Baby Shower Gifts- Special Gift

One week ago the cutest baby boy entered into this crazy world. My nephew Zachary is finally here and the whole family is over the moon! We love him so much!

I'm happy I was able to make all sorts of projects for him, and for my brother and sister-in-law, to use. This gift is one that I am especially proud of. My sister-in-law saw a diaper bag that belonged to a friend of hers and wanted one for herself and my brother. It was made from an Air Force desert flight suit. I gladly accepted the project, seeing it as a special challenge in trying to figure out how to cut and take apart a flight suit, and put all the pieces together to make this bag.

I knew as soon as I got the suit, that I wanted to use as many pockets and zippers as I could. She also wanted to keep the Velcro at the top, so they could inter-change any patches my brother has. With that in mind, I took my scissors and seam ripper and went to town. After carefully mapping out the pattern pieces, I got to work, and this is what I ended up with...

 

Front View: Front Flap with Two Pockets with Zipper closure
These pockets were the front chest area of the flight suit. The center was where the front zipper was located.



Front Top View: Velcro Pieces where Patches can be inter-changed; Zipper Pockets
Again, the Velcro was already attached to the front chest of the flight suit.



Back View: Back Pocket with Velcro Tab Closure
Strap with contrast fabric
The emblem on the tab was on the sleeves. I also used one on the front Velcro tab (but you can't see it)



The inside fabric I chose is a neutral color pallet, that way my brother could use it :)



Under the front flap, the bag has another zipper pocket (you can see it on the right)
The sides have pockets as well. One is an open pocket with elastic that you could put a bottle in.
The other has a zipper pocket that I took from one of the pant legs.

 

The inside has two pockets on each side.
There is also a stabalizing piece in the bottom to help keep it flat.



If you haven't already, check out the other gifts I made!

Baby Shower Gifts #1

Baby Shower Gifts #2

I can't wait to make more things for him as he gets older <3

Enjoy

~JV

www.facebook.com/sewingpassion

Purple "Express" Vest

This is a post I've been sitting on for a while, and I decided (since I have to urge to post something) to share this one. Especially since I'm wearing it today :)

This is a project I worked on when I was in school. One of my classes gave us a team assignment to design a line of clothing for Express. In teams of 5, we had to create a cohesive collection of 10 articles of clothing (2 per person). It was a long project that we had to put a lot of work into, but it all turned out beautiful. We also had an end of the semester fashion show in which all of the teams, from each class, showcased their collections.

I created a pair of pants (that I wore for the show, we ended up rolling up the bottom) and a purple, button down vest. The pants are a gray linen with a zipper closure, belt loops, with pockets. The vest is a pretty simple design that hits just below the hips, with four buttons to close in the front.



Front View of Collection
All the ladies, besides the girl in the gray dress on the left, were part of the group
The last member found a model to wear one of her outfits



Side View of Collection

View of Vest with Complete Outfit

This vest is what I am wearing today. I love the color and simple design. I wear it quite often and love how many things I can pair it with

Front View- Open



Front View- Buttoned



Back View



It was such a fun project to work on. It was a little stressful at times (especially since I was the group leader), but the final look of the collection was something we were all happy with. It's definitely a memory I'll have forever.

~JV

Close up of Bridal Show Dresses

Here are some pictures that go along with the Bridal Show from Jan 29, 2012

My original idea was to take an old wedding dress and reconstruct it to showcase that I can remake a mother's/grandmother's weddign dress for a bride. But when I was looking they either didn't have enough material or details to work with, or they cost way more than I was willing to spend. So I decided to make a bridesmaids dress instead.

I bought a light pink layered dress at the thrift store for about 3 dollars.

Front view

The dress had multiple layers as well as long sleeves and a few other details

Shoulder lace detail

Buttons on the sleeves

Front view

I kept it more simple in the front because you'll see that the back is quite detailed

It has a gathered waistline as well as gathered on the sides.

This was the first "draft" of how the back looks. It ended up not having the extra fabric connecting the lace and the bodice, the lace directly connected to the bodice. The buttons are from the sleeves and the lace from the shoulder. I really liked how this dress turned out even though I made it so last minute. And I got a lot of compliments (which always makes you feel good)

This vintage inspired wedding dress was designed mostly by playing with the lace a bit and keeping a simple design with a few beautiful details. The lace was an old fabric my mom had forever (so I guess it is vintage). and the only fabric I had to buy was the chiffon for the skirt.

The front has a high neckline to offset the design in the back. The sleeves are a short flared style which could be altered if the bride wanted a cap or even "tank" style. The belt is removable and gathered in four sections and connects in the back.

If you look at the blog about the actual show, you'll see that the skirt is a three layer design. It is sheer at the bottom so you'd be able to see your shoes. Again that's a detail where I could lenghten the underskirt to cover the shoes.

For the back I wanted to create this beautiful deep V design to showcase the bride's back. It's a design feature that isn't too elaborate but sure does make a statement. I absolutely love how it turned out.

Hope you enjoyed these close-ups!

~JV

1.29.12 Bridal Show

Yesterday was my first ever bridal show. It was through Unique Weddings and Events. It was at the Shriner Silver Garden Center (beautiful venue uniquely structured building with so much space inside). I was in the main room with about 20-some other vendors. And there was a stage set up where they had a fantastic fashion show.

I showcased the two wedding dresses I had made previously and then also a new gown, a new bridesmade dress and an older "bridesmaids" dress (which was actually a dress I wore for my brother's wedding). 

Here is a picture of my table, my sister modeling, and myself.

I had pictures of some of my creations, a portfolio, comment cards, business cards, and also some fruit snacks for those health conscious brides :)

I am also wearing a bridesmaids dress I created from an old dress I found at a thrift store. And I am standing next to the lasted gown I created, a vintage lace inspired gown.(I'll blog about these two dresses next)

A close up of the vintage/lace dress

A close up of the first wedding dress I made

Me and my fans!

Thanks for coming out in the blizzard.

The experience was something new, scary, and exciting. I was super nervous the days before and even while I was there. We had expected a lot of people but the weather was pretty bad which prevented us from having as many brides as we wanted. When I think it over, I'm ok with it having been slow, that way I was able to see how bridal shows work without being overwhelmed by a million brides.

It was a learning experience and now I am able to see exactly what I need for the next show. I'm thankful I had my family and friends there to support me and encourage me. They back me up (and man the table when I want to eat something).

Now I just have to come up with more dresses to showcase at the next event!

~JV

Sneek peek

This weekend is an exciting time for me. I will be attending my first bridal show as a vendor. I'm not sure what to expect or if I'll even get any clients from it but I am sure that it will be a great learning experience for me. So wish me luck :)

The event is being run by Charlene of Unique Weddings and Events, whom I do freelance work through. She is a big promoter of helping local up and coming businesses (although I wouldn't quite say I have a business yet). She will be doing four bridal shows this year and her first is "All About the Dress" 

Shriners Silver Garden Events Center of Southfield, MI

January 29, 2012 12pm to 4pm

Check out more information at the website

http://www.uwevents.com/

and also in The Knot (Michigan)

I have been trying my hardest to get more dresses done to display at the show but have been so busy I haven't quite made as many as I would have liked. But I keep telling myself I have three more shows this year to display my skills. I had started to make these beautiful flowers to add to a dress but haven't gotten to it. So instead I am going to pin them around my booth to add a little flair.

 I will definitely end up using them on a dress so I'll put that up as soon as I make it.

And the future shows are as follows (I'm really excited about the last two)

April 29, 2012 "Brides Just Wanna Have Fun" Carpathia Club, Sterling Heights

August 26, 2012 "Moroccan Theme" Eastern Market Sheds 3+4, Detroit

October 21, 2012 "Tying the Knot" Detroit Princess Boat

I'll let you know how it goes and have some photos too!!!

~JV

Framed Art

This past week I have done a lot, and I mean A LOT of sewing. Especially on Thursday, where I practically did it all day, except for a few breaks and for food. I had 4 armchair slip covers and 4 bench covers (4'x4') to make for a wedding that was today. Hopefully I can get some pictures to show all the had work I did. Lots of fabric and lots of stitching,

To say the least, it's the first time I've been tired of sewing. To keep myself sane, I decided to do a fun little project for my sewing room. I had bought a super cute wall decoration that I couldn't pass up, a couple months ago. I had been waiting to put it somewhere because I knew it would have a permanent spot once I put it up.

Then I saw a picture online that inspired me to do something different. Use picture frames and make my own artwork that I can take wherever I have a new sewing room. After some fussing and switching pieces around, this is what I came up with...

I love how they turned out! They are plain colors so that whatever design/color scheme I might have, they'll go with it. I can't wait to put them up! And I have another project I'm working on that is super cute and hopefully will go with these pictures.

What do you think? Did I put them together well? All artists start somewhere :)

~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