This just melts me... (Brangelina)

Looks like they got hitched!

I know I'm not alone on this one, but I get all teary-eyed when I hear how the Jolie-Pitt kids participated in the design of the bride's ensemble. I love this crafty, heartfelt idea of a (still high-end designer) wedding ensemble, and I love them both dearly for doing something so personal so publicly.

Okay, forgetting all we know about their past romances and all the other tabloid noise, the beauty of having their children's drawings adorn her veil is just too much for my emotional creative side to take...

Over the years, I've been asked to make wedding dresses for mature brides, women with children, second (or later) marriages, and I can see from my custom sewing life that an overwhelming number of people are redefining and personalizing their experiences in beautiful ways.

Embroidery and printing are wonderful ways to add truly personal, custom touches to a gown. Do you have to know how?  Nope.  There are businesses in the garment district that will help you do it yourself. And you don't even need to be wealthy to do it.

Some ideas for you:

To create wonderfully personalized things, you can have flowers and buttonnieres made by Schmalberg, the train of a bridal gown printed by First2Print, custom embroidery and/or beading by New York Embroidery Studio.

I once sewed for a bride who adorned the back of her dress with a grandmother's antique button collection, and we added beautiful starched hand-crocheted flowers to dot the landscape of her airy gauze gown.

Fabric from Rosen & Chadick, beads and flower-making supplies from Daytona Trimming. 

The bride was married outdoors, in a beautifully green field...

The airy softness of this gown fit this bride's style and personality

I have also updated, repaired, refit, and redesigned old gowns from a bride's mother, a grandmother, or simply another era.  This always has a deep personal meaning for the bride, and evokes a sentimental feeling as she celebrates her marriage.

This bride bought a late 1800's dress at auction, and we updated it to fit her aesthetic.

I combined a Sri Lankan sari with the bride's  mother's 1960's gown for an American fairytale wedding. 

Petticoat (beneath skirt) from RK Bridal.

This next one is  a poor quality picture with a bigger story, which you can see here (on my old blog).

Lace from a mother's gown, applied to waist of new gown.

I truly enjoy it when brides walk down the aisle, bringing their hearts with them in their clothing.  It is my favorite way to participate in a bride's special day!

First2Print

I've been exploring lots of creative ideas for projects lately, loving artistic ideas inspired by my own dressmaking clients, their requests, and beautiful things I've seen in fabric stores.  The world of digital printing has really taken a creative leap, with some of the garment district stores offering really amazing panel prints and spectacularly rich images on fabric.

First2Print did the printing for  a custom pop-tab themed room for "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" see the bedroom at 37:20 in the video linked here. 

So, in my quest for creative digital prints, I became intrigued by  First2Print, a company I recently noticed, after visiting their Facebook page.

To my surprise, I have learned that you can be just an individual, only wanting to produce one sample or project, and you can enlist the services of First2Print for your digital printing.  You only need to order a 1 yd minimum (using in stock fabrications), and an average turnaround time of 7-10 business days for beautiful, professional work.

Serving the apparel, accessories, home, costumes (they printed the "Spiderman 3" costumes for Spiderman and Venom), and other product markets, the company gives artists and graphic designers a wonderful way to showcase their images.  Now, this is not an inexpensive endeavor, but really doable and worth the expense for the right project!  (I'm thinking curtains, here.)

What you do:

Save your file as TIF, and make sure the resolution of your image meets their requirements. Create your color index and provide dimensions and design placement instructions. (They consult on all of this) Choose your fabric from those offered by First2Print (paying attention to the printable widths!) 

What they do:

They consult with you, advising you on the best way to present your image to them, and any variables to consider. They help you decide which will present your image best for your project. A range of fabric choices including silks, cottons, jerseys, and polys are available from their in stock  All fabric is steamed, washed, and dried to be permanent.

This is not a place to casually visit, but if you want to meet and consult with digital printing professionals, this is the place to go! 

First2Print

45 West 36th Street

2nd Floor

New York, NY 10018

1-212-868-6886