My Fair Maiden: Finale

Fiiiiiinally I'm getting around to giving you a look at the final product of my summer-long bridesmaid dress project. I made it for my dear friend Aly's wedding that was held on a beautiful fall day in Southern Indiana.

I managed to snag a few of the beautiful wedding photos, but first I took a couple boring pics at home for some close-ups of the dress. Ta-da!

 The open back was one of my favorite design features of the dress.

Shout out to the brilliant Lexi Arielle Photography who captured Aly and Will's big day perfectly. While I'm at it, Aly has a pretty sweet photography business herself, check her out at Alyson Naville Photography. The rolling hills of Southern Indiana, or "God's country" as Will likes to call it, was the perfect setting for the rustic chic wedding. 

Aly and her girls. We all got to choose our own dresses and they ended up going together perfectly! It was meant to be.

The bridal par-tay....ignore my cheesiness there.

These were all taken in Will's grandparents' back yard. Hello photo op!

So so happy that I got to be a part of this big day for two of my favorites.....and that my dress turned out to actually be wearable. I had my moments of doubt on that one, and I won't elaborate on the fact that I didn't actually complete it until two days before the wedding ;) But alas, it came through for me!

After the beautiful ceremony we danced the night away with friends and family. An all around perfect day.

XO,

Lo

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My Fair Maiden: Update

Time to play a little catch-up with my main goal for the summer: completing my bridesmaid dress for my friend Ally's wedding. My first round of bridesmaid duties is just around the corner. We're at a month mark on the countdown to the big day and my dress is still in the making. Think I procrastinate much? It's ok, I work well under pressure...I think. I'm getting more and more excited as we've started talking details of the day like hair, makeup, and our morning mimosas. 

Just as a refresher, here's my plan and what I've already worked on.

This is my first mock-up, it's sorta like a rough draft. In fashion design it's super helpful to make a mock-up to help figure out any fit issues before you get to the actual fabric. I also like that I can just mark or draw right on them to make things look they way I want.

Well, clearly this doesn't fit me, so I'll have to make some adjustments.

After several (and I mean several) fittings and some re-drafting of my patterns, it's FINALLY time to cut out my pieces in my dress fabric. The rule of thumb is to measure twice, cut once, so lots of planning goes into the project before you even get to start on the actual garment. The layout of your pattern pieces is really important so you don't waste fabric, but luckily I bought tons extra just to be on the safe side. I could almost make two dresses with what I have. Better safe than sorry!

Warning: spending hours on end at a sewing machine will make you delirious. I've experienced this a few too many times throughout all my design classes. Working on this project has brought back lots of memories of college nights spent hovering over my sewing machine at my little work station in my apartment, sewing furiously away at a project that was probably due the next morning. 

Here's a little sneak peek. A few more finishing touches and the bodice will be ready for me to attach to the skirt. Then there's the lining, the zipper, and lots of pressing. Geez, I better get to work. Stay tuned for the final result!

Don't worry Ally, if all else fails I'll at least show up to your wedding in a cute navy top ;)

XO,

Lo

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Jewels

I’d like to think that I’m a pretty productive person, but one look at all the half drafted patterns, semi-constructed dresses, and piles of beads lying around my house proves otherwise. Like I’ve said before, I have a million design ideas going on in my head at any given time. If one of these projects makes it out of my imagination and to the final, physical object, you know it’s one I reeeally love. My jewelry-making project is one that I’ve given priority to this summer. I’ve been wanting to open an etsy store for quite some time now, and after sifting through a lot of different ideas for it I decided to start with jewelry. The first day I started to make a necklace left me sitting with a pile of beads wishing I had opted to take the accessories design class back in school. Oh well, after a lot of trial and error (and I mean a lot) I’ve finally made some pieces worth sharing and opened my very own Etsy store! Here’s a glimpse into my process.

My workspace leaves much to be desired. But hey I like to say "From chaos comes beauty"...... Actually, I just use that as an excuse for how messy it is.

Here's a peek at the necklace i'm working on right now. This charming little brooch found me at an antique store and I knew I needed it. I love the black, gold, and green color combo so much I might end up keeping it for myself. 

Some more of my necklaces.

Lately i've been super inspired by semiprecious stones. They are a perfect accessory for any summer outfit. I have some big plans for these statement necklaces. Being a stacker, I tried my hand at making some bangles with these little gems. I love these because you can wear one, two, or ten at a time.

These are my newest stones. Can't wait to create with them!

It's up and running! Check me out on Etsy.

XO,

Lo

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My Fair Maiden

Post-grad life has brought me back home again...temporarily of course. Since coming home, I’ve staked my territory throughout my parents' house with all of my summer projects. My once bedroom is now my office, the landing naturally became my fashion studio, and the office has been transformed into a jewelry studio. I have an estimated 1,482,936 projects swirling around in my head, wavering on the verge of a psychotic break like all great artists. 

Nevertheless, right now, one project in particular is my priority. Wedding bells are ringing (not mine), and I have been asked to be a bridesmaid in a friend’s wedding this fall. It was music to my ears when I got word that she was giving the bridesmaids free reign over choosing our navy dresses. Naturally, I decided to design mine. After all, this isn't my first rodeo in designing a bridesmaid dress (Bee is a lucky recipient of one of my designs). 

Will I change my mind a thousand times, decide I don’t like it anymore, and run out and buy a dress at the last second? Chances are, yes. But for now, here’s a sneak peek.

Meet Apple….my dress form. It’s totally normal that I named her, right?

Just a little light reading. I couldn’t do anything without these. 

Here's what I'm thinking...

I think it's coming along nicely. Stay tuned!

XOXO,

Lo

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