Gettin’ Hitched
Did you know that this weekend in October is the most popular wedding weekend of the year? More people get married on the Columbus Day weekend than any other in the year, or so I am told by my wedding industry friends. The weather is often ideal and the three-day weekend makes a Sunday wedding more feasible since guests can return home the following day. This year will be no exception, and perhaps will be even more popular, as Sunday’s date of 10-10-10 is sure to be memorable enough for even the most forgetful groom (or bride) to remember.
A number of years ago I was asked to create a purse for a bride-to-be. Her friends wanted her to have something memorable as a gift and I think they got their wish. The bride was a big fan of dachshunds, owning several as pets, and her friends wanted her to have a bridal purse that honored that passion. I began by looking for a pattern for a stuffed dachshund but there were none in the current pattern catalogs. This was in the very early days of Ebay so I ventured on there and found a vintage pattern for several stuffed animals including the dog I was looking for. (This elated me at the time. I had no idea how easy it was to become to find obscure items with the touch of a key).
I sewed the pattern according to the instructions, using bridal satin for the body and inserted an invisible zipper in the seam that ran along the dog’s backbone. I attached a pocket-like lining along this zipper so the purse contents could be contained inside the dog’s body. I used light pink silk for the inner ears. The nose and eyes were purchased from a craft store along with the fake eyelashes. I created a pouffy veil from tulle and fastened it to the top of the head with a vintage pin as well as a "pearl" necklace with rhinestone dogtag. The purse's strap mimicked a dog’s chain leash.
This project was different for me; I had never created anything so whimsical before but I found that I was inspired to create something unique for this bride. The project taught me how to think outside of the box and come up with a solution to a puzzle. I understand the bride thought it was perfect.
Enjoy your holiday weekend.