Wedding Fever (Part 2)--The Dress (and everything else!)

The Girls:

No. I didn’t sew my own dress.

There it is, all out there on the table for us. So many people asked about this, especially since I’d already done my sister’s prom dress so recently. I won’t lie, I did consider it. To be totally honest though, I didn’t have the time to sew it and I was okay with purchasing one. I got lucky and found mine in one trip to David’s Bridal!

Going into the store I’d already done lots of “Pinteresting” with my mom and sister and had a clear idea of what I wanted. (Fun fact, you can create shared boards that other people can pin to, and you can make boards ‘secret’ so family/future husbands can’t see what you’re up to! LOL) I told the lady what I wanted and she pulled nearly a dozen dresses that fit my requirements. While I was in the changing room, my mom added a dress to the stack that didn’t fit any of my ‘requirements.’ ….yeah, you already know where I’m going with this. Magic Mom Wand up to secret shenanigans again.

I have to say, I looked pretty good in the dress I “didn’t want” if I do say so myself….

LOL the "mom is right again!" face

 I wore purple flats with the dress to match my wedding colors (I don’t know where the ‘rule’ of wearing heels came from but I prefer flats anyway and because of the date of our wedding walking on ice was possibility).

Mine and my sister's shoes

My “something blue” were my toenails! Lovely, right? haha

I also wore this pretty fur stole with the dress because it was a little chilly.

My jewelry was limited to a pretty bracelet from Charming Charlie’s, simple stud earrings, and this beautiful Brighton necklace my parents bought me for Christmas that matched my wedding colors.







 My veil is my ’something old’ and is a remake of the veil my mom had on her hat at her wedding in 1986 and will be making another debut at my sister’s wedding, too! :)

I was going for a cabin/wintery look and also requested pine cones and pine boughs to be added to my bouquet and the boutonnieres, a touch I LOVED. When my mom called the same florist about a year later to ask her to do my sister’s bouquet she said to the other employee, “Yeah you remember this one, her sister was the one that wanted pine cones!” LOL at least I was memorable! 











My sister wore this beautiful dress that’s actually a prom dress! I didn’t have many requirements for her dress with one exception: it had to be full length! There was a chance that we could experience freezing temps during the wedding so we were prepared to layer our little Florida legs with lined tights should the need arise!







Her main requirement for her outfit was no heels, which was fine by me! (She’s already taller than me!) She wore the same pair of shoes as me in a beautiful gray color. The shoes came from Charming Charlie’s which is actually a jewelry store. Unfortunately their range of sizes is rather limited and they didn’t sell her size in a “wide.’ After using every Pinterest hack in the book for stretching her shoe we discovered a pool ball will do the trick! It was still tight though so at the Florida reception she wore a pair of sandals.

Her dress also had pine cones and pine boughs with pretty lavender flowers.

We also joked around that the bride did all of her own hair and makeup but the Maid of Honor was the one getting ‘pampered.’

Haha, I did her hair and my mom did her makeup!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Guys:

Eric with his brother and Best Man (right).

When I talked to Eric about the wedding colors I originally wanted red, his least favorite color. He’s a gentleman though and said I could do whatever I wanted as long as he didn’t have to wear it himself because “redheads DON’T wear red!” I did stay with red for a while until I realize that red and white, in the winter, in a cabin, with fur, gave us a little bit of a “Mr. and Mrs. Claus” look….back to the drawing board. I knew for sure I didn’t want a pastel and we arrived on a beautiful deep shade of purple instead, which showed in the Best Man’s tie. The preacher also had a matching tie, which was just a cool coincidence! My dad also wore a dark purple tie and Eric wore a gray tie. He also did his own hair, and did a wonderful job :) hehe.


He's warned me that I better not spend too much time on just him so I'll try and keep it short and sweet. :)

This picture of just him is easily one of my favorites. :) I joke that this is his 'sultry' look.

The Parents: 

And last but not least, the parents of the bride...

 And the groom....

Hope you enjoyed! :)

Chevron Maxi Skirt

Can I just jump right in here and say that maxi skirts might be my absolute favorite piece of clothing in the world? Seriously, the right maxi is like the yoga pant of the 'fancy' world. I have great (but likely misguided) confidence that it will never go out of style, but either way, I'm going to enjoy it as long as possible.

The hardest part of shopping for a maxi is finding one the right length. Out of LOTS that I've tried on, only about 2 actually fit well without alterations. Luckily, they're super easy to make. :) I like using this tutorial for circle skirts a lot in general, because it doesn't require a pattern, just measurements and (relatively) simple math. For the maxi length I follow the 'quarter' instructions. This is perfect because it's not too full or too straight, and doesn't use a ton of fabric.

Even following these instruction, I add length to my measurements because it's MUCH easier to hem shorter, than try to add later. Another secret I learned when I hem anything by myself, is to use another piece of clothing as a guide. Basically, complete everything EXCEPT the hem, then get a similar garment that you like the length of and use it as a template. This is how I do dresses, skirts, pants, etc. to get the perfect fit, and do it without help. The most important thing is making sure the fit is similar. (For example, don't use a high-waisted pant to hem a low-rise)

I've been drooling over this fabric over at Hobby Lobby for a few months now, but it was a little expensive for me. I was so excited when I happened to stumble over it in the clearance bin last Friday! It's actually a plain stripe, not chevron, so I bought two yards so I had some leeway when creating the chevron. It drives me crazy if the stripes don't match and I was thankful I went ahead and grabbed two yards, I needed it! I also love that it's a stretch knit so I didn't have to bother with a closure.

Now, I told you I used the quarter pattern, but that's only partially true. Following this pattern would result in one, continuous piece of fabric. In order to create the chevron, I needed four separate panels, so I used a different maxi dress as the pattern. (The other dress was made using the link I provided) I folded the skirt part into fourths, and pinned it to use as a pattern template. I carefully noted where the center seam would be, and then used a quilting ruler to place that seam at a 45 degree angle to the stripes, also ensuring the chevrons would point down. I cut out two pieces at a time (fabric was right side together) and was also very careful to match the stripes up while the fabric was folded, and when cutting the second time. After cutting, I seamed the center seams and side seams, added a 6 inch piece of elastic in the back, finished the top, and added a blind hem in the bottom. I'm considering taking the hem up just a tad more, but overall I'm really pleased with the result. :) 

It only took about an hour, and wouldn't have taken that long had I not spent 15 minutes trying to figure out how to fold the fabric. (Use a stripped piece of notebook paper and do a "practice" run if you're nervous.) I was able to wear it to church the next day, and it must have looked good because even though Eric didn't really like the fabric in the store, he complimented me on it several times. :) I hope you feel inspired and find my tips are helpful. Have a great week!

~Farm Girl Teacher

P.S. Thanks to my wonderful photographer/mother for braving the gnats for me! :D

Formal Wear: Adjusting the Fit

I'm so excited about this formal wear series, inspired by my experience sewing my sister's prom dress! Check it out, here, if you haven't seen it yet. Please let me know if you have any special requests. :)

Ah, you're in the final stages, you just successfully inserted a zipper you never want to lay hands on again, and despite all your careful measuring and practice runs....it doesn't fit quite right. Well, looks like you're going to have to start over! KIDDING! You can fix it, don't panic!

Now, it's easier to fix something that's too large than too small, but I will do my best to help.

Too Small:
1. Restitch all the seams in the area that is too small as close to the edge of the seam allowance as you can get, then rip out the original seam. This can give you up to an inch and a half depending on how big your seam allowance was.  
2. Rip out the side seams and add in additional fabric. This isn't the most attractive option, but you may be able to use contrasting fabric to make it look like a cool color blocking. You can also do this on a back or front seam and add a faux placket to hide the extra fabric added. 
3. Allow it to "ride down with wear" (bonus points: name that quote!) On one of my favorite comedic TV shows, the employees of this department store used this phrase, or variations of it, to convince customers to buy their sub-par merchandise. In one of my favorite episodes, one of the characters pushes his knee into an armhole that is too tight to pop a few stitch and make it more comfortable for the customer. The result on TV wasn't as effective, but it's actually not a bad idea. I've done it on a few of my own things that are just a tad too tight. Be cautious though, and don't pop too many stitches! 

Too Large: 
1. Take it in. The easiest way to do this is to put on the garment inside out, pin where you want a tighter seam, take it off and sew. Easy! I would suggest doing both sides as equally as possible to avoid lopsided-ness. 
2. Increase the size of darts or tucks...or add in new darts/tucks altogehter. 
3. Belt it. This is kind of the cheater way, but a good temporary fix if you don't anticipate staying the size you are, of ir you don't have time to sew. 

Too Droopy:
I have this problem in the neckline all the time! I usually just tighten the straps/sleeves (place on inside out, pin, sew) or add a few extra darts in the top of the neckline on the back of the garment. Sometimes it's not really droopy, just low cut, so I add an extra button or only wear it with a cami.

Too Long:
Trim it when you hem it. If you're hemming by yourself, use a similar garment you already like the length of to hem the new one. When people ask me to hem pants for them, I ask them to also give me a pair they like. Hold it up, measure, and we're good to go. If you're really in a hurry, go for a casual rolled look, or use iron on hem tape. (Which my mom swears by!)

Too Short:
Again, it's harder to add than take away but I'll try and help. 
1. Add an extra panel on the bottom. You can add a contrast color to make it look intentional or another panel of the same fabric. A trim, such as lace, is also a good option.
2. If you don't already have one, add a waist. Take the dress apart in the area where the bodice and skirt connect and add an additional panel. Again, contrast the colors or match it, your choice. 
3. Rethink the final look. Maybe consider wearing shorter heels, shorten it from a maxi length to a cocktail length, or add tights/leggings. For sleeves consider going from long sleeve to three quarter, three quarter, to cap, cap to strap, etc. If it's pants go from long to cropped, cropped to capri, capri to Bermuda, or Bermuda to shorty. Sometimes you can also lop off a bunch of fabric and just wear it as a top instead of a dress, or wear it as a bathing suit cover up where it's more socially acceptable for it to be too short. 
4. Use my awesome alteration tips to pass it down to someone smaller.    :D

What other tips do you have? Let us know what works, it's never fun to be stuck in a situation like this! 

~Farm Girl Teacher 

Formal Wear: The Zipper (eek!) My Special Technique!

I'm so excited about this formal wear series, inspired by my experience sewing my sister's prom dress! Check it out, here, if you haven't seen it yet. Please let me know if you have any special requests. :)

So, you've gotten almost all of the main portions of the dress done, and now you're on to the last few steps....I've gotten so many emails about this topic, hopefully I can shed some light...

Please note: I have always used invisible zippers and rarely branch out from this. I know not everyone is fan of this style of zipper, but I have never had one split, even under serious strain, and I don't find them more difficult to insert. This method will work on a traditional zipper and will hide it similar to the way an invisible one his hidden. If you want the zipper to be exposed I would suggest inserting it the traditional way. Also, I did come up with this on my own, but someone else out there probably invented it first, I'm not claiming to be too special. :D

The only shot I have pre-zipper insertion. I actually wound up redoing the bodice after realizing there was about a 6 inch are that was too small. :( Luckily I caught it before inserting the zipper and version #2 looked better anyway.

What makes your technique special?
Let me tell you my story first. You guys know I love to talk, so I apologize in advance if I drag on a bit. ;) I love showing off my handmade clothes, but when I say to friends, "Thanks, I made this!" the first thing they do (especially fellow seamstresses!) is check the zipper. Sound funny? lol I do it to other people too. It's one of the more complicated pieces of a garment and speaks to your talents and attention to detail. It was also one of the things I struggled with constantly before developing the technique I'm going to share with you. Believe it or not, I hated inserting zippers. I would get almost all the way done with something and set it aside for weeks because I didn't want to ruin it attempting to put in a zipper. Usually it wound up in the hands of my mother or grandmother six months later, and while it looked great, I was also just a tad bit ashamed that I had chickened out, once again. I actually had NIGHTMARES about inserting zippers. Dramatic? Yes, so I eventually decided I was going to conquer my fears the summer of 2013! (I know, only a year ago! See, I'm not a zipper god, you can do it too!) I wanted to make new clothes to begin my first year of teaching since my wardrobe had dwindled to shorts/jeans paired with a t-shirt during my college years, but that also meant mastering the zipper. I sort of developed this technique as a 'gateway' if you will, into legit zipper insertion. My mother did NOT teach me this....and thought it was a little ridiculous since it is extra work...BUT it also allowed me to successfully insert zippers for the first time, ever! I have never had to totally rip out a zipper using this method! (I do often make minor adjustments, more on that later!) I did this technique for a long time, until slowly I stopped doing it as much. My confidence grew, and I slowly weaned myself off this method and did it the 'legit' way without fear! That being said, I do occasionally revert back if I'm using expensive fabric, inserting into many layers of fabric, or if my fear gets the better of me...all three of course applied to Miranda's prom dress. :)

Should I practice first? 
Is this your absolute first time inserting a hem? Probably. Done it before, but not well? Maybe. If you already made a toile (tutorial, here) it's not a bad idea to also buy a cheap zipper of the correct size to practice. You may also want to keep a cheap zipper on hand that you can rip out and practice inserting on different toiles, types of fabric, etc. I have a zipper I use specifically for this purpose. I bought it on sale only to realize it doesn't zip smoothly so I saved it and use it on rough drafts and practice. Most of the time, inserting a practice zipper allows me to better check the fit, and sometimes I use it to practice sewing a zipper to a specific type of fabric. (With thicker fabric, like denim or leather, it's important to check that your needle is strong enough to handle all of the layers)

If this is your first one I recommend practicing on a skirt. The zipper is usually shorter (7-9 inches) and you don't feel as though you've put as many hours of work into a skirt. I also recommend that you don't get too attached to the skirt....you know, just in case. :D

 When do I insert the zipper?
I get this question a lot! I don't read written patterns nearly as much a I probably should, either because I've dramatically altered the pattern, or because I can easily see how to construct the pieces without instructions. I'm pretty sure most patterns will say to insert the zipper, then the hem as the last two steps, without mentioning how to adjust fit. 
Here's what I do...I complete everything except the zipper/hem. I try the garment on the actual person (don't rely on the dress form!) to see that it mostly fits. I make minor adjustments as needed before inserting the zipper. Often, this means adjusting the straps/sleeves because the neckline is hanging too low. I also make sure that it's not too small, there's no point in doing a zipper if it's too small to begin with, it's much better to insert it knowing it's a bit too big than to insert it hoping that will somehow add a few inches. (and yes, I have done that, doesn't work!) After the zipper has been inserted, I go back and take it in where I need to. (I will explain how to adjust fit in the next post.) I always wait and do the hem last because making sure it fits well on top, and has a working zipper, allows you to better adjust the length of the hem, and means you're more likely to get a straight hem. 

Where do I insert the zipper?
The pattern should tell you, it's almost always in the back seam or in the side seam. Back is more common, but if the pattern doesn't have a back seam, or has a special back detail, it will go in the side. (Both of these applied to Miranda's.) The zipper will hide a bit better in the side seam and is easier to zip, but depending on the neckline/sleeve styles it can also be a tad more challenging to wriggle into. Generally speaking, I follow the pattern, unless I've made major changes and need to move the zipper. For skirts, I almost always put the zipper on the side. It rarely changes the appearance of the skirt and makes it easier to dress.

 Tutorial:   
Okay, I'll quit babbling now and get to the actual tutorial. For my seasoned veterans I will repeat, this is a bit more work than the 'traditional' way, however I feel that in the long run it saved me time when I was learning to insert zippers because the 'traditional' way also meant ripping it out three times. Also, the pictures I took of me doing this on the actual prom dress were lost when my SD card was damaged so I re-shot them on a dress I'm working on now. The bottom layer is a plain white cotton and it has a sheer and somewhat delicate, yet bulky, overlay. 

Materials:
- Matching zipper (skirts/pants are usually 7-9 inches, dresses are around 22)
- Garment
- Strong, matching thread. (I ditched the silky thread I used on everything else in lieu of a more sturdy thread for the zipper.)
- Any contrasting thread. 
- Zipper foot--this is really not optional, a regular presser foot will only give you a headache and an ugly zipper, if you don't already have one, invest! (It will be worth it, I promise!) If you're insistent on using the regular foot, adjust the needle position so it is either at the far left or far right, as needed, and proceed with caution...I warned you!
-Iron/ironing board
-Starch
-Seam Ripper, razor, small scissors, etc.

Steps:
1. If you haven't already, sew up the seam until you get to where the bottom of where the zipper will be, for  many patterns a dot will indicate where to stop.

2. Switch to the contrasting thread and machine sew a basting stitch the rest of the way, WHERE THE ZIPPER WILL GO. I know this is backwards, you will no longer have an opening in your garment, and this is okay for now. Hand basting will not work, set your machine's stitch length to the longest possible and use a contrast thread, you'll rip it out anyway! (Trust me, it will work out in the end!)

Left=Basting, Right=Regular

I know, my 'matching' white thread doesn't match all that well, but the blue thread broke like crazy, trust me, it does look okay on the final product. 

3.  Iron seams out, I seriously recommend starching as well. You want really sharp seams, especially in the area that will hold the zipper. It will look cleaner and be easier to rip out the basting.

4. With the garment inside out, pin the closed zipper face down over the basting area. The seam you created with the contrast thread will provide a sharp guide, you want the teeth of the zipper directly over this seam. The straighter you do this, the better. I also think it's easier to pin down only one side and pin as flat as possible.

 PLEASE NOTE: You will not be opening the zipper until the very end, in order to avoid weird stitching around the zipper pull, I start about an inch below that, when I'm completely finished, I will go back with the zipper open and fix that area.

Check and double check alignment now!

5. Switch back to the matching thread and a zipper foot. I did the right side of the zipper first (the side without pins) so the needle is set closest to the teeth of the zipper, and the foot is on the outside of this. You always want the needle closest to the teeth. Stitch down the pin-less side top to bottom, routinely checking that the teeth are in line with the seam. 

CAUTION: Because you don't have an opening of a decent size in the dress anymore, be extra cautious that you don't accidentally sew through another part of the dress as well, you don't want a sleeve to get caught up into the zipper! (But if you do, don't panic, rip out that section of stitching and redo it.)

6. Remove all the pins (your new seam will hold the zipper in place) and stitch top to bottom down that side of the zipper, needle closest to teeth.  When you get to the bottom go back and forth over the teeth a few times to secure. Go slow, this is where you're most likely to break a needle.
 

The left side is a little wonky, luckily this fabric hides it well.

7. Now the zipper is in, but you still don't have an opening so, using a razor, small scissors, or a seam ripper, rip out the contrasting basting stitch as you unzip and double check the zipper's functionality and appearance.

8. Make minor adjustments to the zipper itself as needed. I finish the area where the pull was, and occasionally I rip out an inch or two where the teeth weren't lined up well and touch up that area. I also double check that the seam that goes up to the bottom of the zipper looks good. Sometimes there's still basting stitches down there where the regular seam didn't go high enough and I restitch it to avoid seam splitting down the road. Add a button or hook/loop to the top and, voila!

Congrats! You just inserted a zipper and you still have all the hair on your head! :) If that doesn't deserve a pat on the back, I don't know what does! :D

Come back soon and I'll help you adjust the fit and throw in a hem! 

~Farm Girl Teacher

Formal Wear: Perfect Gathers

I'm so excited about this formal wear series, inspired by my experience sewing my sister's prom dress! Check it out, here, if you haven't seen it yet. Please let me know if you have any special requests. :)

I know, I took another hiatus. Unfortunately, when cleaning out my classroom on the last day of school, I broke the SD card all my pictures were saved on. :( Most of the really important ones were saved on my computer, but I lost a lot of the tutorial ones I took for this blog and had to redo them. Hopefully, I am back on track. I will be finishing up this series soon, and posting a new crochet pattern before too long! :) 

Without further ado, I present my favorite way to gather! I probably didn't invent this, but I use it constantly and share it with as many people as I can, I like it THAT much! :)

Why "gather?"
Gathers are often used to add volume in the form of ruffles to a skirt. The result is typically a bit more gentle than what would result from pleating. You may also see it on a dust ruffle for a bed, or in the 'poofy' sleeves of old-style dresses. (Anne of Green Gables, anyone?) Gathers may barely be noticeable (sometimes called ease stitching on more modern sleeves), or it may be more severe, like in a skirt.

What makes this method better?
 Another popular way to gather involves a loose machine basted stitch and then tugging on the bottom thread. While this method does work, I personally kind of hate it. I always break a thread and it doesn't work for the large gathers I typically use. I will use the basting method to do the ease stitching part of a sleeve, but that's about it. For Miranda's dress, I had to gather a HUGE amount of fabric into very tight gathers and this technique was a lifesaver! 

Materials:
 You'll need your fabric (obviously), any color crochet thread (I think this is size 10 and can be found near the yarn. Regular yarn may work too, but it's a bit too flimsy for me. Regular thread is too weak.), and finally your presser foot. I love to use this foot, which my machine calls a 'braiding foot.' If you have a piping foot, it would work as well. That being said, I used a regular, straight-stitch foot for a long time, and while it's just as effective, the braiding foot is awesome because I don't have to worry at all about accidentally stitching through the crochet thread.

The foot has a small hole in the front the crochet thread fits through and the bottom of the foot has a groove that allows the foot to sit flush against the fabric while still sewing over the thread. 

I seriously suggest investing in this if you know you'll be completing a project with a ton of gathering. For everyday, occasional stuff, you can survive with the regular foot, I did, forever. :)

Steps:
1. Get your machine prepared. If you plan on ripping out the sewing thread, choose a contrast color, if you don't mind leaving it in (I always do) choose a color that matches your fabric. The crochet thread will always be ripped out, so it doesn't matter too much what color you use. You'll be setting your machine on a zig zag stitch just wide enough to stitch over the crochet thread. Once your width is set, match the length. (My width is set to about 2.5, so I matched the length to about 2.5 as well.) If you're using a regular presser foot, you may want to set the width just a bit wider to make sure you don't accidentally stitch onto the thread.

2. Stitch, DO NOT stitch over the crochet thread. (This is easy with the braiding foot, be more careful if you're using a regular foot.)

3. Cut your thread and begin sliding the fabric up and down on the crochet thread. It reminds me of the way you'd move curtains up and down a curtain rod. 

4. Use a straight stitch to secure the gather the way you like, or go ahead and attach it to the rest of the project. When you're finished, you should be able to just pull the crochet thread out completely. Ripping out the zig zag stitch is optional, I almost never bother, it's not noticeable at all.

Note: For Miranda's dress, I attached the under and over skirt together by straight stitching it onto a piece of 2 inch ribbon the same length as the bodice.  The ribbon helped hold it steady and keep it at the correct length, I then attached the whole thing to the bodice. I pulled out the crochet thread, but left the ribbon. At that point, it was too hard to rip out. :)

Voila! Step back and admire those beautiful gathers! :)

~Farm Girl Teacher

P.S. I recently found a new blog I am seriously IN LOVE with. This blogger recreates mouth watering foods from her favorite books. If you love to read and love to eat, this blog is for you! (and if you don't love those things, I will be very disappointed in you!) Seriously, head over there and explore, you'll walk away inspired!

Surprise!

Did you guess it from the sneak peek? It's, drum roll please, a formal dress!  Now, for my teacher-friends out there, this post is about to sound like I took a page out of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. It was certainly a roller coaster! :)

Back in October, my sister approached me about sewing her prom dress for her this year. (Her senior year) I eagerly agreed and began picturing the gorgeous dress I was going to make...

...about two weeks after she asked I had a miniature panic attack when I realized that I COULD NOT screw this up....oh boy.

Little did I know, this would be one of many panic attacks as the next few months ensued.

Sure, everything started out okay. She decided on what she wanted, I did my research, we picked a pattern, etc.

But then came the fabric shopping...and suddenly everything became even more real...my second panic attack came when I realized I'd have to use chiffon, lamé, satin, beading, and FEATHERS all on the same dress, and, oh yeah, it's probably the most important article of clothing in high school ever...

I made a toile (more on that later) and, well, everything seemed fine...until it came time to make the one shoulder part of the dress. My timing was very poor as I asked my sister to try it on the same day she was having her wisdom teeth taken out and emotions were already running a bit high. Next thing I knew, I was smack dab in the middle of a very strange hysterical breakdown about how she didn't want armholes!

What? Whaaat? Can someone please explain to me how I make a dress without ARMHOLES??? I can't just sew your arms into the dress, they have to poke out somewhere!!!

Needless to say, she did eventually come to terms with the fact that we would HAVE to add armholes, but of course that decision wasn't reached until after the bodice had been completed, and yes, I ripped it out and redid it...changing the midriff fabric as well.

After that, everything was smooth sailing until I realized that I was going to have to insert an invisible zipper into the side of the dress on a lining, chiffon, and lamé...craaap!

After additional research, this did happen, and...I didn't have to rip it out! yaaay! :)

And again, we were flying high until....my serger broke. Oh. My. Goodness. All I can say is thank God for great friends and their generosity, my friend's serger got quite a bit of use that night! :)

And then came those dreaded feathers...how did I let her talk me into this. Those darn feathers just sat on our dinning room table taunting me, torturing me, for MONTHS. Who sews with feathers????

Apparently, I do. This actually turned out to be considerably easier than I anticipated and I quickly add the feathers and beading.

Needless to say, we came out on the other side and I think the dress looks pretty darn good if I do say so myself! :)

Tutorials, will, of course, follow. I'm still debating on whether or not I'm going to do a tutorial on how I did her hair, let me know if this is something you'd be interested in! :)

Hope you enjoyed!

(And if you didn't, keep it to yourself! lol)

~Farm Girl Teacher