Sew Sassy Creations

Thursday, April 8, 2010

In the Spring My Thoughts Turn to Gardening

I have to admit I have been a little neglectful of my Etsy Shop since around April 5. Not only have I made the wedding dress since then I have completed a swim suit ensemble for my friend consisting of Bikini Top, little boy bottoms, another top with bra insert, swim wrap and headband with flower. She is going to a resort and wanted to look very fashionable around the pool. That she will, as it is very cute.

I can hardly bring myself in to sew since the yard is in full bloom and it is time to transplant and divide. I wake up, take my morning coffee on the patio and before I know it, in nightgown and robe and slippers, I am working on the garden. Thank goodness we have a privacy fence. This morning my hubby told me my hair looked like I had stuck my finger in a socket....BED HEAD! Being the certified Master Gardner that I am, I can't help myself. It is in my blood and believe me I have the fingernails to prove I am a gardener! Following are some SNAPS of the work I have been up to....

Color in the Desert in Our Back Yard

Color in the Desert in Our Front Yard

When most people think of the desert, they think, drab, dull, brown, hot and dry. Here in the Sonoran Desert in the Spring, the landscape is awash with color, especially if there has been plenty of rain, as is the case this year. Following are some pictures from my yard in Casa Grande, AZ. Casa Grande is located about halfway between Phoenix and Tuscon. The following pictoral is for your enjoyment.

Friday, April 2, 2010

The Wedding Dress

My niece Chrystal is getting married in June. She asked my Mom and I to make her wedding dress for her upcoming June Wedding. She said it would make the occasion extra special for her knowing that we made the dress. Since she lives in Mobile and we live near Phoenix so, we asked her to come out for the sewing process so she could be here for fittings and to give us a hand. She is a budding seamstress and Mom and I thought it would be a good experience for her to learn more about sewing.

Mom and I had been shopping to pick the material several times and could not find exactly what we wanted. The pattern had already been picked by Chrystal last year so we had the pattern and knew what we needed. We found the material at a famous fabric store on special order for over $20 a yard and the basic material for the overlay took 14 yards. The chiffon was going to run around $280 at that price, then there was still the lining and the satin and the lace. We decided to hold off and kept shopping. We finally found the perfect fabric at a wholesale outlet and the cost of all the materials plus the pattern ended up being well under $100! It's amazing how much you can save when you have plenty of time to look for what you want and know exactly what you have in mind. We are bargain hunters from way back!

Chrystal flew out on her Spring break and we began the dress. We taught her how to lay out and cut out. She did a wonderful job. Mom and I began pinning and sewing. Chrystal become an expert with the seam ripper and we dubbed her the "picker outer"! Since this was a Burda pattern, it was more difficult than most American patterns and the Burda was rated as an intermediate to difficut. But with Mom and my combined sewing experience in years totaling around 120 (Oh my gosh!) we knew between the two of us we could pull it off.

Chrystal wanted a back lace up with a gusset, which the pattern did not have, and a modification on the sleeve.cap. Mom decided to add another layer on the skirt as well, plus we wanted a lining as well as the underlayment to the chiffon layers. So we had our work cut out for us. Below you will see the pictures from the cutting out to the final fitting and the almost finished dress. We still have the hand work to finish, but we are almost there! We estimated that all totaled we have about 50 hours invested in the dress. Later, in June I will post the wedding pictures so you can see the Bride in her full regal attire!

The Bride to be, Chrystal

Laying out and Cutting

Grandma and Chrystal

Me (Aunt Sandy) Serging and Grandma (My Mom) Supervising

The Final fitting before Chrystal had to leave

The almost finished dress

We think it turned out GREAT and it fits the Bride like it was made for her! It is going to be a beautiful wedding. More pictures to come later!

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

How to care for your Embroidered Items

This is an exerpt from an Article written by Kenny at Embroidery Library. Click on the picture above to go directly to the site for more information.

Hand-washing and air-drying are your gentlest options.

When machine washing embroidered clothing, turn the garments inside out to protect the embroidery from abrasion. When possible, avoid washing embroidered items with items that have metal hardware such as zippers.

To avoid shrinkage, wash the fabric as gently as possible, and air-dry if you can. Make sure to follow the fabric's care instructions.

If you're concerned about the thread color bleeding onto the fabric (or vice versa), wash gently in cold water. If you notice any bleeding when washing the fabric, rinse the item in cool water until the color is removed. Some say rayon thread is less colorfast than polyester thread, and deep red colors are most likely to bleed.

If pressing the embroidered item, either use a pressing cloth over the embroidery, or iron on the back. Don't let the iron touch the embroidery directly. Use dry heat and avoid the steam feature on your iron -- steam can cause the stabilizer to shrink up, creating a puckered look.

Keep in mind that all textiles show wear as they're washed and used. Your job is to help your embroidered creations age gracefully so that they'll bring joy and color into your life for years to come.