The Making of a Beauty Queen – Part II

Putting rhinestones on a dress. Hmmm, well there are flatbacks, which definitely helps. Flatback crystals, like the name implies have a flat back to sit flush on the fabric, but have a faceted topside – making the crystals look like they’ve been imbedded into the fabric. There are glue-on and sew-on flatbacks. Glue-ons are used most frequently – think BeDazzler; but I didn’t think that would suit my beauty queen customer. What if they start popping off while she’s walking onstage! Or just as bad, what if all those dots of hot glue stiffen up the satin – booo! So I went with the sew-on kind. They one tiny hole in the center vertically. I got some transparent thread, which looks very much like thin fishing line, and an embroidery hoop and began the task at hand (pun intended!):

sewing on rhinestones

Each one has to be handsewn twice, backward and forward, so the thread creates a bracket the rhinestone can’t escape from. Since the design is a starburst, I kept them in a line so I wouldn’t have 200 knots on the backside of the fabric. Several hours later, the starburst was complete. I was quite taken with the finished effect and wouldn’t have a problem working with sew-on flatbacks again in the future.

completed rhinestone starburst

Putting it all together coming soon….

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The Making of a Beauty Queen – Part I

I’ve been busy. I know, it’s no excuse not to post. Maybe you’ll cut me some slack if I show you what I’ve been up to 🙂 A lovely, young beauty pageant contestant approached me about making her upcoming pageant dress. I thought how exciting it would be to have one of my dresses on stage and quickly agreed. I was given these sketches to create the design:

Front

Back

The dress would be a sweetheart neckline, mermaid style silhouette with tulle at the bottom, lace up back with a modesty panel, and a rhinestone starburst at the waist. Very glamorous, indeed, and a bit of a challenge for me since I’ve not worked with rhinestones before. But I was up for the challenge!

It’s important to start with a good foundation, so I began with the lining:

the bare bones

A good foundation is critical to every strapless garment. If not done correctly, with the proper materials, the dress will fail miserably. What you see here is the part of the dress you don’t usually see. When it’s complete, these inner workings will be concealed between the layers. I’ve used a teal poly lining with medium poly/mesh boning (black strips). This type of boning is flexible enough to let the wearer’s body be the star of the show while still providing support and control, as opposed to stiffer, corset-type boning. You also see the tulle layer here; the lining continues under the tulle so as not to be scratchy on the wearer’s legs when she sits and walks.

Stay tuned…. More photos coming soon 🙂

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Black Friday Sale!

I’m having a Black Friday Sale in my Etsy shop! Use the coupon code BLACKFRIDAY10 during checkout to receive a 10% on your order. Current custom item turnaround time is 4-6 weeks. Need a dress for New Year’s? Order right away to beat the deadline!

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Gigi: 1950s Inspired Strapless Wrap Gown

Gigi was inspired by a film of the same name made in 1958. She has a beautiful pleated, wrap detail that can be tied in the front or the back. Another Made To Order gown, I have created her in floor length, tea length, with straps, and with embroidery detail. She is a throwback to romance and princess fantasies. Show off the curve of your neck, the slope of the shoulder, and the line of the collarbone. The strapless, sweetheart neckline is fully supported with boning, and the full skirt comes with tulle in a complementary or contrasting color.
Plus Sizes welcome. Available in your color choice; silk, satin, or taffeta; and your choice of length.

This gown is not only an excellent choice for a ball or formal night on a cruise, but can be customized as a wedding gown with a train. Tea length makes Gigi a perfect choice for bridesmaids.

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New Designs in the Works

You may not know this about me, but I am a homeschooling mother of 4 (ages 7 to 16). During the school year, I am busy, busy with homeschooling and just staying on top of orders that come in. Summer is my “design time”.

I’m excited to have time to design! I feel like I don’t get to do it enough, and so, when I have the opportunity, my mind usually races ahead while my hands try to catch up 🙂 My goal is to put out a total of 10 new designs by the end of the summer. I have 2 down right now and have a 3rd on the cutting table. I’m keeping my focus on formals – whether it’s cocktail dress, evening gown, or bridal party.

Suggestions on what you’d like to see (perhaps you have an upcoming event you need to shop for) are most welcome. I’m an interactive designer 🙂 I will be adding a couple of separates soon for the business wardrobe. You can see the new Office Corset now in my shop.

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Dress Sample Sale!

I’m busy working on several new designs for the Formals Collection and am quite excited by the direction my inspirations are taking me! In this business, designs are drawn and tweaked, patterns are made and re-worked, models are chosen and dresses are made. Then photo magic happens, and I get to share my work with you online and you kind people have your dresses custom made by me 🙂

Callidora’s Closet is not huge. Sadly, she dreams of a much larger closet, but must make do with the limited space she has. And so, the Dress Sample Sale was born! These samples were only worn once for photos. If you are lucky enough to have the same dimensions as my models, you can get yourself a little something special at a discount price.

Click here to view the samples

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Old Hollywood Glam – Finished!

Here are some photos of the finished 1930s gown I made for Erin:

Of course, my mannequin, Belinda, doesn’t quite do it justice. But I’m hopeful that Erin will send me photos of her in it 🙂

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