Progress...in increments

Another post, only a month later. My time here will more than likely be more frequent as soon as I finish celebrating. See, I just graduated and am taking some much needed time. Time for celebrating not only my accomplishments, but also my sister's wedding. As usual, I had to make my maid of honor dress. I will hopefully post a good picture of that after the wedding itself. Because I was finishing my master's project, I was sadly unable to make her wedding dress. In an effort to still be involved, I made her two garters and thoughtfully stitched my well wishes.

It was actually pretty fun making them and figuring out how to make the something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue fit in. I never did this for my own wedding, partly because I was unfamiliar (and a little naive) with wedding customs and I was also not interested at the time. Now that I have found more meaning in symbols and the art/spiritual practice of living, I felt the need to do this for her wedding. The old part symbolizes our heritage and something the new bride can carry through to her own marriage. The new part symbolizes what the bride will gain in her newly wed life. The blue part symbolizes purity and the borrowed part symbolizes the transfer of happiness to one happily married woman to another.

For the first garter, I made it out of a beautiful silk satin and a silk crepe (new). Then I put some lace on it from my grandmother's baby bonnet (old). I put these sun and moon charms on it with a blue silk embroidery thread (blue). I will get to the borrowed part...

For the second one, I used the same silk (new). Then I added a button from my grandmother's baby booty (old). I made a satin silk bow, then wrote B & E in a heart on one part, and 2009 in a heart on the other part (in Blue). I also added the same sun and moon charms, to symbolize the feminine and masculine.

For the something borrowed, I am going to ask her if she wants to pin the yellow satin cord I used for my wedding corset (way back when) inside her dress (or perhaps put it in the bouquet). After 8 years of marriage (and 12 of being together), I feel this is the perfect way for me to give her well wishes in her own marriage (even though they have been together for 11 years now).