Sewing for a summer wedding

 I love it when I have a social event to sew for. When I was working, I sewed many fitted, tailored garments out of the fine fabrics in my stash. Since I retired, I don't have a need for those kinds of clothes. But I do miss sewing them.  

Earlier this month, my son's best friend since 2nd grade, got married.  My son was the best man, and we were invited to the "Welcome Cocktails" on Friday night and the wedding (dress code "Garden Formal Attire) the next day.

For the cocktails, I chose to go with pants outfit. Bright, spring green wool crepe pant I made maybe 15-20 years ago. The top is Vogue 9008 (2014) View B. A sleeveless top with a draped front neckline extending into a back collar. It is semifitted, with side front seams   The center cowl section is cut on the straight grain, unlike the other two views which are bias cut. This top takes about a yard of 54" wide fabric and is easy to sew up.  The silk print was purchased from FashionFabricsClub.com in 2007.

Vogue 9006

 I have always liked a cowl neck on me and though you might think they are outdated, they must be making a comeback. I was amused to see the same style top on the Vince.com website this morning.  And the price. So glad I sew.

For the wedding outfit, I spent hours going through my patterns and my fabric stash trying to decide what to sew.  I started out looking online at dresses for weddings with the appropriate dress code.  A lot of floral, flounced dress popped up, and they were also featured heavily on the pattern sites and YouTube sewing videos.  While I love a print, I am not a frilly girl. Feeling I was being distracted from my personal style, I went into my closet and pulled out dresses I had made for formal occasion in the past, holiday parties and such.  While some were a bit snug and the styles a bit dated, I did find that they all fit a trend; simple and somewhat fitted.

That exercise got me back on track and I was able to choose a dress pattern and fabric.  Vogue 8382 (2007) view B without the front slit. The fabric was a beautiful "Mint Green/Blush Pink/Pale Turquoise/Multi 100% Silk Floral Print Broadcloth" from FabricMartFabrics.com purchased in 2022.  This fabric was printed in panels and had some misprints and big slubs in the weave (mentioned on the website fabric description and reflected in the price) that I had to work around. But it was worth it. I lined the dress in blue Bemberg rayon from the stash.

vogue pattern 8382

The wedding was held outdoors, at the Virginia House.  A 12th-century prior, originally located in Warwickshire England, that was purchased at auction, dismantled stone by stone, and rebuilt in Richmond, VA overlooking the river in 1928. Some people have more money than they know what to do with. The gardens were beautiful and the mature trees provided welcome shade. Because it was sunny, 90 degrees, with low humidity thank goodness, and occasional breezes.

Virginia House

It was so fun to see my son's friend group now while reminiscing about their adventures through the years. The grade school play dates, team sports, with us on family vacations, proms, and now seeing the men they had become and meeting their wives. It was a happy occasion but also made me realize how time passes.