So, as of today, the wedding is 81 days away! That's eighty-one!
Jacob and I found the perfect place to have the wedding. While we love my Aunt Helen's farm and are so thankful that they would let us trample all over it, we realized the risk we were taking with an October wedding. I just had to trust my instinct, a nagging feeling I had that the weather might be poor.
So...August 28th. Camp CrossTimbers. Absolutely.
It's a nice drive, tucked away on a hill outside of McAlester. It's beautiful, quiet, and quaint. I love the overall relaxed feeling of the place and even more--imagining all of the people I love in one place. Hopefully they'll be enjoying some volleyball, paddle boats, and ice cream. Perfect.
P.S. Jacob made an awesome video of the day we spent at CrossTimbers, so watch it here!
It may be no surprise: I decided to throw away the pattern.
I felt uninspired by it and overwhelmed by it all at the same time. I had to ask myself--do I have to commit to the puzzle of cutting out pieces and following those rules? My old battle with rules surfaced. Are rules guides? Or confinements?
I decided, finally. No pattern out there existed for the Wright Dress. I've embarked out on the open waters of garment construction with no compass and no tangible map.
I studied the Pettibone dress from the pictures of the lucky brides wearing it. The bodice I have is a similar style. I just need to sew in a skirt. Find the Guipure lace for the neckline. Sew in a sash. Done. Right?
Well, I'm on my way. I cut out the skirt and several layers of lining. I had to figure out the easiest way to gather the top, and I discovered a blog post about the ease of gathering with clear elastic, here. I finally hunted down the stuff at JoAnn's. It's magical stuff, and it worked perfectly. You simply stretch it out across the top of the hem while sewing it in. It created a perfect, even gather. I highly recommend it.
So, here's the next development. I'm on my way. And I'm very hopeful about what awaits on the horizon.
P.S. Check out this video. I'm loving She and Him, a project by Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward.
More dress updates are coming soon! I'll be taking it home this weekend for Mother's Day to hopefully finish it up. I've documented all of the elements, and I promise to explain it all.
I've been thinking. It's been hard to have a project that I've hidden from Jacob. I usually seek his quiet opinions about paintings, "design", and photos--and I hadn't realized how much I need his input in my work. We often disagree, which makes me defend things he usually shrugs his shoulders about. I've learned I'm intentional about utilizing some of the things that his line of work has taught him to avoid. I have to remind him that while all art is communicative, not all communication is art. And some blurriness or illegible fonts are okay, when they're there on purpose.
Jacob helps me develop ideas like this. He helps me know what I like, and be more confident within my work. Maybe even more determined. So, it's been a battle to keep this project tucked away. Literally. I've often wanted to pull it out, and just talk through it with him.
Thankfully, though, I've been able to show it to several of my girlfriends. All of the affirmation I needed came a few weeks ago, when I pulled it on, zipper not quite completely sewn in, and showed it to Becca. And she cried. It was perfect.
I joked with her: "Better than you expected?"
I've surprised even myself.
In the meantime, I just have to share an exciting purchase. Everyone, please behold the "wedding boots":
Yes, they're my first pair of cowboy boots. And yes, they'll be getting me down the aisle tucked under a dress I made. And maybe I'm learning that some of my favorite things in life stay tucked away for a while, at least until the perfect moment...
Jake and I celebrated the six-month-out mark by sharing a great hike in the Wichitas with some of my closest girlfriends. I really love the Wichita Mountains. This area of Oklahoma is really unique...maybe because it doesn't quite seem to belong. We loaded up the Vibe with snacks, blankets, and a change of clothes in case we found some great photo spots.
Once inside the reserve, you can make out an old tower on a hill from the road. We found a place to park and hiked up to this unexpected find. It stands tall and lonely, made of the same round red stones that make up the mountains. The tower was long ago welded shut, but Becca (who else?) found a way in--a small hole between boulders and the old metal door.
One by one, we found our own way of maneuvering in through the small space. And what we found inside was just short of perfect. A long, winding cement staircase led to the lookout point above, and old graffiti ornamented the walls. Someone named Mike left his mark in 1961.
These are some of the pics we took. Three cheers to Becca for some great shots...
So, what's a great dress without a great headpiece? (Because I'll have to make that too, right?)
While I definitely appreciate the traditional veil and what it symbolizes, I'm considering a few alternate options. Here are a few ideas that I love...
I'm learning a thing or two about sewing. I'm becoming familiar with the repetition of the machinery, the relationship between the pedal and the pressure of my uneasy foot. I'm learning the pattern of threading the needle, always the same: counter clockwise, behind the groove, down around the dial, up through the hook, behind the clasp, and finally through the eye and under the foot. I like the formula of it, the equation for supplying the main ingredient to binding fabric together--a small, seemingly insignificant--line of thread.
Thread isn't the only important thing. There's the needle.
During my second weekend of sewing the Wright dress, I broke the two needles in my serger. That mishap eventually led to me breaking a 2mm screwdriver off inside the hole that releases the needles from the machine. I know, nice. I'm just now able to talk about it.
So, finally, I'm becoming familiar with panic--the quiet, still kind. But this panic has enhanced the development of a new sort of patience, as I just have to sit back, take a deep breath, and remember where I'm going. I picture the dress, that moment. And I remember the process of all creative endeavors--slow, sometimes all wrong, at times far from your ultimate vision.
The artist becomes a master when he learns the medium. I suppose everyone can picture a beautiful landscape, a portrait with light falling all around features. But the artist recreates, makes these scenes tangible. Acrylics, oils, and watercolors all have a life and presence, each distinct and separate. Paint brushes and palette knives are unfamiliar tools, atleast until you've spent late nights alone with them in an upstairs studio.
So, I'm very much a novice, but I'm learning this sewing business. The machine and I are learning our dance, and I'm promising to stop stepping on so many toes.
P.S. This is a great song that has kept me company. Enjoy Brandi Carlile's "Have You Ever".
So, here it is. The dress of my dreams. Dresses have actual names in worlds far separated from mine. And this dress' name is Lucien. It's by Claire Pettibone, and there were only seven made.
This bride is my inspiration. Seriously. It's these warm sun-drenched photos that float around in my brain when I think about my wedding day. Lucien comes from the Latin, meaning "light". Ofcourse.
