First Wedding Dress - 2016

So ... it’s been a while ...

I’ve got to admit; I’m not much of a blogger and most times, I don’t have much to write about.
So I’m going to switch gears and just share what I’ve been working on. 😁

Here’s the first wedding dress I made for a lovely summer bride in 2016.

Quite a bit of hand sewing went into this - to eliminate visible seams on the lace. Appliques and a bit of creative seaming will give you that.

The ivory had to be kept clean. Hands were washed before sewing; dress was covered whenever possible.

And of course, the appliques had to be cut out and hand sewn to the top so it had more 'flowers' than the bottom.

Family Affair

Hello there,

In December, I talked with a lovely lady who wanted me to make a skirt for her and matching skirts for her little princesses. She said there was no hurry so we took some time going back and forth online until she found the fabric she wanted. In January, when I went to get the measurements, it turned into the skirts plus vests and bow-ties for her king and prince and a pair of shorts for the prince.
I'm really grateful for the opportunity.

Enjoy the pictures below.
** I pressed the clothes before delivery; please excuse the creases below. **

All Together

King - Vest & Bow Tie

 

Queen - Gathered Skirt

Prince - Vest, Bow-Tie and Shorts

Princesses - 2-Tier Circle Skirts with Netting

Father & Son Set

Some Smooth Jazz

Always Learning ...

Hello there,

Back in SS1 (10th grade equivalent?), we were a handed a sheet of paper that listed occupations and what subjects you should be good at to succeed in them. Based on my teen-self's academic prowess, I had a lot of options (a lot) but I was drawn to engineering. The one thing I like about being an engineer today is the ability to assess a problem and design a solution. For my ZCD work, I usually break down the item to its basic shapes in my head and them build it up from there (unless I'm using a prepared pattern).

Today's post is a bit of a show-and-tell. I have added 4 more items to my 'I-know-how-make-this' list and I wanted to share them with you. If you've browsed the Etsy store (here), you know that besides clothing, I can make accessories. Until now, accessories = bowties, purses and earrings. After today, I can add wristlets, lapel flowers custom bias tape and peplum belts.

These new items were custom orders and I did some research, reviewed tutorials and figured out how to make them. Yay for learning!!!

Lapel Flowers

These are rectangular pleated strips with one zig-zag edge, can you tell?

This one is a folded over rectangular gathered strip. 

Wristlet 

(Zippered Pouch with Wrist Strap)

Had to rip and re-do a couple seams but I got it!

DIY Bias Tape

Peplum Belt

(hi-low style)

Start with a hi-low circle skirt, cut a line down the center, add a long waistband.

 

It's A Wrap (Or 2)

Hi there,

I finally made my first wrap dress ... well, first and second wrap dresses.

I've made a couple of faux wrap dresses for myself but never an actual wrap dress because I have this nagging concern that one day, the 'wrap' won't be in the right place at the right time to cover up them private bits. But that's just me. My new client (referred by another client, thank you Ms. M) ordered 2 identical wrap dresses.

I'll be delivering them to her this weekend ... so excited.

Enjoy the pictures below.

My initial plan was to make both dresses simultaneously: cut pieces at the same time, sew bodice on one then the other, sew belt on one then the other and attach skirt on one then the other.

But then I decided to prepare one for a fitting so that if adjustments were needed, I'd only have to adjust one. As it turned out, Ms. O wanted the skirt shorter and the style changed to a pencil skirt.

Lining up seams like a BOSS.

All done now.
There's fastenings on the inside of the belt for securing the left half of the wrap.

The Summer of 2015

Hi there,

It's the last day of the year!!!!
I am super grateful to God for bringing me this far. Can you believe it?
And best of all, I am ending this year better than I started it ... how wonderful is that?

In 2015, I had my first vendor/show case opportunities (3 in total) for ZiChiE Designs.
I also had an international order from the ZCD Etsy store (click here).
And a very busy summer. I'm guessing it is the warm weather but I had a lot of wedding orders in July/August/September. In addition to that, I made vests for the men in the LA Voice (my church choir).

To wrap up the year, I thought I'd put pictures from this summer's order in one post.

Enjoy.

ZCD Purses at a Showcase hosted by YAPPies (Young African Philly Professionals)

ZCD Vendor Table at ACANNA Festival

For the Sister of the Bride

Dress and Matching Vest & Bow Tie for A Friend's Wedding

Gold Lace Dress for a Friend of the Bride & Groom

Gold Lace Clutch

Pink and Blue Dress for a Friend of the Bride & Groom

My Birthday Skirt

Dress for Ms. V for our Church Anniversary Dinner

LA Voice

(Made the Vests for the Men and the Maxi Skirt [far left])

Skirts for Mummy and Daughter for a Wedding