Goth wedding

So long since I last posted, but I have been busy. I did get everything done in time for the wedding - pictures of the items and the bride and groom will follow! I've also been knitting - making baby jumpers and cardigans, and a number of quilt tops too. I've just finished a Very Hungry Caterpillar quilt for my great niece, and now just need to take pictures of it before sending it off. I've also done a couple of I Spy quilt tops, and a 'Bright Eyes' pattern made with fabric from a range called Little Blessings. Decided to add a post today before I get on and do the laundry and some tidying. I leave it until later to go into my room, as others in the house are probably still in bed. My thoughts on that shall remain with me for the time being!

This is the finished box for my stepson and daughter-in-law. Usually with my work I use a pre-printed label, one that you can buy in quilt shops - designed as a label. However, those labels would not have been in keeping with the theme of the wedding, so I created one just for the occasion. I used a metallic embroidery thread to do the stitching, and didn't use satin stitch (which I usually do), as working with the metallic thread is a pain in the whatsit.

Rather than lining the box with felt, you can see that I've lined it with purple crushed velvet; again - this is better in keeping with the theme of the wedding. Having made the box, I then had other jobs to do for the wedding. The bride had asked if I could do the alterations to her dress and a bridesmaid's dress. Fine - if you have a sewing machine and a sewing room, you can OBVIOUSLY do dress alterations (those who are not quilters just don't understand that it's not the same thing at all - it's like asking someone who speaks French to translate something in Spanish or Italian - or maybe Swahili). However - I did the alterations, and they didn't turn out too bad - especially considering that I was doing them the morning of the wedding. The photo here shows the latest Mr and Mrs Hutchins - and what a spectacle - and spetacular day it was! They made the front page, and page 3 of the local paper (it was available to be seen online), and they also got a mention in a national daily paper as well. Oh - and they don't have feathers coming out of their heads - it's the plumes on the horses. Speaking of plumes, I didn't have a hat for the wedding, and I thought that I should have some form of headwear - being the groom's stepmum, it seemed the thing to do. So, I put my skills to a new challenge, and after a bit of research, produced the following:

I was able to buy all the supplies in Barnstaple - and around the local area. I know it's a bit like something you might see at the Moulin Rouge, but I thought it was suitable to the occasion. I didn't want it to be all black, as that would have been a bit too sombre. I need a bit more practice at making them, but not a bad first attempt. Next time I'll use a thinner ribbon on the comb - or maybe I'll use a slide if I can find the right sort.

The thing about making the boxes is that I end up with lots of bits left over. In a previous post I showed a card I had made using some bits from a box. This time I really went to town on the bits left over. I made a lucky horseshoe, a ring box, and some brooches for the Hutchins ladies. The brooches I made the night before the wedding, and added some beads as well. The ring box was finished the day of the wedding - after a bit of stress from the best man; however, I stood my ground, and continued with the wedding dress - delivering the two dresses before coming back to finish the ring box.

The last thing that I made with the pieces left over was to make a card for the wedding. I tried to made an envelope - but that was not a great success. However, the card was not too bad, even if I say so myself! The trickiest part of it was cutting the aperture; no ordinary (square, oblong, circle, oval) shape would do. I selected a shape from my Crafter's Companion set. The embossing was fairly easy, but the cutting was a bit of a beggar.

I added some additional bits to the card, in silver - but unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the finished article. I got DH to write the card - I thought he should do it, being the groom's father. I was quite pleased with the result, and I made another card for another occasion recently. However, that card will have to wait for another post! Now it is time to get on with the latest project - finishing the wallhanging that I started at the Free Cut Curves workshop last Saturday.