Blog

Washington DC Photo Diary

October 15, 2014 By Chie

During my last U.S. trip, I visited my sister who lives in Washington, D.C. area. I have been to D.C. a few times when I was a student. Every time, the place leaves me with fun memories. The weather was perfect – not too hot or too cold. I dressed casually since I was expecting to walk a lot. My sister and I ended up walking about 4 miles, starting from Union Station, stopping at some museums, and ended in the Geroge Town University area.

{I’m wearing my DIY distressed denim. They are pretty much all I wore during my trip since I ate too much and my skinny jeans fit too snug. T-shirt is from T by Alexander Wang and jacket from Madewell.}

The museums in D.C. are free of charge! This is so great. I love free entertainment! Living in Tokyo with a small child, visiting museums has become such a luxury. Not only is the museum admission expensive (usually about 1800 yen (18 USD) per person) but also small and impossible with a 3 year old.

{Pug♡}

{We ended our day with sea food at the restaurant in George Town.}Pictures by Yumi

9月のアメリカ旅行中には、1泊でワシントンＤＣにいる妹のところに遊びに行ってきました。
ＤＣには以前も何度か行ったことがあるのですが、毎回ここ、いいな~って思って帰ってくる。

たくさんある美術館は入場料無料だし、ジョージタウンの街並みはステキだし。
また行きたいです。

{find me elsewhere: shop, facebook, etsy, twitter, pinterest, instagram}

Eclectic Blue Bridesmaid Dresses and Pocket Squares

October 9, 2014 By Chie

Something I made recently: Bright blue bridesmaid dresses and matching pocket squares. A customer from Australia ordered this dress, but wanted to add the heart shaped cutout. So we customized it accordingly!

Making pocket squares were fun, as I get to practice on mitered corner, my favorite way of finishing the napkins and handkerchief.

オーダーメイドでお作りしたコットンのブライズメイドドレスとポケットスクエアです。
お客様のご要望で、後ろにハート型の切り抜きを加えました。

Check out this short video (41 sec) of the dress in action! {find me elsewhere: shop, facebook, etsy, twitter, pinterest, instagram}

Finishing Sheer Fabric Necklines

October 8, 2014 By Chie

One of the fun things about sewing is that you are forced to face with unexpected challenges whenever you make a new things. It might be the same dress you’ve made a few times before, but if the fabric is different, it reacts differently. This is how I felt after finishing this peplum top!

I recently finished a three-way wedding dress for an October bride. We decided to use this beautiful gold lace (it is called crimp lace (クリンプレース) in Japanese). One addition to the main wedding dress is the peplum top that can be worn on top of the dress for the reception to change the look a bit. It looks like the lace motif is embroidered with gold thread on cream color organza fabric. The fabric is gorgeous, and it was worth spending the money, considering the finished result. The bride went with gold, but Okadaya also has it in white, which is also beautiful for traditional wedding dress look.

Initially, I finished the neckline of this peplum top with a strip of fabric cut on bias with the same lace. You can see the “before” pictures below.

It seems like the neckline stands out quite a bit, right? I talked with the bride and she agreed. The neckline gives more of a sporty vibe for a rather delicate top.

So here is how I changed up.

1. Instead of bias strip, use facings cut in a solid color organza
I used off-white color polyester organza fabric (left over from this skirt’s insertion) and cut the facings, front and back. Depending on what sheer fabric you are using, perhaps you can use chiffon or tulle as well. For my lace, organza fit perfectly. I did not finish the lower end of facings for the fear of making the seam allowances stood out.

2. Using a clear thread, catch stitch the facings down on the lace fabric
Clear thread came in handy when sewing couture dresses. I use it for sewing tulle fabrics together if I fear that the seam allowances will be see though, and also use it for attaching lace on veil. I also used it for hand sewing these satin flowers.