Prom Dress 2015

I decided to go to Prom very last minute this year, so my outfit was very simple. The plan was a knit leotard (to minimize fit issues) and a long, full skirt over it with my comfiest heels, since Prom was on a boat. 

 Here's the skirt pinned on the dress form. My original pattern wasn't very flattering at the waistline, so I gathered it and added a panel at the back. 

The Instagram sneak-peak photo. 

Here's the half finished lining. It ended up having two rows of those ruffles made out of petticoat tulle.

I decided to stash bust for the lining (this was made on a tight budget!) so each panel was a different color. Looked a bit like a parachute :)

Here's the final ensemble!

I found this silver taffeta at Britex Fabrics, and I think silver taffeta is going to be my thing.

When I added the panel to the back, the waistband got a little messed up, so I made a sash to cover it, which I liked so much better than the plain waistband! It really helped define my waist. 

And I put a little pocket in the side seam! Which I definitely rubbed in everyone's faces all night long. Dresses with pockets! Infinitely more possible and available when you make your own clothes.

I also really love the leotard pattern! It's a Nettie from this site. 

Hem was finished with my favorite hemmer foot. 

The zipper was a little funky on the skirt, but it wasn't very noticeable. When I added the extra panel to the back, the grainlines were thrown off. Made the seams not as smooth, but it's what I had to do to make the skirt fit!

Some night of photos. 

Me and my super hot date, Leila. 

And my amigas. 

So there you have it! A friend just mailed me a beautiful, beaded gown for re-making and I'm already dreaming about next year's Prom dress. 

-Taft W-K

Quilted Pillow for Cam

Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy!! It's summer vacation and you dedicated readers know what that means....blog posts every Wednesday! So let's start on our first post of the summer:

More stash-busting projects! I'm trying to buy less fabric this year. Kind of because I'm saving cash and kind of because I ran out of space to keep it. But mostly the second reason. 

Anyway, it was recently my friend Cam's birthday and I wanted to make her something special...

There was plenty of Snapchat communication with other people about the present too. I loved the idea of a rainbow patter, but didn't want to overdo it. 

The answer was, of course, there is no such thing as too much rainbow. So onward I forged....

That's the back of the pillow after a half-seasons worth of Gilmore Girls. (It was Spring Break. Time is measured in units of Netflix.)

The fabric is some random white cotton I found in a stash (previously a bedsheet, curtain, or tablecloth I believe.) This was an experiment in machine quilting as well, which I discovered was nice when I was tired, but mind-numbing when I was feeling creative. Glad I found that out. 

Sooooo maaannnnyyy knots....

Next up was the letters! I scaled them up from a font I found in our family's font book (AKA the greatest book on earth). 

The tracing around the letters took another couple episodes of Gilmore Girls (but I was more focused on the show than the pillow. Sorry Cam, but that's the truth.) 

The edges were finished in red grosgrain ribbon. 

I love the fabric the letters are cut out of! They're also on a handmade quilt I'm working on right now (more on that later!) 

Embracing that zig-zag aesthetic. 

Más knots. 

It's so round and squishy! Cam keeps it on the couch in her room. 

Happy Birthday, Cam!

-Taft

Christmas Skirt for Mom (posted in May? No big deal.)

You know what? I'd just like to make it policy on this blog that projects are posted at least 4 to 5 months after completion. That way, I'll never be in danger of breaking rules or disappointing. 

The Christmas budget ran kind of low last year (that awkward moment where you're a teenager with hardly any time to babysit and an insatiable appetite for fabric), so I ended up making a lot of my presents and stash busting at the same time!

Here's the skirt I made for Mom: 

I found this pattern in another Alabama Chanin book (this one here) that was gifted to me for my birthday last year. 

Both the pattern and the stencil are from the book.

I left the hem as a raw edge, NOT because I ran out of time! Please, I managed my time perfectly on this project. (Does anyone know how to convey sarcasm over the internet?). A lot of Alabama Chanin projects are left with raw hems and edges, which I really like the look of in jersey fabric. 

I ended up getting fold-over elastic later and finishing the waistband with that instead so it would fit Mom better. 

She loves the weight of the skirt, warm enough for San Francisco, and it's professional enough for conferences and work! And so very comfy in jersey fabric. 

How does everyone else stashbust their fabric collection?

-Taft WK 

Winter Formal Dress 2015

I know, it's so so so so late, but better late than never! 

This is the first dress that I patterned completely from scratch, completely of my own design! I started with a bodice sloper and altered it to fit me and then added the design details. 

Here's the cutting process: 

And a hella artsy preview picture for Instagram: 

I kept really good notes for myself on the envelope for this project. I'd done it all from scratch and I don't trust my memory to be my only reference. 

The final product!

This fabric is a crinkled, silver taffeta from Britex Fabrics. It was surprisingly affordable considering where I bought it, and the crinkles meant there was a little bit of stretch in it. 

The asymmetrical neckline on this dress was a major design point and was drafted several times before I settled on the perfect shape. It was a little tricky to cut out and position on the fabric, but I'm very satisfied with the outcome. 

Short sleeves. Looking back, I wish I had made them just a little bit shorter, but I was (of course) rushed to finish. 

Both the front and back had darts coming up from the waist. (Is there a technical name for that?) 

THE BACK IS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE. BUUUUTTTOOOONNNSS. More on this later.

The skirt is a half circle skirt; full enough that it moved well, but not so full that the fabric yardage became expensive.

And the back! I just adore those buttons. My machine *thinks* it can do buttonholes, but it really can't, so I had to hand-bind all of them (while watching Legally Blonde on a babysitting job, of course!). Unfortunately, I made them a little to big and it kept coming unbuttoned while I was dancing! My friends were on the lookout and buttoned me back up whenever they noticed ;). 

Also, shout out to my mom for that epic French twist hairdo. 

Speaking of which, here's my friend Cat and I before the dance! We got some awesome awkward couple pics together. 

-Taft WK 

P.S. Webers! That's GG's crystal necklace I'm wearing. And the matching bracelet too! Beautiful jewelry, I've worn it with all the fancy dresses I've made.