A special custom-made coat

Quite a picture heavy blog post today to showcase a coat that I recently finished. This coat was a special commission from a good friend who is also a loyal customer (and has been from the start). We had a vision of how it wanted to look, and finding the perfect fabric and buttons was as much of a challenge as getting the coat right!

In the end we decided on a black poly-blend Melton fabric for the outer layer, and a beautiful blue-black jacquard weave lining fabric with a rose motif on it. Buttons were sourced from Duttons after an extensive look round everywhere.

The coat design itself is fairly simple: full-length with a fitted waist and additional flare at the back to create dramatic movement when she's walking. And, as is only appropriate, a voluminous hood.

Winter product highlight: cloaks

Following on from capes a couple of weeks ago it's time for my last product highlight: cloaks!

Full-length cloaks were the first item that I started to offer on a made to order basis, and they've remained a steady favourite ever since. Most popular are my fleece cloaks with a polyester lining, as they are lovely and warm plus showerproof and can be easily machine washed when needed.

(I also offer an unlined version, but most people seem to like the opportunity to have a flash of contrasting colour from the lining as they walk)

In the last year or so I've seen an increase in demand for semi-circular cloaks, which customers generally prefer to have made up in a wool-blend Melton or pure boiled wool. These are truly spectacular garments, quite heavy but super warm due to the amount of fabric you have draped around you.

I haven't listed the semi-circular cloaks in my online shop yet as price varies quite a bit depending on the length you require, but it is on the list of "things I really need to do". In the meantime I'm happy to do you a quote if you let me know what you're after!

A lovely fabric choice on the part of a customer.

Just a quick post this week to show you a customer's lovely fabric choice. Upon hearing that I was off on maternity leave in the not too distant future one of my regulars went on a little shopping spree at one of the local fabric shops and brought me material to make her a number of dresses to tide her over until I return to work. The dresses themselves are all variations on a style I've made for her before, which we know suits her and she feels good in, but normally she chooses a plain fabric. Not this time though! She fell in love with this fabulous Rose & Hubble stamp print cotton, so I was set the challenge of turning it in to a dress.

I have to admit that lining up the pattern repeat of the stamps so that there was no visible break at the waist was a little bit of a challenge, but what a result...

 

Winter product highlight: capes

This week's product highlight is capes. There is no big story behind the beginning of these, just that my love of them and my love of wearing them has driven me development of my original pattern. Subsequent alterations / options have evolved from a combination of ideas from my head and requests from customers.

The 'true' original design is the fleece outer, polyester lining and rounded hood:

After this design was tried and tested fully I added in the option to have a pointed hood instead:

Next step - other materials! I wanted to offer a wool version but didn't want the colours to be limited to just a few shades. Fortunately I found a supplier that can offer a wide range, and what a range that is:

And most recently? Capes with armholes part way across the front. In either hood design and any fabric, the overall shape of the cape remains the same.

So where will I go next with them? I seem to be always looking at waterproof pvc options and I'm working on my pattern and design for that but this year's personal events may delay release a little bit. I'm always happy to custom make though, and have a variety of one-offs in a few designs and fabrics (including some velvets and lace) for sale either on my website or in Fabrication in Leeds.

The great reveal - beaded lace wedding dress!

I know I've been quiet for a little bit, but I've been squirreled away in my workroom completing this dress, and then I took a well deserved week's holiday! I'm back going full-steam ahead on various other projects now, but not before I share a few pictures of the finished dress with you (it's ok, the wedding was on Saturday, I'm not spoiling any surprises!)

This was a full-length wedding dress custom designed and made for this bride. Fully structured, it's made from a satin underlay covered with beautiful beaded lace. All the lace edging and the button detailing was applied by hand.

From the front...

 

 The back...

And close ups of some of the edging / the train...

The bride was delighted with it (phew!) and I have to agree, it's a lovely dress and the style she chose suited her to a T!

A trio of capes

A trio of capes to show you now, all made for a returning customer.

First up, charcoal fleece with a red/black jacquard weave lining:

Second, a lightweight linen/cotton blend cape for summer wear (they were dispatched to her in time for her holiday so she could take it with her!) with a pretty button closure:

Third, a cape made in the colours of her rugby team (Northampton Saints, in case you're wondering). I think this is a great idea, if I followed a team myself I'd definitely have one in their colours for me!

Bodycon dress

From loose and floaty to skin-tight now, with pictures of a custom made bodycon dress that I finished last week for a customer. Made from a lovely thick weight light charcoal jersey, this really a dress which hugs every curve and shows off the figure inside!

(you can see where my mannequin's 'hips' finish by when the ruching on the seam starts - if I'd time I'd have worked out something to add more structure to the lower half to show of the curves better, but c'est la vie, you'll just have to imagine it not doing that on the real person!)

The neckline is finished with a gathered flower made from the same material, with a few discreet black beads in the centre.

 

Struggling to find ties for the Groom's party?

I wanted to share these to show couples planning their wedding that if the place you're getting your suits from doesn't have the right colour ties you don't have to stress about it - get in touch and providing I can get hold of a fabric in the colour you're after I can make them up for you! The commission pictured below is a case in point - the bridesmaids dresses were a slightly unusual colour but the couple got in touch and I was able to find them an almost perfect match for the ties.

Problem solved, and five custom made ties for the Groom's party...

Sparkly sparkly sparkly

A belated post to show you one of the other prom dresses I made last month.

This one's a little bit different to the sequinned number I showed in my last post, being duchess satin and there being a lot less of it, but equally stunning in it's own right. A satin skirt and ruched satin bodice front were connected by a number of embellished straps to make a really eye-catching dress!

From the front:

And the back:

Despite its flimsy appearance it fit the girl it was made for like a glove and wasn't at all precariously positioned when it was on her, quite an achievement I feel!

Sequins!

A post today to show you a few pictures of one of the prom dresses that I've finished in the last week. It's a lovely dress, elegant in the simplicity of the shape (which works so well with her willowey figure) but also modern in the fact that the material is small matt sequins.

From the front the dress looks like a very modest number, with long sleeves and a reasonably high neckline.

But from the back? A diamond cut-out adds an extra bit of wow without revealing too much.

And as is inevitable with sequins I'm still finding them on the floor despite having vacuumed since the dress left my workshop, it seems like they hide and creep out when I'm not looking!

Photos from a happy customer

Following on from my previous post, I'm delighted to be able to share a few photos with you of a beautiful bride and her lovely bridesmaids on her wedding day.

Congratulations to Juliet and Alan, I hope you have a long and happy marriage. And thankyou to Juliet for choosing me to make your dresses and cloak, I think it was a fab combination and I'm so glad you were pleased with them!

It started with an idea of wearing a cloak...

Pictures today of a commission that I finished shortly before my week off - a commission that started with the bride to be looking for a cloak to wear on her wedding day and ended up with me being asked to make not just the cloak but matching bridesmaids dresses and her dress as well!

First, her dress: a simple full-length strapless dress with an off the shoulder band that also went round her arms.

And her cloak: beautiful burgundy duchess satin, lined with ivory satin and with a silver clasp to hold it closed.

And the bridesmaids: the same lovely colour satin in styles appropriate to their ages (and sadly the older girl's dress fitted on none of my mannequins so you only get a picture of it on the hanger).

I have seen photos of the wedding day and they all looked absolutely gorgeous, I'm waiting for permission to share them with you all though, so you'll have to keep your fingers crossed for now!

A family of waistcoats

Not a long post today, or one with a lot of photos, but I just wanted to show you a picture of one of my finished commissions this week - a family of waistcoats for cousins of varying ages to wear for a wedding. 

These came about after chatting to the bride when she brought her dress in for alteration, as she was struggling to find anything that went across the three ages in a colour that she wanted them to wear. Fortunately she was able to find the perfect colour at Fletcher's (the back is a two-tone material with a blue 'flash' that matches the front) and I was able to do the rest for her...