Pink and Blue Lace Overlay Goodness

** Hi there. :)

Today I wish to take you on a bit of a journey from the start to finish of Ms. N’s Aso-Ebi for a wedding last Saturday (8/15). I had made a dress with overlay before (here) but not one that was fitted and then, bam!!, I had 2 lace overlay dresses in the span of a couple of weeks (see the other one here – yellow and pink). This was new territory as I had never done boning before but I decided this dress needed it.

There was a bit of crying involved but I won’t get ahead of myself. Just enjoy the journey.

Ms. N came by my place with 3 different fabrics for this dress (more on the gold one later; there was another blue fabric that she took back) and a bunch of ideas and Pinterest photos. We finally settled on a mermaid style dress with a sweetheart neckline underneath, cap sleeves and gathered ruffles.

Started with the sweetheart neckline bodice and boning.

Made the lace overlay bodice and attached to the front and back pieces of the main dress.

Started to work on the bottom ruffle and realized it might not be long enough so I sent Ms. N another option: adding the pink lace to the ruffle. She gave me the go-ahead.

Added the lace sleeves and the attached the ruffle (flounce?) to the bodice and it was ready for the first fitting.

After the first fitting, I had to make the following adjustments:

-          Remove the pink lace strip (Ms. N thought it was too much pink and the dress ended up too long; I overestimated her heel height for the day).

-          Add bias binding to all the lace seams (they were too itchy as is).

-          Take in the sides at the hip (the weight-gain plan wasn’t going as planned).

-          Use a longer zipper.

Here’s where the crying (figuratively) came in. I loved this version of the dress and it made me a bit sad to take it apart to make the changes. I wonder if other sewers feel this way sometimes …

We hit a bump when I couldn’t find a longer zipper than what I had used so I sent Ms. N a suggestion on how we could treat the back so that the zipper is lowered: something I used for the back of my lace and ankara peplum top (here).

I stayed up late to make all the alterations and dropped off the finished dress at her home. She wasn't in so I didn't get to see her try it on before the wedding.

Many thanks to Boss for getting a few pictures for me ...

I think she likes the dress :)

Custom Order - Sight Unseen

* Miss W placed her order with a phone call, 2 emails and a skirt (along with the outfit fabric) sent to me through a friend. This is the first time I ever made a custom order without actually seeing the client and it fit!!!
Normally, I ask my clients to come in for a fitting when I am about 80% done with their outfits so you can imagine my concern when Miss W called and said she won't be able to make it into town (Chester, PA from New York) as planned. I was a bit concerned but with one shot to get this right, I re-checked all her measurements, sent her pictures of the progress and made changes as she suggested over text messages.
** After she received the outfit, she sent me a message saying "Thank you. It fit perfectly and I got a lot of compliments'. Phew! Thank God :) and I mean that sincerely.
*** In retrospect, the lighting could have been better ...

1st Email: Picture of the Style of the Top (Minus the Peplum) She Wanted from Clairnadine

(2nd email had her measurements)

Shopping for Contrasting Fabric

(went with the 2nd one)

1st Picture of the New Skirt with the Sample Skirt

2nd Picture: She Said Make It Shorter

Final Looks: Long Skirt and Short(er) Skirt

Baby Blue Sunshine: Hi-Lo Lace Top and Skirt

* For this week, I want to showcase Zi's latest creation: this lace top and skirt set made for a special little lady. Zi has become the go-to gal for lace hi-low skirts; remember the white one in this post? She has also made one in pink and this one in blue. The blue set is a good-bye gift as the little princess and her queen were moving to Texas ... we'll miss them.
* Check us out on Instgram: @zichie_designs and @e_fazion

Enjoy the pictures below.

Frozen Masquerade Party Dress

* As I mentioned in my last post, my employer had a holiday masquerade dinner party on 01/09/2015 and the theme was 'Frozen in Time'. The dress I wore to the party is the same one I wore to the Red Rose Banquet at my church last year (blog post here). I also made a shrug and matching mask for the event. Below are pictures of the outfit for the day ... Enjoy :) 
** Check us out on Instagram @zichie_designs.

I started with the dress from the Red Rose Banquet (bottom right above), raised the hem a little bit, adjusted the fit of the bodice and added a sequin trim to the waist.

The shrug was my answer to always feeling a bit cold at winter parties. It was made with velvet fabric and entirely using a serger, hand sewing and iron-on adhesive (to finish the edges). For the pattern, I traced the bodice of the blue and white and blue dress and the sleeves from another outfit.

I accessorized with a pair of silver sandals and a silver clutch in keeping with the bling at the waist of the dress.

'Frozen' appropriate if you ask me :)

Blue Gorgeousness: Crop Top to Dress

    * Remember the Ankara crop top from this post with the matching pants? You do? Good. Not sure when the decision was made but it was turned into the elegant dress you see below. The dress has an asymmetric hemline that is short at the sides and long at the back and front. It is really gorgeous when you twirl and when it catches the breeze just right.
  ** Check out the 'Hers' page for other pictures.
*** Check us out on Instagram @zichie_designs.

Mix of Ankara Bangles to spice things up.