ウェディング

The Construction of Rental Wedding Dresses in Japan

January 16, 2017 By Chie

I make custom wedding dresses (my recent makes here and here), but occasionally I have a chance to refashion a dress from a rental shop. Renting one’s wedding dress is very popular in Japan. Usually the rental dress shop a given bride uses is associated with wedding ceremony venue so a bride “must” pick a dress from that wedding hall’s dress shop. If they choose an alternate dress rental provider, they will be charged extra fee.
It’s interesting to see the construction of a rental dress as it is different from a custom dress. Because the dress is meant to be used by different brides over and over again, it must be made with more durable fabrics (synthetics) and is far more adjustable. I wanted to show the key features of a rental dress.1. Elastic back panel
I incorporate this element in the recent dress I made.2. Lace up3. Wide waist stay4. Bra cups
5. Built-in tulle under skirt to add volume

Not only is the construction different, but also the style of the dress is unique to rental dresses. You almost never see a relaxed Bohemian style like Grace Loves Lace or Limor Rosen as a rental option. Rather, you see dresses in a Disney princess style with a big puffy skirt and many layers. I wonder if this style difference comes from the nature of renting as it is easier for many people to fit in a puffy skirt than a mermaid style where you have to worry about the exact fit in waist and hip area. My hope is to provide more variety of choice for Japanese brides!Find me elsewhere:

Wedding Welcome Bears

October 15, 2015 By Chie

I’ve had this blog since 2008, and this is the first stuffed animal project I’m posting in nine years! This was such a fun project to work on. It was refreshing to be sewing these cute bears which is different from garment sewing. No need to worry about the fitting!

I don’t know about other countries, but in Japan, it is very common to have a “welcome doll” of some sort at the wedding. They are usually sitting next at the reception area of the wedding. I have two friends’ weddings coming up in November and was asked to make them.

I googled “Teddy Bear Patterns” (テディベア　型紙)in Japanese and came up with this. For some reasons, the letters are not readable, but I just needed the patterns so it didn’t really matter. The fabric is a white fur bought in Okadaya. I’m a big fan of Okadaya online. It ships for 390 yen (about 3 USD) within Japan, and depending on their sale’s schedule, they reduce the shipping cost to half the price. It is cheaper than getting to Okadaya’s physical store in Shinjuku by train and I usually end up buying other stuff that I don’t plan on like extra fabrics or chocolate. Anyway, totally recommended if you live in Japan.

I bought 20cm of the fur and it made four bears and I still have some left. I used 2mm stitch length to sew the pieces in machine. Making four bears took much longer than I anticipated since it involved a fair amount of hand sewing like enclosing the opening for head, body, legs and arms.

The most fun part of this project was to make tiny dresses and vests! So fun. It reminded me of my childhood days when I was obsessed with my dolls (mine was called Jenny) and her dresses that my mom made. I just used left over satin and laces that were laying around.

Attaching pearl beads to imitate pearl necklace.Since I was making two of each bears (male and female), I made paper patters for the clothes. That way, I don’t have to guess the length and fit for the second time.

Tada! They are so adorable. Kiko liked them and she was sad when I told her they were not for her. Maybe I should make one for her. I found a doll pattern shop on Etsy, called Gingermelon. I might make some for Kiko.

ウェルカムベアを作りました。
ボアはオカダヤで。4匹のベアを作るのに、20センチで出来ました！安上がり♪

一番楽しかったのは洋服作り。
余っているサテン、リボン、チュール等でちいさなちいさなお洋服を作るのは胸がときめきました。
子供のころ人形遊び命だったので。。。そのころを思い出しました。

ウェルカムベア、気に入ってもらえるといいな。

Find me elsewhere:

Flower Lace Headdress

October 2, 2015 By Chie

These gorgeous images were shot by a Japanese photographer, Shohei Yokoyama featuring Himari Kaneshiro as a model. The ethereal and fairy-like feel is so beautiful, showing off the the bridal headband and veil.

Although the finished pictures look effortless, behind the scenes was hectic…I made the headband and veil the night before the shoot, finishing up just in time for the morning shoot. I definitely had bags under my eyes!

These are available upon custom request starting 10,000 JPY. More pictures here.

モデルの金代ひまりさんとフォトグラファーの横山翔平さんと行ったブライダル撮影の写真です。
ホワイトベースの繊細な雰囲気が素敵に仕上がって嬉しいです。

舞台裏では、撮影の準備のために夜中まで小物作り（ベールとヘッドバンド）をしたり、結構ぎりぎりで大変でした＞＜

小物オーダーは、ベールやヘッドバンドの他にもボンネ、ビジューベルト、花冠、リングピローなど10,000円から受け付けております♡
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