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More Dress Fabric!
October 31, 2008
I have now got all the fabric, lining, notions etc I need (minus a couple of metres of ribbon, a large white hook & eye, and an additional 6 buttons to cover with fabric), to make my wedding dress AND two bridesmaid dresses!
I hope I haven't been way too ambitious! But the bridesmaids picked the same sewing pattern (Vogue 7848, version C), and it is rated easy to sew, so that's a bonus. I've already cut out and marked all the pieces for one dress as well, and to be honest I think that's taken half the time I'll need to make it! I'm seeing one bridesmaid in 2 weeks, and I want it to be ready for her to try on then. I'm kind of doing their dresses as sewing practice before I start on mine!
The fabric shop (Broadwick Silks) gave me a card with all the fabric on, and also kept sample themselves in a book under my name, so if I need more, I just call up and they can send the exact fabric - pretty good idea.
From left to right:
My dress fabric (duchesse satin in blush)
My lining (it's so soft!)
Silk Dupion in this amazing silvery grey for the bridesmaids dresses
Bridesmaid's lining fabric
Purple silk dupion for sashes for the bridesmaid's dresses
Pale pink organza - to make roses to attach to my dress
So exciting!
Posted by jen at 05:47 PM | Comments (11)
Amber!
October 29, 2008
There is another Kim Hargreaves book out!
This one is called Amber, and is all kinds of lovely wintery knits - some which were on the website before, and some new ones.
Check it out here. I ordered mine straight away and got it in the post yesterday! It's so pretty - I love the beaded jumper Bloom, and the cardigan Ginny, although it doesn't look anything special online, when I got the book I really liked it.
I also like this giant cardigan, Nell, although there's no way I can afford that - maybe in a different yarn? I also love Prudence, but I'm a bit scared of using RYC Bamboo Soft. I've heard mixed reviews. A lot of people seem to say it's splitty, which I can believe and although it would annoy me, I would be willing to take it on. But some people say it stretches completely out of shape! That is definitely NOT something I could live with. Some people don't seem to have trouble though, so I'm not sure what to expect - anyone out there got any thoughts?
Maybe I will actually knit something from this book - you never know!
Posted by jen at 02:00 PM | Comments (5)
Invitations!
October 27, 2008
We finally sent out our wedding invitations a week ago! I say finally because it took about 2 entire weekends to design, guillotine, glue, address and stamp 40 of those bad boys. It is in fact still 5 months to the wedding so it's not like they are late or anything!
We decided to make flat cards - one with the invitation on, and one with response options on one side, and our address for return on the other. We also found awesome shiny champagne coloured paper to print all the information on - that was the best! We just printed it all on nice thick white paper, trimmed the pages, and then stuck them onto purple card using this amazing (and amazingly expensive) craft glue spray that we found at the shops.
Here are some selected views of the invitations (couldn't be bothered to blur out all the personal info, so just leaving those bits out!):
Close up of roses graphic (literally just a spiral, but it looks quite definitely like a rose though - we think anyway!):
A lame attempt at photographing the awesome shiny paper:
You can see how good the paper was for printing though, the black ink really pops on it.
Endless sorting was required to make sure everyone got everything!
My word, were we pleased it was over when we chucked them all in the post box! It made it all seem extremely real, and I have been a bit over excited ever since. I got even more excited on Saturday when all the wedding dress fabric shopping was completed - I can't wait to show that next time!
Posted by jen at 02:45 PM | Comments (2)
Wedding Dress Fabric!
October 15, 2008
I don't really want to show off my wedding dress until after the event, as guests might be looking! But I can't resist, so I will show sneaky peeks etc. as I go.
I made a practice dress a while ago, and in spite of measuring myself and the dress pattern loads of times, and following the instruction on how tight it was supposed to be to the letter, it somehow ended up being horridly tight around my lower ribcage! I managed to let it out so it is ok, and I am just going to cut the real thing 1.5cm away from the pattern, so I can take it in as required (I am worried the real thing will be even tighter with stiffer fabric and lining).
Anyway, we were in London a couple of weeks ago and I went to some silk shops, so get samples of fabric for the Real Dress.
And here they are!
The lady in the shop was so helpful! I just told her I wanted something that was
1. Not bright white
2. Not too heavy, but quite stiff.
And she found loads that were great, and wrote down the widths and prices for me.
My absolute favourite is the middle one here:
It is in a shade called "Blush" and I love it! It's not a sickly sweet pink - more like a vintage pink, and still pale enough that it's obviously a bride's dress.
I was so excited after we got the samples, that I dreamed about the dress for 2 entire nights! Luckily now I've calmed down. I just have a few finishing touches to the practice dress and then I can work out exactly how much fabric I need! I might even make the bridesmaid dresses as well, we haven't decided yet.
I will show off invitiations soon, and you never know, maybe some knitting! I love how my knitting blog hasn't seen any in a year!
Posted by jen at 01:34 PM | Comments (5)
Cake recipe: White Chocolate and Almond Wheat Free Cupcakes, filled with Greek Yogurt and Honey, and iced with Green Tea Cream Cheese
October 06, 2008
As requested (and relatively promptly!) here is the recipe for the cakes in the last post.
Cakes (makes 12):
100g white chocolate
170g butter
150g golden caster sugar
4 eggs
200g ground almonds
1 level tsp baking powder
pinch salt
Melt the chocolate and butter very gently in the microwave, stopping it at least once a minute to stir until it's all just melted.
Mix in the sugar, and then beat in the eggs one at a time.
Now gently stir in the other ingredients, and spoon the mixture between 12 muffin cases, and bake for 25 minutes at 180 degrees C.
When the cakes are cool, you can fill them if you like - cut out a cone from the top of the cake, cut the pointy end off the cone, fill the hole with a teaspoon of greek yogurt and honey, and put the top back.
Green Tea Cream Cheese:
125g full fat cream cheese
25g butter at room temperature
200g icing sugar
1/2 tablespoon of matcha
Beat the cream cheese and butter together until they are smooth, and then sift in the icing sugar and matcha. Stir in with a spoon, and then use a balloon whisk to make it thick and perfectly mixed (I say use a spoon first, because one time we plunged a whisk into the bowl before mixing in the sugar, and it made a horrid sticky snowstorm all over the kitchen).
Then use a bag and tip to frost the cupcakes.
We just went round from the outside in to the middle of the cake, and then squeezed for a few seconds just in the middle before stopping and lifting the bag, to get the nice big star of icing in the middle.
I hope you enjoy the cakes if you make them!
Posted by jen at 06:32 PM | Comments (4)