Hello Friends!

 Hello there! My name is Carolyn Fiore and I’m a self taught seamstress with over 50 years of experience sewing clothing, crafts, home decor including draperies, curtains and pillows. In my past I have made custom made clothing and home decorating items as well as done alterations. I also sold my hand smocked baby dresses for several years, where I specialized in creating Birthday dresses featuring a smocked cake and presents. I’ve considered sewing as a hobby but I have been able to sell my creations as a small business from time to time. Currently I sell my clothing on Etsy, Poshmark and Mercari. I’m also skilled in making quilts and other  quilted items. I also crochet and knit. Mainly I’m a wife and mother. I have 3 grown children from my first 22 year marriage (I’ll introduce them as I go), and I have a 9 year daughter from my second 15 year (and still going strong!) marriage. I was able to be a stay at home mother for most of this time, going back to work as an accountant between marriages. My husband is an active duty Air Force officer.  Right now we are stationed near Barksdale AFB in NW Louisiana. I’m an Oklahoma native, born In Oklahoma City where I lived until age 9, then my family relocated to Northeast Texas to the city of Rockwall TX, where I graduated as the class of 1980 Valedictorian. I headed back to Oklahoma and graduated from the university of Oklahoma in 1984. I lived in Norman Oklahoma for about 30 years before moving with my current husband and daughter to wherever the Air Force sent us, including a 3 year PCS to a NATO base in Germany right after our daughter was born. 

Enough with introductions. Let’s get into my current sewing project! I just cut out my second Bridgerton Ballgown Regency Period Dress! I completed my first one about two weeks ago and sold it almost immediately on Poshmark. I received a flood of interest in that dress, which has encouraged me to design and sew more!  I’m new to this blogger thing so bear with me! My 30 year old daughter Amy encouraged me to do it. She’s a computer programmer and knows way more about such things than I do! Honestly I think she’s tired of reading about my hobby life on my Facebook page.  

 

Here’s a pic of the newly cut pieces simply pinned into my dress form. I like to do this to see how the dress looks and how the fabric hangs. If it’s a disaster at this point, then I can make changes a whole lot easier than later. Basically I do this this because it helps inspire me to get to sewing! For this dress, I started with using the commercial pattern #7493 from McCalls. I made changes to the pattern by adding a train to the back skirt and making the back skirt wider so I could gather up the center back giving it a fuller look which are common on Regency era ball gowns. I changed the shape of the neckline away from the square corners to more of a softly curved neck shape. I also use custom made piping (or cording) at the neckline. (Which remind me….I need to cut out bias strips of lining and sheer fabric to make that.) I purchased my fabrics from vendors on Etsy. The sheer overlay fabric comes directly from China where this fabric is produced. It is a 3D polyester mesh “lace” fabric with sewn on Pom Pom balls and chiffon flowers. The stems and leaves are embroidered onto the mesh. I have no idea how this is done! The lining is simple pink polyester lining fabric. When I ordered it, it was described as taffeta, which is what I wanted, but it really isn’t taffeta. Next fabric order will be for taffeta! 

The first Bridgerton dress I made (which sold quickly) used the same lining, but the sheer overlay was a 3D printed chiffon, also from my Chinese supplier. I added a 100% silk ribbon onto that dress. Silk ribbons were used on almost every Regency dress I’ve seen (both authentic ones and reproductions). There’s something so elegant and fancy about real silk! Here’s photos of that dress. Tell me what you think!