Post-wedding crash!

Everything is finally done and now I'm just playing catch up!

I got everything sewn in time for the wedding.

I finished several machine embroideries of the logo for the seminar (now he wants more!)

I helped get the reception set up and herded all the children in the wedding (the only other adult in the bridal party besides the bride and groom was in a wheel chair) - including the twin newly 6 yr old ring bearer and flower girl (after I talked her into at least going, the flower girl bawled all the way up the aisle without throwing one petal and attached herself to daddy/groom's legs - wouldn't move for pictures or anything). I had to laugh because the ring bearer's boutonniere which was a lovely white rosebud had only one petal by the time we were waiting for the ceremony to start - (he smashed the rest when he wiped out first thing at the reception). He couldn't stop playing with the ribbons holding the rings on and we almost lost the groom's ring once (luckily my sister noticed and we tied it back on). The best man had to miss the rehearsal so he didn't have the rings off the pillow and there was a long delay while they were getting the rings untied! The other three were much better behaved (7, 9 and 10) thank goodness. My sister was calm throughout the whole thing and none of it bothered her a bit. I think she's going to be a good mommy to the 5 of them!

My only complaint was my shoes! They were purchased just for the wedding and were evil! I only wore them for the ceremony and my feet still hurt. If you ever read Steve Martin's Cruel Shoes you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Bob was wonderful and really helped with everything. My baby is getting so grown up! *sob* Everyone was commenting on how helpful and gorgeous she is.

At the reception it was much easier. Bob played with my niece. The boys and groom's oldest girl (the tomboy who wore a tux to the wedding), played together well as usual, and most of the time they had the boy twin with them and entertained). My new niece the 6 year old bonded with Kitty! I couldn't believe it!! It's always bothered Kitty that my sister's daughter plays favorites and will not play with anyone but Bob (partly because Kitty reeked when they first met and partly because that's just the way my niece is). Now she has a toy child of her own to play with!

I helped break down the reception hall and clean up. The reception was beautiful, but my sister over estimated the energy of the guests and left things like bouquet and garter tossing until the end... and everyone had gone home! Only the best man and his girlfriend were there so it was technically a hand off. *grin* She'd scheduled the reception from 4-9pm and all but immediate family were there after only about 7:30pm. Second wedding for both so most of the guests were well over 35. Hubby and I and my favorite cousin and his wife were one of the few couples on the dance floor at all.

Had to loan out Bob to my dad and stepmom who were watching my sister's kids while she and her Hubby went on their honeymoon. My niece needed someone to be with her. This is a tough transition for all the kids!

Some of my favorite family members got to come to the wedding (my Aunt Mary who I was named after, and my favorite cousin and his wife), and I was reminded that they read my blog (gotta watch my Ps and Qs with the story telling! It was kind of cool not to have to play catch up for hours about what's going on - we could focus on them and other stuff.

(Hi Aunt Mary, Hi John and Sandra!)

The wedding was gorgeous and I'll post pictures as soon as someone sends me some. We didn't break out the camera once!

Sewing

Bob as Cinderella in a fancy dress I made for her. Ponito as Prince Charming in his own homemade costume. Here's more of my kids' costumes: Ponito costumes here
Bob costumes here

I've made some unusual projects and refused even more. Talk of the naked bridesmaid reminded me of some of them. I haven't scanned in much of my portfolio and some things I never got pictures of, so not all of these are my work - they just look like it so you can see what I'm talking about.

Some I turned down:

• A bikini for Weimaraner's with 4 tops, one for each set of nipples. The guy claimed he was making a calendar. (FYI if you want to see some funny/cool pet costumes: Google Why Dogs Bite People - there's a least 3 different e-mails going around - each with different costumes)
• A sleeper, diapers and bib for a man with unusual sexual habits. This one was a phone call - creepy.
• "Unusual" undergarments for a 6'3" transvestite (although I did make him a skirt), and he was a super nice guy (ugly woman though).

Bob in a dress made specially for a cousin's wedding. She wasn't in the wedding party, but since she coordinated with the bridesmaids and flower girl, she got to hand out programs and so in her mind anyway, participate in the wedding.

Bob and the actual flower girl (Shh! I thought Bob's dress was prettier, but then I think silver lame - the girl's silver metallic top - is just tacky. Shh!).

Speaking of tacky... presenting The World's Tackiest Wedding Dress.

The bride wanted a dress she could wear to the JP's office and then out clubbing afterward.

It's hard to tell in this "wedding portrait" she gave me, but this dress was made from cheap white t-shirt material (I'd been using as a size sample for cheerleading costumes I made for a group of emotionally disturbed tween and teenagers). She was so tiny and was paying me so little ($70 - if she gave me a picture for my portfolio, this was the 3x5 picture she gave me!), that I figured it wouldn't hurt to take a short cut and try it on so I could skip making a pattern just for her. To my surprise she said she was happy with the sample (?!) and I couldn't talk her out of it so I actually saved myself more than a step.

She wanted a jagged hem (think Tinkerbell) and if the v of one of the points had met in the front, you would have been able to see her *hoohah.* I added some sheer material to the top and pearls to "fancy it up some," but there was only so much I could do. Still, she loved it so I guess that's all that matters.

I don't have a picture of the Naked Bridesmaid, so you'll just have to use your imagination. This was the most similar dress I could find and of course this is a white girl. The real Naked Bridesmaid's dress was tighter. But this was the best I could do with photoshop.

World's talled dude in costume (sorry it's sideways). This guy is like 6'7". One of the strangest people I've sewn for, and I mean that in the nicest possible way! Not as awkward as making clothes for transvestites though.

One eye, one horn flying Purple People-Eater costume. Technically this was paper mache not sewing, but what portfolio of the unusual would be complete without it?!

For my wedding I bartered for most everything (that's how I got the title "Barter Queen."). I sewed dresses for both bridesmaids, the best person, and of course myself. I bartered a horse blanket and an English riding jacket for the wedding flowers.

For the wedding cake I made outfits for the porcelain dolls the baker made. I've also made period costumes for a shop that sold and made antique doll reproductions, but I quit because the Amish woman who made the sweetest ruffly baby doll outfits would do it much cheaper than I could and no one cared that mine were historically accurate. (the sweet baby dolls sold better, go figure)(These are not ones I made. Mine were fancier, but you get the idea).

The photographer got living room curtains in exchange for the bridal portraits, but she made me pay for the actual wedding pictures (and then didn't take any throughout the entire ceremony!). I found her through our church, so when her pastor said no flash photography during the ceremony she listened (he didn't mean her!). All of our wedding photos were staged while the guests stood around at the reception waiting for us. None of our pictures have anyone in the pews. Oh well.

Over the years I've done a lot of home decor too, but I'll save that for another post as this one has too many pictures already. Here's some samples from previous posts if you're dying to see - Kid room decorating made the bedding, rugs, curtains, (beds and murals...)

A little extra energy

Been feeling a little more energy this weekend. I actually got some work done around the house. The front door handle has been breaking for several weeks now (the little part that sticks into the door frame won't completely retract most of the time). Since the door already sticks, this means you can spend 2 minutes pushing down the tab on the outside (or twisting the handle on the inside) and pushing the door trying to get it to open. The house is 15 years old and so many things are falling apart - this is not even the only broken door.

This weekend I found a new door handle on mega clearance (and then my little sister paid for it! Yea! She picked up the tab for a few things since she's not paying me to alter her wedding dress). When we took off the old handle to put on the new we discovered they're not the same size and shapes. So I cleaned and painted the front door with primer to hide the old marks.

Still need to decide what color to paint it. Normally I'd do red, but the house is red brick and I think that would look wrong. Maybe forest green... hmm.

I've been working on altering my little sister's wedding dress (This is it, but hers now has lace straps, is 3 inches shorter, and has had the back adjusted to accommodate her enormous bosom and little ribs and waist - think Dolly Parton!), and it's kind of gotten me in a sewing mood.

My girls aren't in the wedding, but I let them buy semi-formals (at a resale shop of course) that they could wear again for the end of the school year dance. They were aided by one of Bob's friends. Bob's friend picked a black dress for Bob (and helped Kitty choose a black dress too). Probably before she even got home, Bob decided she didn't like the dress. Plus, my sister wasn't totally thrilled by the fact that the girl's dresses are black.

We went to a bridesmaid shop to see what Bob would have chosen if she had a lot of choices. We'd done this a couple of weeks before with Kitty to see what looked more flattering on her figure (not easy to do as Kitty is very busty and has a large belly). Bob of course fell in love with a $150 dress chiffon and satin dress (actually all the bridesmaid dresses seemed to be $150). Next thing I knew I was buying fabric! I am officially insane.

(Bob's dress will be a little more teal than this one, but this is the style.)

Now not only do I have to finish my sister's dress, fix my ugly Matron of Honor dress** by adding a lace inset to and mending it (I got it for 2 dollars cause it had a ripped out zipper), but I also have to make a fancy dress for my daughter... aaand... make ivory jackets for both girls to make their dresses more appropriate for the wedding, and lighten them up for a spring afternoon wedding. (Has to be both girls because if I don't do anything for Kitty she'll feel horribly abused. Her jacket will need to be fancier and "better" than Bob's to justify the fact that I made Bob's dress).

Yea, I'm nuts.

** My dress is not really ugly, but I hate the color. I love jewel tones and black. My dress is sort of a cafe au lait which matches the lace on my sister's dress. I hate browns and they don't look good on me. Plus the dress reminds me of "The Naked Bridesmaid." Back when I used to sew professionally I made a bridesmaid dress for a girl who had been given the fabric and pattern by an out of state bride. The dress was very form fitting. The color - cafe au lait. The girl's skin color? Also cafe au lait. She truly looked naked.

(To the right is "my" dress, but you have to imagine it in a size 18, with my ample bosum making the neckline practically obscene and pushing the shoulder straps off the shoulder. I'm adding a lace inset (from leftovers off the wedding gown) to cover my cleavage. I'll also be wearing "pearls" in the exact same Frappucino color (that's what the store calls it). The other bridesmaids (ages 7 and 5) will be wearing Ivory dresses with Frappucino accents. They both get tiaras like the bride. *pout*