Summer Sewing Time -- Quick Update

Summer time has arrived for me!  Although it is still officially spring according to the calendar, temperatures here in the South will soon be rising to a steamy heat daily!  The summer break (that my career as an accounting and business instructor at a local community college allows me to take) officially began almost two weeks ago at graduation.  This year was rather special as my youngest child and only daughter graduated.  Faculty march each year, but having her in this year's ceremony made this year's event more special.  She will be attending a university next fall with her soon-to-be husband.  I am very proud of her 4.0 GPA which has helped her to secure full tuition scholarships in her major in communications and public relationships.

Trial Run of V1250 Bridesmaid Dress

Having been inspired by  Sew Intriguing's pictures, I made a wearable muslin of what I wanted to sew for the bridesmaid dresses for my daughter's wedding in June.  I used Liann's suggestions from this post.  I started approximately six inches above the pattern's bottom cutting line and I angled all the way out to make the most of my 60"+ fabric.   I added 22 inches to the bottom.   Here is what the layout looked like after I made my changes to add flare and a mini train to the back:

The fabric is from Gorgeous Fabrics.  I had wanted to make a maxi dress for myself, but Danielle loved the fabric so much that I thought that she could have a wearable muslin.  She will probably have me to remove the train portion and use it for  dressy maxi-length dress that would be appropriate for church or for dressier occasions--maybe even her bridal shower coming up soon.



Here is the back view:

And, a view from the side:

This is a view of the dress from the front--I have not hemmed it since we might alter this to be a shorter dress.

She loved the dress, and fortunately, there is enough fabric left over for me to make a dress.


Update:

We ended up cutting the length to just above her knees so that the dress could be more versatile for her.  Pictured below is  Danielle wearing the dress at her bridal shower.  The fabric came from my stash and was purchased a couple of years ago from Gorgeous Fabrics.  The fabric was easy to sew and feels great!

This pattern is so versatile!  She has a turquoise jacket that she can pair with this dress and she instantly looks appropriate for her leadership conference this week which requires business attire  with closed-toed pumps.

Fortunately, there is enough fabric left for me to make a dress or a tunic for myself.  First, however, I have five bridesmaid dresses to make.  Stay tuned . . . !

Panel Print Top

I recently purchased this panel from Marcy Tilton's online fabric store here:

Here is a detailed picture of the panel:

After it arrived, my daughter liked it so much that I ordered another panel for her.  Obviously, she is too old for mother/daughter outfits, but she is moving away next month after her wedding.   As a result, we can each wear one since we will no longer be in the same vicinity.  Since I am still sewing bridesmaid dresses for the upcoming wedding,  my sewing time for other endeavors is very limited, so selecting a simple pattern such as Vogue 8877 allows me to show off this beautiful panel quickly.

I used the version above and paired it with a soft, black dotted tissue knit (also from Marcy Tilton Fabrics) that I think is now sold out (SEE UPDATE BELOW--FABRIC IS AVAILABLE!)  , but similar  fabrics can be ordered here.  The mesh fabric is going to be used for the top piece and the three quarter length sleeve shown in View C below.  I lengthened the top front piece approximately an inch and a half in order to use every possible inch of the length of the panel.  I used the panel for the bottom front and back, but I could have used one panel for the front piece only  and had enough to use for another top had I chosen to make the back piece out of the mesh knit also.

The results are stunning and it feels luxurious! The black knit was a bit tedious to manage, but well worth it!  The combination of the two types of fabrics was similar to many tops in high-end local boutiques,  I do not think any of the fabrics of the boutique tops, however,  felt as  luxurious as Marcy's fabrics.   I finished Danielle's top first,since she will be taking her version with her to a leadership conference this week.  I will post pictures  of the finished garment when she returns.  Meanwhile, I need to order some more of the black mesh knit in order to finish mine.

UPDATE:

The black knit that I used for the sleeve is a tissue knit--NOT a mesh knit that I originally mentioned before I edited the post above.  I found the shipping invoice and noticed that the black fabric is called a tissue knit, and I was able to find the exact fabric here:

Since it is a semi-sheer fabric, it does not overwhelm the panel print, and it makes a lovely combo. This fabric feels totally luxurious.  I think it would work very well for lingerie, also.  I love it, love it, love it!!!!

Here is a detail picture of the dotted tissue knit:

Sewing for a Wedding

My current sewing goals revolve around my new role as a mother of the bride.  My daughter is getting married this June, and I have volunteered to make the bridesmaid dresses.  There will be five attendants plus a flower girl.  Whether or not to make the flower girl dress has not been decided, but I am committed to making bridesmaid dresses in a simple but elegant style.  We have chosen Vogue 1250 that everyone in the sewing blogosphere has probably made by now.  As I perused some bridesmaid styles, I saw a dress almost identical to this one in a mint green with an inset of dark green sequins at the neck.  The price was $173 for each dress.  I thought to myself that I could make an almost identical dress with this pattern but for significantly less.  Most of the attendants are college students who are also saving and working to pay for college expenses.  Here is the view from Vogue:

I have measurements for four of the five attendants, and we are currently looking for a stretchy satin or knit to use for the dress.  We plan to lengthen it.  Danielle (my daughter) wants me to add some flare.  Just as I was about to give up and go with a different pattern, I found another blogger's picture of a sequined gown.  Check out Sew Intriguing's pictures of her sequined gown.

Now, I need to figure out how to create fullness in the lower skirt without having to add a side seam.  I also need to find a way to add an inset under the draping neckline.  Danielle wants to use a light turquoise blue and the inset will be a darker sequined fabric.   I hope to create a fake tube top with the inset and sew it underneath the arms across the bodice so that it will appear to be a simple tube top underneath.  

Any ideas or suggestions will definitely be welcome.  I plan to make a trial run in different fabrics very soon.  

I have also been eyeing some fabrics at Gorgeous Fabrics for my mother of the bride dress.  There is also a sequined fabric that is gorgeous--I am not sure about the color.  I need a simple pattern with a beautiful impact if I choose this:

Decisions, decisions, decisions . . . !

Launching Sewing at the Rock

Welcome to my blog.  I plan to use this blog to chronicle my sewing, quilting, and other needlework accomplishments and attempts.  I live in the rural community of Little Rock, Mississippi, where we have one store and a post office.

My time for sewing is very limited, but I have been inspired by many sewing bloggers who are also working mothers and still manage to sew many beautiful garments.  It is time for me to join in the fun.  I have sewed all of my life, and I enjoy the process as well as the feeling of accomplishment that comes from knowing I have made something that is stylish and looks well.  I am not ready to go on a total ready-to-wear fast, but my ready-to-wear purchases have significantly declined.

To launch this blog, I would like to showcase a picture of a prom dress that I made for my daughter a couple of years ago.  The pattern is still in the McCalls pattern book, so I hope  that this is still relevant and inspiring.  The fabric surprisingly came from JoAnn's.

I made a muslin using similar fabric, and I used the smallest size.  I still had to cut several inches from the width of the bodice.  I sewed bra cups into the bodice, and added boning.  This was my first garment that I ever underlined and used boning.  I enjoyed the process of creating this dress for my daughter, but it was indeed a challenging project.




There were no markings on the skirt pattern to tack the poofs in the skirt in place to the skirt lining.  It took several hours of trying this on and playing with various poof arrangements to finally come up with the final assymetrical arrangement.  I believe my daughter thought that an impending disaster was about to occur.  She was very pleased with the end result.  A friend of mine helped to lay out the beads which were hand sewn to the shoulder and under the bust.  Here is a close -up view of the beading on the shoulder.

Here are a couple of these two bff's' pictures as they prepared to leave for prom.