We're Finally Painting!!! Time Lapse Video

Last night we got a big accomplishment done. It's been a long time coming but it finally came; we painted our new sewing room! We invited Bethany over to help us since she loves painting and we got it cranked out. Now it looks so warm and inviting and I think it coordinates nicely with our chocolate brown and pink colors. Here is a time lapse video we made of part of the painting job. Enjoy!

It was great having Bethany help us out!

This morning we got out to here early and started on the new section of floor. It is starting to look so nice! I think tonight we will finish it off - YEAH!!!!

The start of the floor

How do you like the wall color?

The newest part of floor start at the doorway

Crafting Baby Headbands with friends...

 Last night we went to a friends house to help her make baby headbands. We pulled together all of our laces, ribbons, trims, buttons, feathers, fabric, glue gun and more! We also got some old tights, and necklaces that we never wear and tore them apart for the headbands. I love crafting because you can pull from so many different resources!

We looked online for how to make all sorts of flowers and began! First we made a burned flower...(to learn to make it go to this blog post!. We also made a folded flower...its pretty simple- cut circles, fold them into quarters and sew them together in a round...

Each head piece was so unique, I loved it!
We had a great time with our friends crafting and just being together!

Adding buttons to the center of flowers, adds a perfect touch of style!

I also made a clip with tulle scrunched in a circle, and glued rhinestones on it...

What Was Accomplished Yesterday...

Yesterday was a full day from start to finish! It started with getting some "beginnings" of 2 dresses put together for my cousin. When those were finished I started an alteration on a wedding dress.

This time we are adding a panel in the back to make the dress a little bigger.

Here's my pattern piece I made

After those were finished we got to babysite Eloise in the shop for about an hour. This was so much fun. She loved playing with the balls and just laying on her blanket. She would talk and laugh and it was so cute!

Remember this jumper? I made it from one that Eloise had when she was that size. Look how much she has grown?

For the next couple hours we had sewing classes. Later in the evening we wanted to get some painting done in the shop extension so we painted the ceiling. We also when to Home Depot and got a couple more sample paints to try on the wall. Which one do you like?

Painting the ceiling

These are the two we are deciding between. What do you think?

Working with Plaid Material

We recently sewed plaid curtains for a customer. When working with plaid you have to be aware of so many different things before you make the first cut. First, make sure you are cutting along the straight plaid lines.

 Second, when making curtains you want to be sure your plaid lines on each curtain panel match up so when they are hanging they match evenly.

Next, when you go to cut it you only cut through a single layer of fabric (not 2 layers, how you normally would). This ensures that your plaid is cut straight.

I hope this helps you when working with plaid material. If you have any questions please feel free to email us!

How To Shirr - Instructional Video

 Many people, when they see shirring (it can also be called smocking) say it must be very difficult to do. Well, it's really not hard at all! I've put together an instructional video so you can do it at home.

Custom Wedding Dress Alterations

We at Bella Jean specialize in custom alterations. In this case, we had a customer come to us needing their wedding dress made 2 sizes smaller, as well as hemmed and a bustle added. During this process we had fittings to ensure exact size. We also took pictures of the wedding dress before we did anything so we could have them for references along the way. For the bustle we looked at a few other wedding dresses for ideas on how to put it up.

The customer also wanted her mothers veil customized for herself. Because her dress had lace, as well as her mothers veil, we just replace the original lace with lace from her dress. In the end the customer was very pleased and we enjoyed sewing this for her!

Uniqueness in the details...Summer Dress

A few weeks ago we sewed Eloise a summer dress that she could wear in Maui. We wanted this dress to be unique and stand out. So we took into consideration every little detail we could think of. For the straps we shirred them...that is putting elastic thread in the bobbin and sewing straight lines. We also used this technique for the back bodice. This technique made it easy to get on and off and she can wear it for a longer amount of time. Using a coordinating material for a bottom band, also adds a great element. We then looked at all our trims and decided ric rac would look splendid! We applied it to the bodice waist seam and the bottom band seam. Buttons also add a great little element... So we applied them on top of the ric rac. Lastly we added little bows where the straps met the bodice...

Every little detail added so much to this dress! So next time you go to make something, think about what you can add that will make it unique and stand out!

Custom Knife Holder…for the Beach!

My brother loves to cook and bake. When he goes to Maui he is always barbecuing and making up some sort of yummy meal. Well, you can’t go without your utensils. It can be hard sometimes to carry knives easily along with all those other ingredients and they can be easily lost. Louise decided that for a special prize for him, she would sew a knife case. This was fun to do it with her since she hasn’t sewed in a long time. She picked out some perfect “cooking” cotton fabric for it.

She began by cutting a 2 rectangles about 22”x18”. She added a layer of fusible fleece in between them to make it thick so the knives couldn’t poke through. She sewed it all right sides together, turned it out and topstitched around the edge. Then she marked where she wanted her knives to be and sewed lines to created pockets down the bottom part of the case where the knives would go.  Next she added twill tape that would tie together after it is folded up. Now it is the perfect knife set holder!

Here it is being used at the beach!

Redesign and Creation of Interior Boat Cushions…

We have recently completed a job of redesigning and creating interior seating cushions for a customers boat. The goal was to make the new cushions look royal and inviting to sit on while matching with the new décor of the boat. Here is a picture of the original set of cushions.

To make the top cushions look like all new forms we wrapped a layer of Dacron around them and whipstitched them together. This created a smooth look and a plusher feel.

We also reupholstered some paneling that ran along the top edge of the boat. They coordinated with the throw pillows for the cushions.

Here’s a look at the finished product. These new cushions give a much warmer and inviting appearance and they also hide little messes much better. Next time you want to redesign and recreate your boat to make it ready for the summer, let us know! We will be happy to go over design and construction with you on-site.

Thank you, Veronica