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.

Show And Tell

Hello there,

I haven't put as much work into my sewing this week as I usually do and I feel bad about it.
*sigh*
I hope to make that up this weekend.

Last week was very busy though - I finished and delivered 2 new dresses, alterations to 5 skirts and a new skirt. There was also an iro and buba set that was a freebie; I need to make some alterations but it was done in time to be tried on last week.
I'm thankful for all the referrals; keep them coming ...

This weekend's to-finish list:
- Tutu skirt
- Shorts
- Bow-tie
- Black, Brown and Green pants alterations
- Buba alteration

To-start:
- Jumpsuit for PGS Challenge

I got some pictures from my clients who the dresses were for so it's Show and Tell time.

:)

Ms. M's 1st Order

Ms. M's 2nd Order

Ms. M's 3rd Order (1 of the 2 dresses referenced above)

Ms. O's 2nd Order (see the dresses from her 1st order here)

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

Salute To The Veterans

Hi there!!!

Today (11/11/2015) is Veterans' Day in the USA. It's a day to remember the sacrifice of the brave men and women who defend the freedom of their country. In thinking about this today, I dwelt on the reasons why the veterans choose to stand in the line of fire everyday: security, freedom, peace and a hope for a better tomorrow.
That's where the children come in: they are our hope for tomorrow. The veterans do what they can to ensure that the little ones have a chance to make tomorrow even better than today.

That's why the pictures in today's post are of the children's outfits that ZCD has made in recent history.
We're celebrating the sparks of hope that we have for tomorrow.

Dress and Hair Accessory

Matching Skirt and Vest for Siblings

Matching Shirt and Skirts for Siblings

Hi-Low Skirt and Blouse

Baby Dresses 

Skirt