Dresses of Summer- Fashion Show

When I went to State I was part of a student organization called SADA, or Student Apparel Design Association. Every spring they would hold a fashion show for the students to showcase their work. I designed lines for 2008 and 2009. This dress is one I made for the first show. It is made from an old dress I found in my grandma's basement and went with the color scheme of my line. I wish I had a before picture of the dress to show how dated it was :)

Front

It's a simple design having a full gathered skirt and an empire waist with elastic. Its a olive green knit that was very comfortable.

It also had a scoop neck and short kimono-like sleeves.

Back

I will most definitely be showing the garments I made for the fashion show, so stay tuned!

~JV

Dresses of Summer- Graduation Dress

When I graduated from State, my parents threw a joint grad party for my youngest sister and me since she graduated from high school. I love to make new outfits for special occasions. So I picked out this pretty zigzag print to make a dress. It's from Simplicity 2694 and it's a pattern where you could mix and match different style elements. I basically just chose a dress they had designed already.

Front and Back

It's a basic A-line skirt with a sweetheart neckline and straps. Pretty simple, but that's what I usually do when working with a bold print.

Simplicity 2694 Center Dress

(Forgive the blurriness- I took it with my phone)

I'm actually in the middle of finishing a dress from this pattern that I cut out probably a year and a half ago. It's a mix of the different styles they give you. I should be done soon, so wait and see how that one turns out :)

~JV

Dresses of Summer- Luau #2

This dress was made from the same fabric as the luau dress I made for Hawaii. I actually made it for a friend's luau themed birthday party. The top is made from an old pink fitted t-shirt I hadn't worn in a while. It's a basic tank top with a gathered skirt that fit at the waist.

Front                                         Back

It's a simple dress but I think the floral print keeps it fun. I still have more of the fabric so we'll see what else I can come up with :)

~JV

Dresses of Summer- New Years Dress

I'm sure you can tell that this isn't really a dress you wear in the summer, but I really like this one so I wanted to incorporate it into July's dress blogs. This one is from Simplicity 2305. I love this purple fabric and I thought it was a great color for a fun New Years party.

Front

Back

The neckline "collar" was actually supposed to be a facing (goes on the inside and helps keep the seam flat) but it made the neck look strange. So I turned it to the outside and made it a wavy detail to the neck. The sleeves I made a little shorter and added stitching to create a cool texture.  

Simplicity 2305 View B by Cynthia Rowley

The skirts and purse are really cute so sometime in the future I'll make them. 

Just gotta find the fabric (which won't be too hard)

~JV

Dresses of Summer- Plum Dress

Here is the other dress from Simplicity 3882. This one is a plum knit spaghetti strap dress that has elastic under the bust and along the neckline that creates a gathered effect.

Front with v-neckline

Back

Simplicity 3882 View C

 This dress is super comfortable and it's mostly been a great beach dress. It's simple so you can wear it to the beach then add some great accessories to liven it up for later in the night.

~JV

Inspiration

Today I was told about a website by my sister. It's called Pinterest. It's "a virtual pinboard which allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and share their favorite ideas."

My sister thought it would be a great place for me to store any ideas I find online. There are a few websites that I frequent that have wonderful ideas, clothing, and pictures in general that I save on my computer. But having an online spot to save these pictures is perfect, especially since I've created this blog. More inspiration to create unique designs.

Check out my pinboards, although they're bare since I just started.
http://pinterest.com/jvictoria/

~JV

Dresses of Summer- Double Trouble

I've missed a few days so this post includes 2 dresses. They are the same dress, made of different colors and fabrics. They are bubble dresses made from Simplicity pattern 3882 View A. They are a loose fitting design but when you add a belt, it gives a whole new look. 

Front and Back- Pretty Similar

This dress is made from an olive green knit.

-

Front and Back With Belting

I added a navy blue double belting to add a bit of a unique contrast and show the shape of the body.

Front and Back

This light salmon knit fabric is actually an old fabric my mom had for quite a while. I love the color and it actually has a unique texture to it that adds to the design.

Front and Back With Belting

The white belting keeps this pale salmon dress cute and simple.

Simplicity 3882 View A

Stay tuned for View C coming soon.

~JV

Summer Dresses- Orange Bubble

This dress I made a couple years ago. It's Simplicity pattern 3529. I started making the version with sleeves but when I had it almost finished, I didn't like how it looked. So I took the sleeves off and finished the edges.

Front and Back

The back looks just like the front except a little more cut in at the arms

It's a very loose fitting dress so I added a belt to keep it fitted and flirty.

Front with Belt

Back with Belt and Tie

Simplicity Pattern 3529

 I love the color of this dress for summer and the options I have in accessories to add to it.

~JV

Fuchsia Decor

Just wanted to write a quick post for the night. This one is another freelance design for Unique Weddings and Events. It's been a busy week of late night sewing but I know it's all worth it because they make people happy :)

The bride's colors are fuchsia and orange. The arch has a gathered effect with accents of orange bows and ties. The unity candle table cover is gathered in a pattern to create a draped effect.

 This is actually the second arch cover I've made, the first was a white cover. This fuchsia one has a fuller look to it.

This was for a viewing to confirm the look of the event and the bride loved it. We'll see if she wants me to make anything else.

~JV

Draped Panels

Now I know I said July would be a month of dresses but I wanted to post some of the projects I do for my freelance work. Most of the work I do is with Charlene Thompkins of Unique Weddings and Events. She is a wonderful wedding planner who pretty much does anything for her brides. She is so creative and when we get together I know we come up with some great designs.

This past week she had me working on some panels for a wedding this past weekend. Some of the panels were a plain, straight design, but the other panels, she wanted a dramatic draped design. For the draped panels I used elastic to create a gathered effect that in turn created a drape when hung up. I wasn't sure what they would turn out like, but when Charlene texted me the photos I was very happy with the results. She was so excited about how they turned out and she even said the bride cried when she saw the whole look together.

So here are some pictures, sorry if they're blurry, it's taken with a phone.

The panels were spaced out with solid ones on the sides and sheer ones in between.

I love the Tiffany Blue she used for the tables and chair backs.

This is the whole effect of the backdrops I made. I love it and so did all the guests :)

These are the plain panels I created to go behind the DJ. Pretty simple but it adds to the feel of the reception.

Charlene is a great designer, and she works with you from day one to find out what your needs are and she strives to make you celebration the best it can be. If you like what you see from the pictures, please please please email her at uniqueswed@yahoo.com and let her bring out the best on your special day.

~JV

Dresses of Summer- Reception Dress

I made this dress after our trip to Hawaii but it still is relevant to the trip. Because a trip to Hawaii is a bit expensive, not all of our friends and family were able to attend. So in order for everyone to join the festivities, we had a Hawaiian themed reception back in Michigan the following July.

This is the dress I designed and made for the party. Again the floral print was perfect for a tropical themed party and it had great colors to play with. It is a fitted A-line dress hitting above the knee. The green straps pull out the green details in the dress and are halter style. I had also made a green belt to tie around the waist, but I couldn't find it for the pictures.

The open back was something I wanted for a flirty summer style. 

I actually made a skirt from the remaining fabric for a friends luau themed birthday party this past June.

The fabric was perfect for it.

 It's a simple skirt, fitting right under the bust. It was really easy to put together, basically two seams on the sides, attach to the elastic, and hem.

Enjoy!

~JV

Dresses of Summer- Luau

This next dress is one I designed and made for the luau in celebration of my brother's wedding. After the ceremony we had a little reception in the basement of the church with some food, cake, and fellowship. Afterwards, we all went back to the hotel to get ready for the luau we were going to attend for the night. We were shuttled there and when we arrived we were sat right in front of the stage because we were there with a  party for a wedding. Food and drinks were brought to us when we wanted and we had front row seats to all the luau festivities. Almost felt like royalty :)

 I wanted to make a maxi dress because that is what I picture women wearing when they attend a luau. I love the colorful floral print. Definitely a Hawaiian dress.

I created a scoop neck empire waist design and added a braided belt with braided straps.

The back I wanted to create an interesting detail so I did a weaving of the strands continued from the braid I started in the front.

I really enjoyed wearing this dress, especially when I was hand chosen by one of the dancers to go on stage and learn how to do a pom pom dance. It was an exciting experience and one I'll never forget :)

~JV

Dresses of Summer- Evening Wear #2

This dress that I am posting is the first dress I made for my brother's wedding in Hawaii. I made it from Simplicity pattern 2693, view B. I had added an extra layer at the bottom because it was a little too short for a more conservative family. Then I ended up trying it on multiple times to get the whole look, and I decided it was a little too formal for what I thought the wedding would be. That's how I ended up making the turquoise floral dress.

*Please forgive the wrinkles, I was on a roll taking pictures and didn't want to heat up my room*

 It's a tiered strapless dress, with a gathered waistband and double bow.

 The double bow is the same one I made for the turquoise dress, just a little larger.

I didn't even mean to make the dress the same color to look exactly like the dress on the pattern. The yellow satin was extra from a dress I made for school. I might make one of the other versions for another wedding, just not use a satin to make it seem so formal.

~JV

Dresses of Summer- Evening Wear

I'm back from camping and had a few days to rest so now I'm back to post more beautiful dresses.

The next couple posts I will be showing some dresses I designed and made specially for a trip I took to Hawaii with my family in December of 2009. My brother was married there in a beautiful ceremony. His wife grew up there and they thought it was the perfect place to bring both families together in celebration. The nine day trip was full of great people, beautiful sites, and created a lifetime of wonderful memories.

This first dress I designed and made to wear to their ceremony. The floral silk is a fabric I bought at Jo Ann's and thought it was perfect for a Hawaiian wedding. It's a simple design that is a fitted turquoise strapless top with pleats and a floral A-line skirt with a empire waist that has a white crepe back satin for a band.

I like to add little details into dresses and this was a technique I used in a few projects at school. I thought it would bring a bit more to a simple dress design. 

The double bow in the back is for a pop of surprise when I would turn around.

I loved this touch.

I had actually made a dress to wear to the wedding before I designed this one, then ended up not wanting to wear the other one so I came up with something on my own and loved it. I absolutly love this dress and just looking at it makes me think of how wonderful my trip to Hawaii was.

P.S. This is Hanauma Bay where we went snorkling and layed out in the sun.

The picture doesn't do it justice.

~JV