The Perfect Bustle

One of the most improtnat  things on a wedding dress is the buslte. Why? The dress is bustled for the better part of the day. After the ceremony and maybe some pictures the dress is pinned up to get what becomes" that pesky train" out of the way. So for all you brides-to-be out there, when you take your dress to your seamstress #1 the dress should fit comfortably #2 you should be able to walk without picking it up and #3 the bustle should be functional, astetically pleasing and secure.
 Choosing how a dress should be buslted really depends on the dress. Some dress require a one point overbustle, others have a larger train and need 3 ponts. The underubstle can be a little more complicated but is the most seure.
This dress required an underbusle or a french bustle. A french buslte is rigged with ties on the underside of the skirt and can have 1 to 25 points. It really depends on how full the skirt is and the style you are trying to acheive.
This dress has a very full skirt but it wasnt incredibly long. To bustle it required 5 ties on the underside.

At the point where I wanted to brong the skirt to I had colourcoded loops.

on the skirt portion I had a length of ribbon, also colourcoded.

To buslte, you take the length of ribbon, thread it through the loop ad tie a bow.

Flowergirls of Threads

I was approached by a Bride that wanted her flowergirl to have a matching purple dress to her bridesmaids.She handed me a photo of what style she wanted along with some design changes and fabric that matched her bridemaids.

Thie was my first attempt at a fabric flower. It turnes out pretty well and I am anxious to make more.

I finished the armholes and neckline with bis strips.

I love it when the inside looks as finished at the right side.

The second flowergirl dress I made this summer was alos made form a photo. An ivory dress of tulle and lace.

This is Reese at her first fitting. You can see the back in the reflection in the mirror.

Wedding season is always so muh fun and making dresses for kids is the best. They are always so excited!

Embroidery Machine Video

To start off.... As I promised. The kids Backpack.

So rad. The kid wants to be a rock star!

I made a little video asking all my fellow sewers and crafters for a little help.

Altering a Beaded Bodice

Graduation and prom season had heavily beaded dresses flooding into the shop.Simple gowns the trend is not. Heavily beaded bodices can be taken in like any other dress, but a few extra steps are needed and it requires quite a bit of patience. 

Step one is to determine the best place to take the dress in. If there is a very distinct pattern it may be better to take the dress in at the back and redo the zipper. On a dress that has the beads more scattered, taking it in on the side seams is a great option.

So, where to start?

The first stop is to remove the beading in the are that needs to be taken in. On this dress I decided to take it in at the center back and move the zipper.  I mark how many beads need to be removed. To remove the beading you cut one thread strand at the seam and carefully remove the beads till you are clear of the sewing area and then know the thread again so no more beads will fall off the strand. You continue to do this until the are that needs to be taken in is clear of beads.

 Now its time to take in the dress. In this case I reoved the zipper and stitched it back in at the new markings.

 Now that the dress is the appropriate size its time to rebead the “naked” area.

Aaaaaaand done!

After  this prom season I am now an experienced beader….beadist?.....well , whatever. I do beads good. 

Take that Satin and Duplicate Me...

Hello Everyone! Happy Labour Day!

The kids are heading back to school on Tuesday and I have mixed feelings. I have loved having the kid home all summer but I will have a bit more free time to work with only the baby at home. 

As promised in my last video I am making a garment post. I made this top back in May for one of my regular clients. She was going to an event that had a colour theme. She had a swing tank that fit her well and she wanted to duplicate in an evening fabric. She chose an satin in a beautiful red coral. Now for most people satin is an evening fabric. I tend to wear satin anytime of day no matter what I'm doing, but that's because I love it and don't attend many occasions calling for satin. Lesson to take from this - if you want to wear what makes you happy. That's what fashion is all about as well as personal style. If you are happy wearing satin while you do your daily chores than i say put it on.

Anyhoo....back to the tank.

Here is the original tank

When making a pattern from a ready made garment I like to use muslin. Muslin is unbleached cotton. I use it so I can sew the pattern to test before cutting into my fashion fabric.

 This garment was cut on the bias. Cutting a garment on the bias gives the fabric some stretch and movement. Satin is unforgiving so cutting the tank this way will allow it to skim the body without being tight or cumbersome.

I used french seaming for the side seams and shoulder seams. I think they look more polished and finished on the inside of the garment. A french seam is usually used for lightweight and sheer fabric. It make for a strong seam is delicate fabric and contains the raw edges to prevent fraying.

To finish the armholes and and neckline I made matching bias tape.

Here is the finished edge.

 She also wanted a matching tie belt so she could wear it both ways, loose or belted.

TADA!!! And there you have it. A satin swing tank with matching belt! I have to say I really liked this garment and am thinking of making one for myself. I might be adding sleeves to mine since the cooler weather is right around the corner.

Question: How do you feel about formal fabrics worn for casual dress? 

Video Update

I wanted to give a quick update as to what is happening and thought I would try a video. Now, I was interrupted by the baby but I figure since that is how my day really is I would just keep going instead of starting over. Enjoy!

WIP Wednesday

Its mid week. 2 more days till the weekend. Hang on! You can it. That is unless you work weekends like most of us. In that case its just another day of the week. Maybe a day off. WOHOO DAY OFF!!!!

Today has been a typical Wednesday for me. I wake up to the sound of  "MOMMA!" and immediately my inner voice screams, coffee please!  After feeding the munchkins and myself I turn on the tv to some cartoon movie and sneak away to the shop for a little yoga. Btw, corpse pose is not nearly as relaxing with a 2 year old bouncing on your stomach, just saying. Then off to playgroup we go to burn off all that morning energy. Next its lunch and nap time. Now this is where my work day begins.  Messages returned, emails answered and small projects completed.. The rest of my afternoon depends on the kids. Will they keep busy playing and let me work? or do they need me to read to them or give them a cuddle? As a work at home Mom what they need always comes first or I might as well put them in daycare and work out of the house. Being home for the kids is my #1 priority. Wednesday nights are always very productive. With JD at the fire hall and the kids in bed the house is quiet and I am free to work without interruption.
So that is how I spend one day of my week, and that is the condensed version. The very condensed version.

WIP Wednesday or Work in Progress

I wanted to share some of the projects I am working on this week.

Project #1
I have 2 curtain panels that need to be shortened and then with the off cut I will be making 2 valances.

Project#2
A flower girl dress that I made has been fit and is ready to be finished.

Project#3
Refashioning  a dress for a client.

Project#4
A custom outfit using a commercial pattern.

Just a few of the many things that will cross my table this week but 4 very different projects. I will add some posts when these projects are complete.
 Hope you have a wonderful day.
How do you usually spend your Wednesday?

August Sunset

I've just returned from a 5 day stay with my family. We were at a cottage on beautiful lake Huron and enjoyed walks on the beach, kayaking, sun sitting, swimming, camp fires..... all of that was wonderful but was interrupted by cold, wind and rain. Putting that aside we made some wonderful memories and we can't wait to do it again next year. We have been enjoying a family beach vacation for the last 7 years and my son looks forward to it all year. My Mom works endlessly to make sure everyone has a great time. THANKS MOM!

While on the lake we were able to witness some beautiful sunsets up close and personal. After living in a beach town for 10 years it was nice to once again enjoy the sun tucking into the lake every night.
With the setting sun in mind I curated an Etsy treasury, August Sunset of beautiful  handmade pieces  representing the sunset.  I am always amazed and the beautiful things I find on Etsy. There are such talented artists and their wares so easily available to us all. My favurite piece is the Sunset Silk Tunic by Jane Hayden Designs. Visit her shop here.

Artist Trading Card

This year I am part of the Sewing Buddy Project over at Whip-Stitch .com . The February challenge is to create an Artist Trading Card. I thought this to be the perfect opportunity to dive into my scrap totes and trim drawers. Needing very little fabric for this project I knew I could find what I needed.  I had no idea what to make and was hoping to get a little inspiration while wading elbow deep in fabric off-cuts, Lucky for me I found a scrap of my all time favourite fabric.,an Asian brocade of red with black cherry blossoms. Add a little ribbon, "rhinestone" trim,some silver taffeta and black satin and I'm into crafting mode.

 Materials Gathered

 Front

Back

I have to say I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and I think it represents me as an artist. I also used up a little more of my scrap fabric. Mission accomplished!

January ThreadsbyChantel Update

January is always a busy month. Closing down the previous year and starting new things. Cleaning out the old to make room for the new. I love this time of year. I make lots of plans and follow through with perhaps 50% of them. I think most of us have that problem. But lets be honest, there are only 24 hours in a day. We can't do everything we want.

 I took some time last month to clear some of the mess taking up space in the shop. Its amazing the things you accumulate when you aren't looking. While I was clearing things out I realized I had many totes of scrap fabric. My plan is to use of some of this scrap for some creative crafting and sewing projects. Not quite sure where it will take me but I'm excited .To keep up with my scrap project you can follow Threads Starting From Scrap.

This year I have joined the Sewing Buddy Project over at Whipstitch I was paired up with a another sewer from around the globe and we will be sewing pen pals for the year. There are monthly projects and giveaways and so far so good. The project for February is to design an Artist Trading Card.I had never heard of them and am not sure what to make, but I will post pictures when I have finished mine. If you have any advice on where to start or ideas on what to make I would love to hear them.

I also took some time to update my Facebook Page. It had been months since I had posted pictures of any finished projects.Please stop by and have a look through the  albums.

I have just finished the first custom dress of the year and can't wait to share it with you. My goal has been to blog about every custom garment that leaves the shop but (insert excuse here) I didn't. Anyway, I will share some pics of custom garments I made this past year.

 Colour blocked dress with gold sequin bow belt

 6 Bridesmaids, 6 styles in chiffon, lace and charmeuse

 Burgundy and Blue dresses are Threads originals

Burgundy lace and charmeuse with satin tie belt

Owning a custom clothing and alterations business, Threads by Chantel has left me with a metric tonne of scrap fabric. Normally a person would toss all the off cuts but I always think , “there must be something I can do with this”, and into the tote it goes. Well, 4 years and 3 totes later its time to use all the excess fabric I have saved. My shop is busting at the seams and in the spirit of the New Year I thought a new project would inspire me.

I have also been hanging onto old shirts, skirts, dresses and pants with grand plans of pulling them apart and making into something else, which leads me into 2014's first scrap project.

I have had this pair of flannel pajamas for a long time and they are now too big. I figured I had enough fabric to make a nightgown for my daughter who is 1 and a half.

That makes one less thing in the tote and cute nightie for my little one to wear.