May Day 2015--Queen's Dress

I love building dream gowns and this was one of those kinds of dresses.  Edyn came to me with a basic idea of what she wanted: something that looked like Queen Emma with dramatic hemlines and wide necklines with lots of embellishment. Edyn's Kumu wanted the dress to be form fitting so her dance would have more expression and would be emphasized. Edyn's mom wanted drama and rich colors.

Here are some of the inspiration images:

And here are some of the original design sketches:

And some of the first fabric options:

But this is what we finally came up with, the final design sketch:

The final fabric choices.  Gold for the body and Raspberry, Vanilla and Olive accents for the floral embellishments:

And the dress:


Back view but she is holding her train up.  The train is 8 ft long and is removeable so she can dance without it.

In action:

After the show:

Edyn on the right and me on the left

May Day 2015--Ladies in Waiting

My daughter watches me make dresses year round for other people and I rarely have an opportunity to make one for her. When she made May Day Court this spring the thing foremost on her mind was the dress that I would make for her.

My daughter (left) and her friend.

My daughter and the other representatives for Molokai.

 I made the satin dresses for the Island Ladies in waiting with the exception of the yellow and red dresses.

Pin tucks

The first project back from vacation is under way. I am making a new temple dress for Joann, a replica of the dress her mother made her years ago that is now getting old. 

Here's the original

The first order of business was double checking the old pattern Joann found and making sure it was indeed the same one and that all the pieces and alterations were included. The altered sleeve pattern piece was missing so I made that. 

Second order of business is underway today: pin tucks. I am marking and stitching what feels like a million little rows. A little tedious but will look so cute when finished. I have to take breaks at intervals to keep my sanity however 

Unpressed but underway

More Muu'muu

These two loved their white Muu'muu so much that they came back for more. 

Enjoyed working with these beauties!

Children's Hawaiian Dresses

These lovely little ladies had a special part in their ward's Primary program this year. To honor them their mom and dad ordered them custom dresses to match. They looked lovely and I have heard through the grapevine that their performance was flawless. It was such a pleasure working with these talented and adorable girls.

Shaka Steel Aloha Shirts

I'm back in the studio again after a month on the mainland and a week adjusting to real life and getting kids ready for school. I'll be working hard for the next few weeks on a large order of Aloha shirts for the Shaka Steel Band. I am using a traditional Aloha Shirt pattern but have added a few inches of extra length to the hem  to insure the shirts don't show bellys when mallets are swinging overhead.

For large orders like this I offer a bulk quantity discount. I sew through each size in an assembly line method cutting everything, then applying interfacing to everything, then sewing all the collars, etc. It helps to keep each item more uniform but it also takes a lot of organization.

For this project I will be going through about 50 yards of fabric, 20 yards of interfacing, 6 spools of thread and 120 wood buttons. I estimate it will take me 10 days to complete. 

The Shaka Steel Bands' first concert is the 27th of August. I can't wait to see the shirts in action.

Update:

Here's one of the finished shirts. Not a great picture--there's a reason I'm a professional seamstress not photographer. I'll post pictures from the concert after it happens.

Custom Formal Aloha wear

What a doll! This young lady is fantastic! I enjoyed getting to know her better and for the opportunity to make her this custom dress. I sure hope everything went well for you Jaz.

This dress is made from a Satin print and is fully lined. The pattern was simple and went together very quickly. No alterations to design or fit were necessary.

Custom Made Muumuu

This week I'm working on a custom made Muumuu. My client is a mainlander who was on island visiting friends. She had been looking for a Muumuu that she liked but couldn't find one that fit quite right; however, she did find the perfect fabric at the swap meet.

Before leaving for home she brought me the fabric, her measurements and a general idea of what she wanted her dress to look like. I'm excited to get the dress shipped off to her and I'm hoping for a picture of her in her new outfit. A great Hawaiian keepsake: a custom made Muumuu.