Guild challenge finally finished........

A little bling goes a long way........

I thought I'd finish the blingy bra today but no go.........definitely tomorrow........

I started with the beaded drop fringe along the bottom of the bra....seed beads, bugle beads, glass beads and crystals......

Then I moved to adding couched beads along the top edge.....seed beads, glass beads and pearls....

Then to decorate the center with glass buttons, seed beads, crytals, pearls and sequins......I decided once finishing this I had enough bling......I could have easily kept going but really didn't want to cover up my handwoven fabric.....

Pinning the satin lining in, this step took forever..........

I started handsewing the lining in, a tedious job trying to avoid tangling the thread around the beaded fringe. I got to the other end and realized that I really needed to take out all the top pins and repin, way too much slack in the lining. By this time my shoulders and neck are aching, time to stop for the day, will finish up tomorrow and unveil the finished project.........

Ready for some bling!

This morning I got some time in the sewing room to work on the blingy bra. I am spending so much time on it but am so enjoying it, smiling along the way. Today I turned under all raw edges and sewed them, got the inkle band back band on, got the straps on and the tule. It's now ready for lots of blingy crystals and beads!

The main goal of this guild challenge is to not be afraid to cut into handwoven fabric and sew it. No problem here, what I found difficult to work with was the slinky lining fabric and that very fine glittery tule. It's looking good, isn't it? My mannequin doesn't fill out those cups but it looks ok on it....hmm, she doesn't have any of those bulges on the sides either.........

Here's the back complete with regular bra hooks and plastic 'hardware'. I took three pictures of the back and this was the best of the bunch, not so good.

This afternoon I went over a friend's house to see her Brother embroidery machine in action.....oh, this is a very tempting toy to purchase, I'm thinking seriously on it. I could get the embroidery module for my Bernina but it's much more expensive and for the playing I'd do I think this machine would be perfect. I've been working like crazy the past few years selling my handwovens and roving, hand-dyed and Ashland Bay) and not spending any of the proceeds, it's time to purchase a few toys.......