Costumes to quilting...

My mother and sister taught me to sew as young as ten, and since them I have made everything from prom dresses to Nutcracker costumes. I do have a few favorite sewing projects: Belle’s blue everyday dress, a medieval tear-sleeved dress, and my biggest sewing accomplishment thus far, my own wedding dress.

Barbie clothes were among the first things I sewed. My sister and I would spend hours together imagining every possible scenario for the dolls to “live out.” We would buy fabric remnants wherever we could find them. We made evening dresses, bath robes, anything we thought would complete our Barbie wardrobe. As we grew older, we upgraded from tiny doll clothes to “life-sized” clothes we could wear.

My dad is a retired cruise ship captain. When we would visit him aboard the Cunard Princess, Caronia, or QE2, there were about three formal dress nights. Men were required to wear tuxedoes, and women were required to were ball gowns for dinner. As my sister and I got older, it became more and more expensive to buy formal dresses (especially since we were always taller than average and were both wearing Juniors when we were ten). We always tried to find bargains on the fancy attire required for the formal dinner dress code. And thus, my sister and I decided to make some of the dresses we wore.

One of my fondest memories was going to JoAnn’s Fabrics, Etc. with my mom and sister to pick out a dress pattern and fabric. I still remember picking out a baby pick satin fabric, and thumbing through the thick pattern books to find the perfect style. And not only did I wear the dress on the ship, but I also wore it to Junior year prom!

Another of my favorite dresses we made, was a burgundy and blue medieval dress. I have always loved acting. While attending college, I was in the Theater Honorary. Each induction night, once a year, we picked a theme. One of the years, was Medieval themed. My mom, sister and I looked around everywhere for a dress that didn’t cost a fortune. Yet again, we took a trip to JoAnn’s looking for fabric and a pattern. My dress was inspired by Arwen’s (Lord of the Rings character) navy velvet and red off the shoulder dress. We picked cotton and tulle instead of velvet and silk, but we did a fantastic job. The final touch to the dress was my pink pointed princess hat that I got from Disney when I was little.

And my greatest masterpiece to-date is my wedding dress. This was my first time making something all on my own. And guess where I went? Yes, I went to JoAnn’s to get ivory silk, and sequined lace to make the dress of my dreams. Using my New Home Sewist 500 and my trusty friskers scissors, I went to work creating my masterpiece. Clocking in at least 100 hours of labor and ten months of work, it was completed. And as for all my sewing projects, I’ve used Friskers scissors. For my wedding dress I used friskers pinking shears so the silk wouldn’t fray.

Two of my next sewing goals are to make a Colonial gown and a Civil War gown. I have the patterns, and now, I just have to take the leap to start…

Another sewing challenge I’ve staring this year is learning to quilt. This past year I had a job at a quilting store, and in the short time I worked there, I was able to learn all the basics of quilting. My primary sewing projects have been clothes making, so this was a totally different kind of art form. As my new task to master, I’ve started small (table runner’s and pot holders) and am working up to a full size quilt. More snipping, cutting, and sewing is in my future!