Friday, May 9, 2008

Sewing and Modesty

I'm so thankful for the ability to sew... more now than ever before. I recently ventured on a shopping trip with a sweet friend who is getting married in June to find a dress for the wedding. She had only one desire: that it be blue! We searched high and low, long and far, ending up with only exhaustion and no dresses. Truly, I found not *one* single modest dress. Not just no modest blue dresses, not just no modest inexpensive dresses... literally not a single dress that met my standards. If it had sleeves, it was too short. If it was long enough (just a few inches below the knees people! I'm not asking much here...) it was strapless, backless, low cut, or all of the above. How disheartening! I came home and googled modest dresses (that was the level of desperation!) And found this.

I was happy... but that dress was just too overpriced when you added in the 15$ shipping. Not to mention they were out of my size...

A few minutes on www.fabric.com, and I found some material that matched closely enough to the ideal. And now I'm stitching away, combining my favorite dress pattern with my favorite sleeves from another pattern. I just can't imagine what I'd be doing if I couldn't sew! Sigh. (Thanks again to my sweet momma for teaching me) :)

14 comments:

Mackenzie said...

Lauren, that looks like it's going to be so cute! :) I'm sorry you had such a ruff shopping trip...it really is impossible to find modest dresses, isn't it? That pattern pieces hint just enough that I can't wait to see the finished dress...those sleeves are especially intriguing! :)

Katie said...

That is adorable!!! I am really looking forward to seeing your finished product!

Jodes said...

That is a cute dress, and I can't wait to see your interpretation of it! I bet it's even cuter :)

~ Shannon said...

Lauren, I couldn't agree more -- sewing is a life-saver for those who want (inexpensive) modest clothing! Not to mention the endorphin rush you get from being creative ;)

I can't wait to see your finished dress! I just know it's going to be lovely!

Yours in Christ,
Shannon

Lauren said...

Cute :-) I'm looking forward to seeing the finished piece. God Bless! :-)

Unknown said...

I had a terrible time find a wedding dress that wasn't either strapless, backless, or sleeveless. I ended up ordering it from a website very much like beautifully modest. It's really sad, and I don't so, so I can't help myself like you can. My mom didn't sew, we always purchased all of our clothing. It hasn't gotten to the point that I can't find anything modest yet, but I know we'll get there very soon.

That dress will be cute when you're finished I'm sure. You'll have to be sure to post pictures!

Laura said...

That will be very cute! I took one trip to a bridal shop to look for bridesmaids' dresses and after that, I KNEW I'd have to have them sewn! It is very frustrating to shop when one wants, at the very least, STRAPS if not SLEEVES on a dress. ;-)

Sommer said...

Now that I have daughters, I am finding it terribly difficult to find modest clothes. It is very frustrating and I realize too that my sewing skills are needed!

I'm sure that dress will look wonderful! Can't wait to see it.

Sarah said...

The fabric is darling! You are so right about finding modest clothing. My sister recently went to a homeschool prom and spent a day trying to find a modest dress with my mom. They found absolutely nothing, everything nowadays seems to made to show off the body rather than gracefully adorn it. I can't wait to see the finished dress!

Serena said...

The only place I've been able to find dresses long enough for me is J. Crew. Now, if I were rich, that wouldn't be a problem, but...

I am very excited to see your finished dress. I love the one you're modeling it on!

I usually don't have a problem with things being too low-cut or sleeveless because I ALWAYS wear an undershirt (I'm also rather small-bosomed, which I think helps). And I have several very light sweaters to cover my arms, for summer. Of course, those solutions don't work too well for a wedding!

Anonymous said...

Looks cute... I can't wait to see the finished product! Come on over and visit my new site. (It's a lot easier to comment on!) :)

Mrs. Anna T said...

Oh, I would simply LOVE to learn how to *really* sew. I can do some really simple things by hand, which is better than my situation two years ago when I couldn't even fix a loose button.

Thankfully, here in Israel one can find a wide selection of elegant and modest dresses. Yet I still had my wedding dress custom-made for me. It was expensive, but entirely worth it.

Amy said...

Ooh, Lauren, I can't wait to see your finished dress! I just know it's going to be adorable! :)

Anonymous said...

Lauren, you are creative and yes, it is a Blessing to be able to sew! Freedom to make what we want and to make it pretty AND modest is a joy. Cannot wait to see this finished. God love you! - Adrienne

 

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