bridal

What to Do When Your Wedding Dress Color is Not Right

July 20, 2016 By Chie

A few months ago, I received a text message from a make up artist that I worked with in the past (for this shoot), asking for help. She bought a wedding dress online but the color was not the color she was expecting. The dress was made in pure white polyester satin and organza, and it did not fit well with her skin color. This strapless sweet heart neckline dress came with an organza long sleeve top which she did not like either. She wanted the color to be more of an off-white and ivory shade. So she attempted to dye the dress with coffee; however, the color did not becaus the dress fabric was synthetic.

Here is the before and after picture. I am not sure if I was able to capture the color correctly in pictures, but the one on the left is white and the one on the right is the same dress after the modification, which is off-white.
My plan was to take apart the top layers of the dress, and make new layers in off white satin, lace and chiffon using the patterns of the old wedding dress.Here is the picture of the dress after the dissection. The dress bodice with off white satin and lace layers added.
Here is the completed dress!

If your wedding dress color is not what you like, you can make the top layer based on the original dress. It is much easier and quicker than making a dress from scratch.

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Closet Case Files Carolyn Pajamas in Silk

July 7, 2016 By Chie

I made silk pajamas! After making my Ginger Jeans (white version here), I became a big fan of Closet Case Files patterns. The jeans fit pretty well for me and the high waisted version is more flattering to my body than most store bought jeans. So, when a friend asked me to make silk pajamas for her friend’s wedding gift, I immediately thought of Carolyn pajama patterns.With so many cheap versions out there (like this GU one), I wanted to make it special by crafting it in pure silk satin.

The fabric used is beige silk satin. I made my own pipping with some white silk left over from making wedding dresses. That was the recommendation from the pattern instructions, so the width of the pipping can match the seam allowances, which is 1.5cm in this case.

From putting together the patterns to finishing two pajamas took a long time…about 17 hours. One of my goals of 2016 was to keep track of my work hours in excel in order to up my efficiency. Silk satin slips around a lot so cutting it on proper grain was a challenge. I mostly used a rotary cutter and a mat to cut the fabric and interface. Silk PJ feels so luxurious! I am not sure how they will care for it since silk satin loses the shine once you wash it with water, but I am assuming this is for a special occasions. Any thoughts? For a men’s version, I used BurdaStyle Men’s Pajama Set 12/2010 #134. It is almost identical to Carolyn PJ patterns. The only modifications are to omit drawstring waist and added a pipping cuffs on pants hem. Unlike Closet Case Files pattern instructions, BurdaStyle’s instructions are like reading foreign language at times…I had to just guess and figure out.

Here is the picture of pants fly with hidden pocket for men’s PJ pants. 結婚プレゼント用に、男女お揃いのシルクパジャマを作りました。
素材は100％シルクのサテン。
ベージュに白のパイピングでクラシカルな雰囲気のパジャマが仕上がりました。
型紙は女性用はCloset Case Files Carolyn Pajama、男性用はBurdaStyle Men’s Pajama Setを使いました。

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Bridal Photoshoot with Tuli

February 26, 2016 By Chie

I teamed up with jewelry designer, Megan of Tuli for a recent bridal shoot. Megan is an American, who lives in Japan. She was in Uganda as a journalist for a while, and developed a relationship with local ladies and trained them to make beads out of paper. I enjoy working with brands with strong mission statement. Check out more about her story and jewelry here. We shot with this dress and this dress.

Besides Megan, we had French, Filipino, and Peruvian girls who gathered as make up artists, hair stylists, and a model to contribute to this shoot. It’s fun to meet with people from different countries who happen to find their way to Tokyo.

Usually I leave Kiko when I do photoshoot, but I could not find the childcare on that particular day. So, we biked to Hamarikyu park in Tsukiji together. I was surprised how much Kiko was into this whole photoshoot experience; she was talking to all the girls, helping the stylist, taking many photos (some of the below photos were taken by her and edited by me), and just overall having a great time. She was so proud of herself for being a “big help” and I was, too! Although it was still cold, you could see pretty flowers started to bloom. Behind the scenes of the shoot with Kiko helping the stylist. We are wearing the matching coat I made (Blog posts on mine and Kiko’s) 浜離宮庭園で撮影をしました。
ウガンダで手作りされたビーズからなるジュエリーブランド、Tuliと協力してブライダル撮影をしました。