Eva...

My re-designed version of Eva! 

Eva is a chiffon and lace dress

The delicate lace bodice has capped sleeves and a full button opening down the back. 

Eye lash fringed edging is hand sewn to the neck line, sleeves and at the waist. 

There is a silk wrap around waist tie made to match the color of the under dress.

The chiffon is gathered and full at the bottom to give an elegant floating skirt.

Pair Eva with our champagne under dress for a vintage feel.

Eva...

A recent commission got me drawing...

I decided to call this dress Eva and I'm going to include a similar version (editing some details in the back and adding sleeves) in my mini collection of versatile wedding dresses.

The lace is a beautiful corded open work lace and the skirt will be layered chiffon and floor length with a separate under dress that can be worn by itself too!

♥

xoxo

Beautiful Bride

One of our wonderful Brides Lucy got married today (Congratulations!), so we can officially release out photos of the stunning champagne and ivory dress we made for her. 

You may remember our post Here comes the Bride showing the preliminary sketches and designs for Lucy's dress. A champagne satin under gown with a beaded lace overlay and stunning keyhole feature in the back. As far as I'm concerned I'm still new at working with lace, especially of the beaded variety, but I'm so pleased with how this turned out!

Complete with a button up bustle train to dance the night away!

The sash is optional, appliqued over the champagne under satin with a tie back.

We hope Lucy had the best of days and wish her all the best for her future! Enjoy your beautiful dress

♥

xoxo

Here comes the bride

This week I'll be sharing one of my current projects with you guys - a 20s-inspired wedding dress!

The bride, just like so many others before her, couldn't find an off-the-peg dress quite as perfect as the one she imagined, so she contacted Ears and Whiskers and challenged us to create a unique gown.

Besides preferring the corset-free style and slinky cuts of roaring 20s fashion, the bride also had a special request: a "keyhole" cut-out back!

I set to work immediately, designing a few different styles which matched various fabrics for overlays and underskirts, and short-listing lace samples (I normally use this site for my research, because their vintage laces are just to die for!).

After a bit of testing and consulting with the bride-to-be, we decided on the final look: beaded lace overlaying a bias cut satin gown. Subtle but memorable, just as a truly dashing 20's dress should be!

For us the hard-work is yet to begin. Awaiting are long hours of cutting, pinning, fitting, sewing and hand-finishing all sorts of details, including a full row of beautiful pearl buttons and a scalloped edging to trim the keyhole back.

We'll keep you posted on our progress! :)

Shades of grey: beautiful bridesmaids

This week I've been working non-stop on these fabulous bridesmaids dresses. I love to design dresses that make bridesmaids feel beautiful rather than making them cry desperately for help!

However, not every bridesmaid in history has had the good luck of wearing an Ears and Whiskers creation, and I bet that a lot of you guys out there are hiding at least one unfortunate bridesmaid outfit at the back of your wardrobes. Here's a tip for all you brave BFF's: why not upcycle those ugly ducklings that have been occupying valuable storage space all this time? Just take a look at this Minneapolis-based upcycling fashion project called CounterCouture. Angie Arner, owner and founder, has created a collaborative movement to transform all those shiny, pleaded, and ruffled disasters into upcycled trendy fashion. Fabulously eco, just as we like it!

Say Hello to Ashley!

Ashley is our wonderful new bespoke designer in store, designing and making amazing crafted headpieces and veils for all you lovely brides…

‘With Love From… Bobbin’ is a luxury range of handmade bridal headwear and accessories for the modern vintage bride and bridesmaids. From the deco hair band to the 1940’s inspired cap with optional veil, Ashley uses fine silks, antique lace and embellishments to create a unique look for your big day. A bespoke design service is also offered where lace and trims are sourced specifically to match ‘the’ dress, incorporating heirlooms or trinkets for that truly personal touch.

Prior to establishing With Love From Bobbin, Ashley worked in fabric buying and sourcing for a number of high street brands including Coast and still designs textiles for the high street today. Now based in Wales, Ashley is rekindling her love for fine fabrics and antique trims to create a range which encompasses the glamour and romance of a bygone era.

Now available in store - bespoke items too!

Vintage Wedding

As what we do is such a niche market, we have a lot of interest in our lovely wedding collection. I make all my dresses bespoke to each person, designing and making around them and their vision for their big day!

With such a large interest, I decided to design a small collection of dresses - customizable to suit your style and made to measure! Check out the prototype on the wonderful Lauren.

Each dress can be made individual to you, you can choose your sleeve length or have no sleeves what so ever! Choose whether you want polka dot tulle, lace or an all over satin, if you want the sleeves and top see-through or covering you up, choose your length and sash style, all from as little as £650. 

Each dress is made from a true vintage pattern, adapted to your style meaning you get the fit and quality of a true vintage dress with the whole process being easy and suited to you!

Simple and elegant

Jennifer Wedding Dress - Simple & Elegant! Empire line, capped lace sleeves and a detailed lace band.

Oh Alice

We finally got around to meeting up with Alice post wedding and was so happy to hear how everything’s going!

A lot of praise for the wonderful dress which I’m so happy to have done for her, it couldn’t have looked better on anyone else! With a little one on the way and a change of house, she’s kindly let us ‘foster’ the dress for a little while so we can show it off to all!!

Here are some beautiful photos from Alice and Matths big day!

Couldn’t have been happier with the sweet card she made us either - It’s so lovely to know how happy someone is with something you’ve made them!

It’s been lovely, and we definitely cannot wait to see her and the little one in the shop very soon!

Our very own Alice in Wonderland! (Wonderdress)

♥

The buttons!!

Neglected…

It-s been a long 2 weeks for us at E&W, We've had an amazing dress to make very quickly with a little over 100 appliques being meticulously cut out and hand sewn back on along with 7 meters of edging, between being ill and minor mistakes which have caused major problems, its all coming to an end!

With any luck being finished JUST in time for the wedding… which is Saturday…

So over the 2 weeks I feel like I have neglected a lot… the shop, my blog, socialization, my camera and myself! And I’m going to put that right!

This weekend is pamper weekend, catch up on sleep and sort this neck ache out, I also plan on getting my little camera back in action, fashion or non fashion related…

Anyway! Here’s a few pictures of the dress so far, there are minor issues of sewing in the lining, the hem and the buttons / button loops to put in but apart from that all is going well after my mental breakdown earlier after I managed to snap my sewing needle 6 times trying to go through 11 layers of fabric..

The lace looks absolutely stunning and pictures will never do it justice! It’s so heavily beaded and intricate and it weighs an absolute ton!

The sleeve was a panel from the edging of the skirt, it makes the cutest little cap sleeve! It took so long to get it to sit right, and between the hand sewing and the machine stitching and the lining it took ridiculously long to put it in, but I absolutely love it!

The train is the perfect length - Im so excited to see her in it!! It still looks completely unfinished to me at the moment because there are so many little things to adjust and the buttons to add in, I really hope people can see how much time and effort and design have gone into this dress because I think it is absolutely beautiful!

We just cant be E&W without the personal touch - so the freehand embroidered tag with antique ‘something old’ lace for good luck.

I’m so happy to have got the chance to make this dress - something I would never have got to do without Alice. Having not made a lot of dresses for people it’s hard to build up a reputation - but I hope after seeing this people will see what I can do - I love that it’s not just dressmaking - nothing can ever be that easy for us!

In other news…

In totally non-wedding related news, I’m super excited for the Diamond Jubilee in Powis - so much so that I’ve refused to get rid of a recent purchase - a late 1950’s Jean Allen beige lace tea dress! One of the most beautiful things I’ve seen that fits me so perfectly it could have been made for me! It’s my outfit for the day along with a vintage fur stole and some little kitten heels, styling the vintage look!

We’re also mid talks of setting up the on-line shop! wooo! A fab friend is setting up everything we’ve talked about, a meeting next week with a few design idea’s to bring it all together and we should be away! Get ready to search our market for hand-made and vintage… could be the start of something much bigger! 

Watch this space…

E&W ♥

Alice’s wedding dress is half done! It looks absolutely stunning and cant wait to see how it all comes together…

We have spend about a fortnight cutting out each individual applique ready to be stitched back on, the back is going to be covered in pearl buttons and the gold appliques look absolutely amazing against the ivory satin!

Its been a massive process, and very time consuming, but I’m so happy I've got the chance to make something this beautiful with fabric like this!

Ok, so…

So we really haven’t been up to all that much lately, Christmas has taken over and everything has been put on hold! But do not worry..

Today has been a particularly productive shopping day for the wedding season!

Tomorrow will be a particularly productive design day and then the finishing of a few dresses which are half done (a bit late but never mind!)

So if you fancy a completely one-off dress for new year, get into Happy Days on Thursday, Friday or Saturday… we are actually open!

OMG.

I’m completely in love with this. 

This just sums up everything about vintage fashion that I love so much - incredible work and amazing detail. 

I should have been born in the 30’s so I could have worn this in the 50’s. That would have been ideal.

Wedding Dress: "tick"

I finally finished the Audrey inspired up-cycled wedding dress! Not quite as happy with it as I wanted to be but still, I made a wedding dress!

Trust me to choose the last day of sunshine for the rest of the year and for it to rain instead! But we did acquire an amazing dog for a prop! Next attempt soon I think, thicker fabric and twice as much tulle…