Super Secret Sewing Project: Revealed

This weekend some good friends of ours got married, and I was honored to be asked to make the bridesmaids dresses for the lovely ladies participating in the ceremony.  All nine (yes...9!) of them.  I was given plenty of lead time and I managed to finish them the day before, which is pretty good considering I had to do four fittings and finish a lot of work on that day before the wedding.  Luckily HH was able to help out that day with some very important tasks: ironing and coffee making. 

I am proud of my work and happy with the finished products (all 9 of them!), though I don't think I'll be taking on this big of project anytime in the near future.  Nor do I think I'll ever sew nine of anything ever again.  Here are some photos of the process as well as the finished product:

Congrats, John and Elizabeth!

 

Some notions

Only a third of the fabric used.  There were 3 layers.  Times nine dresses.  You do the math.

The most tedious part was the cutting...

...and more cutting...

...and more cutting.

Bodice pieces all pinned up and ready to sew.  My pin holder is empty!

Skirts all lined up

Skirt layers all pinned up

A speedy technique known as chain sewing.  Keep sewing from piece to piece and cut apart once finished.

HH's modeling debut

Halter straps, pre-pressing

Halter strap, mid-pressing

Sewing the lining on the inside by stitching in the ditch on the outside

It's finished!

Thanks for modeling, ladies!

(The cowboy boots weren't a part of the wedding...just the reception when it got chilly.)