skirts are definitely a good place to start. I still tremble at the thought of zips and don't even mention collars! All the best with the lessons!
ReplyDeleteHaha! Zippers are awful! And the thing I was reminded of (again) was that the reason I love quilting is that you don't have to worry about "a perfect fit".
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