Hi Everyone....

Well, at long last I've got round to putting a new post on my blog! It's been almost non stop the whole summer, except we did actually have a holiday (Rhodes!) the first in 9 years.

Just thought that I'd let you all see my latest commission, an 'Elizabethan' inspired wedding dress which was worn by the bride last Monday for the wedding which took place in a castle in Scotland.....don't have the official photos yet, but here are some taken in the studio before the dress departed. You can see more photos and read details of the construction on my website: www.bobbiesroom.co.uk
See below....

A new website is now being planned as well, with hopefully a lot of new and interesting content, including my vintage clothing collection, (great for customers style inspiration), and pages for other strands of the business including  my 'Natural History' range. These are designs using Scottish and English (Yorkshire) pure wool and cashmere tweeds and checks with nappa leather trims and top quality leather buttons.  Designed and made  to be totally functional (robust, warm and hard wearing), lined and with double stitched seams for the trousers. The fabrics are an inspiration in themselves....

PLUS expansion into another room here! This will give loads more space for fittings of big dresses, and for my teaching of pattern cutting. My studio was never designed with my current business in mind, but will still be great for a workroom, and I will have a lovely place for my students and customers.

Hope you all have a great Christmas, and every wish for good fortune in the New Year

Bobbie

Midsummer blog

Hi Everyone,

Midsummer blog, and it's done nothing but rain for about 2 months....well, here in the U.K., that is, if you're reading this from across the water!

So, having just put up a post on Facebook (my Atelier business page) about some amazing fabrics which had come to my notice in the last couple of days, I just thought I'd let you, my mailing list people, see the text in case you don't do facebook, and I know that many of you don't.

Here it is:
 Although this is not strictly wedding dress related (but could easily be!)..... I received yesterday the fabric swatch books from Harrisons of Edinburgh, which include some of the softest, silkiest most beautiful cashmere fabrics I have ever seen. This is a British company, and I know the Italians are hard to beat when it comes to fabric of certain types, but we should thank somebody/something, that this company is still going despite economic bad times. I guess it's true that the upper echelons of business aren't affected so much in recessions, (and this is fabric of the upper echelon!), but it's good to know that stuff of this quality is still produced here.
Abraham Moon's are also scoring massively in my book today, as their fabulous swatch books also arrived (know as 'bunches'), full of amazing tweeds in every subtle mix of colours, plus 5 rolls of fabric from them has just been delivered for a current project, which are a total joy to behold! Imagine lying in field of long grass, and looking through the stems to a purple moor in the distance, with the sun sparkling down, and you'll get a bit of an idea!!
I can't help being a fabric freak, so sorry if I seem a bit crazy!
 
Consequently, I am now planning a revolutionary draped wedding dress in softest, shimmering, herringbone weave cashmere, which has to be seen to be believed! Just need another winter wedding dress commission to come along.....

Bobbie 

P.S. I know it's a bit after the event, but kept meaning to do this about 6 weeks ago.  Here's little video of my Artweeks show, for those who couldn't  make the show itself can be seen here: 

 

Music: Moilike from B sO glObal's self titled album, by my husband Jon Seagroatt 


AND, photos of some amazing, locally hand made lace, made by the mother of a woman who came to the show: (again, contact me if you, or anyone else you know would like this uncommon skill featured in a wedding dress design, using  almost any motif you could imagine - floral, animal, insect, geometric etc., etc.)

Spring! March newsblog

Hi everyone,

Well it is officially the first day of spring today, and things are looking pretty good so far for Atelier wedding dresses, and the Atelier classes.

I have two commissions on at the moment, both very different, which is a fantastic position to be in, and one of these is a winter wedding, (December in Scotland!), which I have been yearning to do since I relaunched the business 18 months ago.
We are going for luxury woollen fabrics for this one, cashmere or wool venetian, and the dress, I'm very happy to say is incorporating some items and extracts from the woman's life in the design, that have significant personal meaning. So this fits into the 'Atelier Redolent' side of things. A historical, quite regal theme influences the design, so this will be really different, and very exciting for me to make.

My other commission is for a woman who's daughter is soon to be married. I hesitate to say 'Mother of the bride', as this has such bad connotations - somebody trussed up in shiny fabric, looking and feeling uncomfortable, and after the event, being glad that she will never have to wear that particular outfit again!
Well, this current commission will NOT be like that! Not wishing to give too much away, the fabrics are the softest British wool, soft and fluid silk tweed, combined with some fabric from the woman's own wedding dress.

Suffice to say that it's very busy at the moment (!), but I'm loving the challenges, working with the ladies concerned, and using such gorgeous fabrics.

Some quick updates:

• I was in last month's (February) 'Four Shires' magazine - local monthly glossy.
  
• Another 'daughter's wedding' outfit elicited this comment from the wearer: " I felt like a million dollars!"
• My artweeks exhibition for Atelier Redolent, more details to follow - happens in May (5th - 13th), and you are all invited to the private view, at the Dovecote Studio right next to the Atelier studio at OX17 1PF
• Preview of the above at the Jam Factory in Oxford city centre from the beginning of April, exact dates to follow
  
• My latest Atelier Redolent sample, a short black wedding dress , will be photographed soon, studio and location shots - so hugely looking forward to that.
• I am investing in a Fridja steamer! Sure they don't need me to advertise for them, but they look so cute, and I know will be extremely useful - hoping to avoid lugging a BIG wedding dress around the ironing board.
  
• Invitation/flyer for the Artweeks exhibition above.

New Year newsblog

Well, again, a bit of a hiatus in the blogging - apologies.
A few reasons - a longish but rushed job (two dresses in one - the Grace Kellyesque extravaganza), relaunching my website, AND the fact that I have a Facebook page for the business now, which is the quickest and easiest place to talk about latest news. But I still like the blog when I have time to do it - it's specifically sent to the people who I think/hope are interested, and it doesn't disappear down the plughole that is Facebook...!
I also do Twitter now, (though not the expert yet!), and I'm thinking that all this net activity is paying off - Atelier comes up for at least the first 10 Google searches if you Google Bobbie Seagroatt/weddings/Redolent or something similar. Atelier is far too general I now realise (too late!), but add Redolent or my name, and you'll easily find the Atelier website If you scroll down to the Atelier/Redolent tab on the bottom left, you can read about the idea behind 'Redolent' - items of personal meaning playing a big part in the design. Please let me know what you think of it.
With this new site, unlike the other one it's just replaced, I can easily add photos as they come, and show images of work in progress.
The Atelier facebook page is the best place for such things at the moment and my aim is to synchronise all my different places for the business, so that I don't have to do them all separately.
Latest excitement is that I have signed up for Oxfordshire Artweeks, which is run every year in Oxfordshire, and is a week of open studios/exhibitions etc. Although Atelier is possibly not 'art' as such, each item is a one off. It runs between 5th - 13th of May 2012 here's the link to my page:http://www.artweeks.org/festival/2012/in-u1290n3079
I'm busy designing and having new flyers/business cards printed at the moment, and am working on the second Redolent sample, which is a short black wedding dress!! I think it will be fab - fingers crossed. You can see the mull backing/interlining above - it's so delicate and light as a feather....

Speak soon,
Bobbie