Friday, June 27, 2014

Jen and Jay's Wedding in Ojai, California







We are back from my nephew's wedding at the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa in Ojai, California. Wow.  We had an amazing time; what a great place to have a wedding.    Ojai and the surrounding area is lovely, with great trails to walk and bike and hiking up into the mountains. The spot at top is Sesar Canyon.  Our instructions were to drive up past the houses until we couldn't drive any further.Early in the morning it was cool and lovely.

 We visited an artisan small olive oil producer in the center of olive and orange groves and bought delicious local olive oil and flavored, aged balsamic vinegar from Italy.
The town is lovely with good restaurants, galleries and shops. Even if you don't have a wedding to go to, this is a great place to vacation.

But, this is a sewing blog and I'm sure you are more interested in what I wore to the wedding. 





In an earlier post on what the hell  was I going to wear to this wedding I decided to copy these two pieces from Helmut Lang.


To make the pieces dressier I chose to make them in black 11 ounce rayon lycra jersey from emmaonesock and lengthened the skirt.  Both pieces are self drafted, of which I am very proud. My tnt tee shirt  was the base for  top draft.  I don't think that this is how the original was drafted, but I like how it came out. I had found a couple of methods for drafting a cowl neck but nothing that would give me an exact replica of the top. I did have some issues with the shoulder position. It  made me realize that the shoulder seam position on my original pattern is too far forward.  It's not an issue when the front and back seams are the same angle, but it did matter here. I had to adjust the shoulder angle on the back piece after some trial and error and  had to cut another front.

The skirt started out as a Burda pencil skirt.  The top layer is slightly gathered at the left hip. the shape, as you can see of the front pieces are not identical. It wasn't hard to draft, but it needed to be worked out in the muslin I made. It's not exactly the same as the original;  I'll call it 'inspired' by.  The waistband is attached, but narrower then on the original.  It's also elastic. There's really not much to say about these pretty simple pieces. They were easy to sew and great for packing.



19 comments:

  1. I use to live near Ojai years ago. I must have missed that place can't remember it being that beautiful. You looked extremely beautiful as usual.

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  2. Your outfit looks so nice. Beautiful work, as always.

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  3. Don't you just love weddings! You look very elegant. You outfit looks perfect for the venue.

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  4. How fun to see the final result of all your work. I feel as though I had a teeny part in that ensemble. It is lovely, as you are.

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  5. You look gorgeous! I think it is really cool that you drafted it yourself, I know learning how to do that sort of thing has been a goal. The accessories were perfect!

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  6. Wonderful outfit and you look terrific. How delightfil to get to go to Ojai. I lived inCa for several years and traveled the state for work but never got there. So glad you could e njoy it

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  7. Nancy, you look smashing! Congratulations to the lovely couple. What a lovely venue for their wedding and I am glad it all fell into place so wonderfully for you. Sounds like marvelous experience, wedding and all!

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  8. Great work on this outfit. It will be appropriate for less formal occasions, as well. Helmut Lang is one of my favorite labels.

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    1. I'm going to wear it on Wednesday for my birthday and anniversary dinner. Yes, I got married on my birthday.

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  9. You look wonderful! It's a great outfit with beautiful accessories. After all the debating of what to wear you certainly got it right.

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  10. Just lovely! The venue, the wedding, the happy couple and YOU!! I may have to borrow that skirt idea. It looks both elegant and comfortable - not an easy balance to achieve. Excellent patternmaking, m'dear!

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    1. Thanks. I really felt elegant and comfortable. I was so worried about the heat, but even at the photo call at 4 pm it was comfortable. Of course, it was cooler than expected with a lovely breeze and the tree was perfectly placed to shade the seating.

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  11. Thanks for sharing the wedding photos with us. Love how you interpreted the Helmut Lang. You look amazing!!!

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  12. Wat a beautiful wedding! Your outfit looks so stylish and the pieces are versatile enough that you won't have to wait for another wedding to wear them again either as separates or together, lovely!

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  13. Your outfit looks perfect. And what a lovely Ojay is!

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  14. Mazel tov. The bride looked lovely and your outfit is perfect for the occasion.

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  15. Your outfit is stunning, and you look marvelous.

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