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Blog: Kat Makes

Adventures in Obsession

gradient architexture scarf handknit

Coming Down from the Wedding Dress: Back to Basics

June 4, 2019

I’m back! This week, it’s a short one with a few thoughts on what it’s like to not be working on the wedding dress anymore, along with a few projects I worked on when I got my mojo back. Don’t worry, the mojo’s back in full swing now!

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In Bramaking, Making Clothes, Project Wedding Dress, Self Drafted Sewing, Yarn and Handknits Tags handmade wedding dress, bramaking, sewing blog nz, handmade wardrobe, sew a partial band bra, wedding dressmaker, handknit, knitting and sewing blog
4 Comments
wedding dress hand beaded detail

Handmade Wedding Dress Chapter 14: The Photos, and the End.

May 1, 2019

It’s the end of the wedding dress posts! This week is mostly just a little wrap-up - all the links to the dress posts in chronological order, and a bunch of new photos of the dress!

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In Project Wedding Dress, Projects, Tambour and Beadwork Tags handmade wedding, wedding dressmaking, new zealand sewing blog, sew new zealand, new zealand wedding, tambour embroidery, how to tambour embroidery, tambour beading, tambour beading wedding dress, diy wedding, weddings new zealand, make a wedding dress, sewnz, sewing blog nz, hand beading, wedding detail, wedding dressmaker, make your own wedding dress, pink wedding dress, silk wedding dressmaking
8 Comments
hemming+a+silk+wedding+dress

Handmade Wedding Dress Chapter 13: The Hem Party and Finishing Touches

April 22, 2019

The big day! This week’s post is the last of the dressmaking (though not the last of the wedding dress posts!) - I’m showing you how my friend Jay helped me level off the hem, how a group of eight fabulous sewing ladies got together to help me hand hem the dress, and a few other finishing touches.

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In Project Wedding Dress, Tambour and Beadwork Tags handmade wedding dress, dressmaking, wedding dressmaker, wedding dress progress, weddings new zealand, hemming silk bias dress, hemming circle skirt, hand rolled hem, hem party, hen party sewing, silk chiffon bias drop, finishing handmade wedding dress, sewing new zealand, sewing blog nz, custom wedding labels
5 Comments
tambour bead wedding dress

Handmade Wedding Dress Chapter 12: The Dress Meets The Embroidery

April 8, 2019

This week, yet another in a string of ‘moments of truth’ - the embroidery comes off the frame, is cut into pieces, and finds itself sewn to the bodice of the wedding dress!

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In Project Wedding Dress, Tambour and Beadwork Tags diy wedding, tambour beading, finishing a tambour beaded project, sewing tambour beading on bodice, sewing wedding dress, nz weddings, new zealand wedding, handmade wedding dress, make a wedding dress, wedding dressmaker, tambour embroidery, bridal embroidery, sew embroidery to dress, bodice embroidery
7 Comments
beach+wedding+photoshoot.jpg

Handmade Wedding Dress Chapter 11: Skirt Construction and Dress Assembly

March 31, 2019

This week, Project Wedding Dress starts to look like an actual dress- the skirt is constructed, the bodice is joined, and the zipper is attached! We’re a bit about the drama today with one minor and one major catastrophe, but it all came right in the end!

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In Project Wedding Dress, Tambour and Beadwork Tags handmade wedding dress, silk wedding dress, attach skirt to bodice, bridal invisible zipper, #5 conceal ykk zipper, handmade wedding, diy wedding, pink wedding dress, new zealand weddings, beaded wedding dress, princess wedding dress, sewing a wedding dress, sewing blog new zealand, bias drop wedding dress
4 Comments
katmakes wedding dress

Handmade Wedding Dress Chapter 10: Bodice Construction

March 21, 2019

In this post, we’re taking a couture techniques deep dive into the hand sewing that was involved in sewing the bodice of my wedding dress! two lines of basting stitches, three layers of silk, and one very pretty result!

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In Making Clothes, Project Wedding Dress Tags handmade wedding dress, diy wedding dress, silk wedding dress, pink wedding, new zealand wedding blog, nz weddings, bodice sewing, couture bodice techniques, basting wedding dress, princess seamed bodice, hand sewing wedding dress, stabilizing silk bodice, handmade wedding, diy wedding, nz sewing, new zealand sewing blog
5 Comments
forest wedding ceremony space

Handmade Wedding Dress Chapter 9: Dyeing the Fabric

March 4, 2019

This week, it’s all about the colors! This was the process I went through to dye the three complimentary layers of my dress’s silk circle skirts - some tricks I learned along the way, and the error in judgement that resulted in the most wonderful wedding arch drapery.

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In Project Wedding Dress Tags acid dye, hand dyed wedding dress, handmade wedding dress, wedding ceremony, wedding new zealand, me made everyday, sewing new zealand, sewing blog new zealand, dyeing with acid dye, dye setup, dyeing even colors, how to dye silk, wedding dress construction, wedding diy, pink wedding dress, couture dressmaking, dressmaker new zealand
7 Comments
tambour beading cup sequins

Handmade Wedding Dress Chapter 8: Corselet Construction

February 28, 2019

Today, I’m back to the Wedding Dress Progress Updates! Come along as I tackle the corselet - the structural underlayer - of the dress, and also wax rhapsodic on boning issues in modern dresses.

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In Project Wedding Dress, Self Drafted Sewing, Tambour and Beadwork Tags spiral steel boning, cut spiral steel boning, tambour beading, tambour wedding dress, handmade wedding dress, diy wedding dress, wedding new zealand, wedding diy, wedding corselet, sew wedding corselet, sew wedding dress understructure, sewing with coutil, ways to make boning channels, structure wedding dress, handmade wedding
9 Comments
welcome to the wedding sign hand lettered

The Big Reveal: Wedding Photos are Here!

February 25, 2019

It’s time! This week It’s a quick break from the ‘how I did that’ of the wedding dress posts to show you some of the wonderful pictures we have from the day! Yay! Disclaimer: This post is VERY photo heavy. Perhaps the most photo heavy post I’ve ever posted. Please don’t hit the button if you have limited data available!

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In Project Wedding Dress, Tambour and Beadwork Tags wedding photos, handmade wedding dress, me made wedding, diy wedding, summer wedding, waters wedding photos, new zealand wedding, new zealand wedding diy, sewing blogger, new zealand sewing blog, new zealand wedding blog, diy wedding inspiration, silk wedding dress
18 Comments
Iwedding-preview

We're Married, and I'm Back!

February 19, 2019

Guess who’s MARRIED! That’s right! I promise there are more photos coming, but in the meantime, here’s an update!

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In Project Wedding Dress, Travel Tags handmade wedding dress, diy wedding dress, wedding preview photos, diy wedding, wedding dressmaker, new zealand sewing blog, new zealand sewing, handmade wedding, blog update, sewcialist, sewnz
11 Comments
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Hi! I'm Kat, I don't have any cats, and this is organized chaos. If you'd like to chat about catlessness, sewing, knitting, or other forms of world domination, I'd love to hear from you!katherine.klebenow@gmail.com

Hi! I'm Kat, I FINALLY have a cat, and this is organized chaos. If you'd like to chat about cats, sewing, knitting, or other forms of world domination, I'd love to hear from you!

hellokat.makes@gmail.com

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Featured
Tutorial: Sewing a custom Cat Carrier Cover for your cat's travel box
Oct 9, 2024
Tutorial: Sewing a custom Cat Carrier Cover for your cat's travel box
Oct 9, 2024

Today's project is a cover, custom made to fit over my cats' travel carrier. This project has everything - custom drafting, magnets, hardware installation, problem solving: All in the name of keeping my kitties happy in transit! It's a long one - you've been warned.

Oct 9, 2024
Weaving your First Project on a Rigid Heddle Loom
Apr 26, 2023
Weaving your First Project on a Rigid Heddle Loom
Apr 26, 2023

My very first project on my new rigid heddle loom! I so enjoyed learning this new skill - here are a collection of tips as well as links to tutorials I found helpful as I made my first project!

Apr 26, 2023
DIY, Sewing, and Craft Supply Shops in New Zealand
Apr 13, 2023
DIY, Sewing, and Craft Supply Shops in New Zealand
Apr 13, 2023

Ever wondered where to get a weirdly specific hardware? supplies for making shoes, bags, or embroidered tea towels? Dye supplies or fancy zips? I've compiled a list of my favourite sources!

Apr 13, 2023
Sewing the Haptic Lab Constellation Quilt (again)
Mar 30, 2023
Sewing the Haptic Lab Constellation Quilt (again)
Mar 30, 2023

I’m making a northern stars constellation quilt to match my southern stars one! This one has started quite a bit differently from the last one - so I’ve shared my process in case it helps you with a similar project!

Mar 30, 2023
The Tambour Embroidery Hoop Holder: A Woodworking DIY
Mar 23, 2023
The Tambour Embroidery Hoop Holder: A Woodworking DIY
Mar 23, 2023

In which our intrepid tambour embroidery fanatic once again attempts woodworking in the name of beads. (Also, in which fortunately the attempt is once again successful!)

Mar 23, 2023
The Home Sewist's Guide to Snap Fasteners for baby clothes, bag making, and more
Mar 15, 2023
The Home Sewist's Guide to Snap Fasteners for baby clothes, bag making, and more
Mar 15, 2023

A deep dive into the world of snap fasteners! Did you know there were so many options to choose from? We go through five popular options for fasteners and discuss the pros and cons, as well as applications, of each

Mar 15, 2023
Lillian's Embroidered Wedding Veil
Mar 1, 2023
Lillian's Embroidered Wedding Veil
Mar 1, 2023

Making Lill’s cathedral length floral embroidered wedding dress - all in one monster post!

Mar 1, 2023
Art Deco Wardrobe Collection
Feb 19, 2023
Art Deco Wardrobe Collection
Feb 19, 2023

This was going to be the year I finally attended the Art Deco festival in Napier - here’s everything I made to wear for the weekend, all in one place!

Feb 19, 2023
Tutorial: Pullover Hoodie with Cat Pocket
Nov 9, 2022
Tutorial: Pullover Hoodie with Cat Pocket
Nov 9, 2022

Do you have a velcro kitty like me? I made my very own cat-pocket hoodie so I can carry my little guy around wherever he wants to go, and it’s a tutorial now so you can make one yourself!

Nov 9, 2022
The Prick and Pounce Method for Tambour Embroidery
Nov 9, 2022
The Prick and Pounce Method for Tambour Embroidery
Nov 9, 2022

Today we’re exploring one of the oldest methods of embroidery design transfer - the prick and pounce method!

Nov 9, 2022
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Woven scarf number two! For this one, I tried weaving with laceweight which I was *certain* would require a 15 dent heddle but the wpi math said 12.5 so I went with it. Woven on my @ashford_wheels_looms 16” rigid heddle loom using alpaca yarn w
Pink scenes from a weekend of sewing: I’m having a summer birthday for the first time in almost a decade, and the occasion calls for a summer birthday dress! I’m tackling the bustier style, which i anticipate may be a bit of a mission bec
Happy first Gotcha Day to this little dude! It’s been so fun to watch him grow up from a tiny little puffball into a Whole Cat, who is somehow also just a tiny human fellow in a cat suit 💕 here’s to another 365, and may the future, perha
Finished Scarf!! It took a while for the weather to cooperate for these photos but that’s all good because it gave me time to write my blog post! 

This is my Very First Ever project on a rigid heddle loom- mine is the @ashford_wheels_looms 16&
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