Wedding Dress: The Inspiration

I spent the weekend before last beginning the work on my wedding dress and I'll continue to work on it this weekend, so I thought I start to show you what's going on. This post will be about my inspiration for my dress and the next few posts will show you "the plan" and the beginnings of the process.

From the beginning I knew I wanted a short dress for several reasons.

One, the style of the wedding will be pretty casual and the reception will be outdoors in hot Texas so I knew a ballgown wouldn't really work.

Two, I'm a pretty simple girl who doesn't wear a lot of jewelry or like a lot of embellishments or accessories, etc and because I was planning on making the dress myself, I didn't want to attempt something super elaborate with a bustle or detailed beading or anything that would be really complicated and not feel like me anyway.

PS The guiding principle of all my wedding planning thus far has been "does it feel like me?" Is this a slightly fancier, white version of a dress I would wear to a party? Is this the kind of food I would serve if I was having people over for dinner? Does this look similar to the style my house is decorated in? etc. It makes trimming down all the options a lot easier!

Three, the fiance and I love to dance and we would both be annoyed by tripping over a long dress.

Four, I love shoes and I bought fabulous ones for the wedding and I don't want to hide them under a huge skirt.

So it's a short dress for me, and a strapless one. (again because of the heat factor)


The only thing I'm still slightly undecided about is the drape of the bodice. I'm planning on using a bodice pattern with a sweetheart neckline and draping lace over it (more on the lace in my next post), but I'm not sure how exactly I want it to look. Here are some ideas...


So that's the inspiration! We'll see how it works out!

All images from this pinterest board

2013 Planning

First of all, Happy New Year! 2012 was a big year for me and contained a lot of the major milestones in life (aka buying my first car, getting engaged, starting a new job and moving in with my fiance), but I feel like 2013 will be even bigger!

My sewing room is officially unpacked and I actually started sewing a dress Tuesday night, the first thing I had worked on in at least 2 months. I can't believe I went that long without working on a sewing project, it had been so long that I was going through serious withdrawls. Anyway, I'm back in the saddle and planning my sewing goals for this year. Without further ado, here are my 5 sewing goals for 2013.

1. Make my wedding dress.

I'm actually starting this project tomorrow! I'm really excited to make my dress and so far I really don't have any anxiety about it, although anytime I tell someone I'm making my dress they act like I've completely lost my mind. These are some inspiration pictures but I'm planning a full post to explain what look I'm going for and get everyone's advice/approval on the methods I'm planning on using.


2. Try some new independent pattern companies.

Specifically Papercut and Deer and Doe. I helped proofread the English version of one of Deer and Does patterns, so now I'm even more excited to try them! Below are the ones I want to order first.



3. Actually make the jackets/coats I was planning to in 2012.

I had grand plans of making the Lady Grey, the Anise and Gertie's Starlet Suit Jacket last fall. I even bought all the shell materials, lining, interfacings and tailoring supplies but between switching jobs, moving and general laziness I never got around to it. I'm obsessed with learning to hand tailor so I want to start these jackets right now, even though by the time I finish one jacket it will probably be so hot in Texas I'll barely want to wear anything more than a bathing suit.



4. Expand my pants wardrobe.

I've made 2 versions of the Clover pants and I have one more cut out but I'd like try out a few other pants patterns this year. First, I'm in love with Sunni's coral Burda pants! I've had that pattern for a while and I've always wanted to attempt it so her version has definitely motivated me to pull it out. Also, I'd love to make a pair of Juniper trousers in a pretty grey linen I could wear in the spring and fall.

5. Make something with leather.

I'm really excited about this goal because I just found out (thanks to my mom and dad) that the best leather store in town is just a few blocks from my house! I visited it for the first time the other day and bought 2 gorgeous skeins that I can't wait to work with. I'm thinking something simple initially, like this clutch, then hopefully I can build up my skills to something more intricate!


I've spent the last few days reading everyone else's resolutions and I must say, I think 2013 is going to be a great year for sewing!

All images from my Pinterest.