Now that October has arrived, my thoughts (and hands) are beginning to reach for wool yarns and knitting. But before I turn my back on summer sewing entirely, I want to share a couple of sewing projects that I made in my role as matron of honor for a dear friend whose wedding was over Labor Day weekend.
My handmade contributions to the wedding were modest—just a dress for myself and some ringbearer pillows–but since they were for a once-in-a-lifetime event, I tried to be attentive to the details.
First, the pillows: I made three, in spite of the fact that there were but two rings involved in this wedding, because the bride wanted to include all three of her dapper little nephews in the ceremony. I kept the pillows simple–just squares with a single pleat across the top and a satin-covered button in the center to which a little tie is attached. The pillows were made entirely from the ivory satin of the bride’s mother’s wedding dress train. They became a special element of remembrance for the bride’s mother, no longer with us, and I was honored to contribute my refashioning skills to their creation.
Because my friend the bride is both a great sport AND a generous person, she applauded my idea that I make my dress for her wedding. I was given complete liberty in selecting both color and design, and (although after first being paralyzed by choice) I settled on a pattern (ElaineMay’s Coffee Date Dress, which I first practiced making with other fabric) and a color combination of rich blue and mossy green.
I found both fabrics—blue wool satin for the dress, and mossy silk dupioni for the sash—at New York Elegant Fabrics, a huge place on 40th. And for the record, I altered the Coffee Date Dress pattern in just a few ways: I changed the placement of the zipper to the left side seam; I made a full lining of a thin navy cotton; and I stitched down the lower edges of the rows of ruffles across the chest (loosely and invisibly, from beneath). By anchoring their edges, the ruffles never failed to maintain their proper drape throughout the entire day, and therefore caused me no fuss or distraction.
The wedding was a beautiful and memorable one; and I was honored to have my small crafty part in it.
I love this gorgeous dress! You make complicated sewing look so simple and swanky.
The pillows looked great and the dress is so cute! You’re such a great friend! I did the same thing for my sister in law’s wedding, using her mother’s wedding dress. I was able to use my mother’s dress and the MIL’s dress for all three girl’s christening outfits also. It was a great meditation for me, thinking of those grandmas that we miss so much while making all those things.