Sewing a Fabric Arbor one stitch at a time

I have never shared with you how I created an arbor for the florist to hang in the gazebo where Sarah and Mike exchanged their wedding vows.

 I don't know how to use a sewing machine.  Waaaaah?  Yes, I sew everything by hand. I failed bobbins and try as I might, I still cannot master the art of sewing on a sewing machine. I chose a fun song for this post when the mice and birds help Cinderella sew here dress.

Trust me during the process of sewing this project, I wished I had a fairy Godmother who would magically finish the job.

 I ordered six yards of my French script on a white background, per Sarah's request. The six yard were printed on Cotton Satin, and then I sewed the ruffle out of yards and yards of the same design printed on Cotton Voile.

 I wanted it to look very Prairie Chic, so I added layers of crinolines underneath the design.

 Sewing a ruffle by hand is a challenge, but little by little, week after week I kept sewing.

Then came the fun, when I could embellish the fabric with ribbons and lace.

 I felt a bit like those little birds in Cinderella sewing the fabric.

 Then when it was finally finished...

 I loaded the arbor and Sarah's wedding dress and headed for Zukas Hilltop Farm.

The florist mounted my fabric arbor onto the gazebo. It looked perfect, just enough white to say Here Comes The Bride.

They looked so perfect underneath the arbor as they said their wedding vows.  I suspect there were many happy memories of anticipation sewn into that fabric.

In the end it was the perfect day, and I was so happy that we had all spent time creating every detail.

French script fabric inspiration

I've been busy designing fabric again.

I meet the most fascinating people daily from all parts of the world.  Customers who inspire me with their requests and fabric projects.

This fabric is on it's way to Queensland, Australia. I loved the way it looked printed on Cotton Sateen so much that I wanted to photograph it before wrapping it up for shipment.

Someone asked me to rush ship this fabric to her for a display that she is creating.  Another customer is also on Etsy and asked me to design fabric for her products.

Recently a customer asked me to rotate the design so that she could wrap it around her headboard without having a seam.  She promised to send me a photo when she is done.

This fabric is printed on dreamy Organic Cotton Sateen.

Right now I am working with a customer that is creating all kinds of beautiful things using my fabric.  She is working on her daughter's wedding.

When I started designing fabric back in 2008, I had no idea how rewarding this would be.  There just aren't enough hours in the day for me to design all the fabric ideas I have.  Yet, I enjoy every minute.  I love  the adventure of working with such interesting people who create such lovely things with my fabric designs.