I cried and cried...

My friend Nkem put up a post about her wedding dress that I made and it had me in tears... Oh no I wasn't sad. They were happy tears :o) She tells the story of how she burst into tears at her final wedding dress fitting four weeks to the "big day"!

Here's a lil excerpt

Femi had to come up to console me; of course I was inconsolable. There was no plan B. This was a disaster. Our honey-tongued designer once again “assured” us that he could fix it. Femi pleaded with me to give him one more chance and I did. After about 3 more weeks, with one week to go, I go for what should have been a final fitting and the disaster had gotten worse (I did not think it was possible for it to have worsened). Reality sets in: I do not have a dress to wear on my wedding day! And I have 7 days to find one.

My rescuer came in the form of friend who makes clothes for me and had come to know my style and preferences. She runs a label called Gbemisoke (www.gbemisoke.blogspot.com)

We explained the situation to her over the phone and thankfully she consented to helping salvage the situation. We engaged her on a Thursday, she proceeded to shop for the fabrics on Friday, spent the whole day on Saturday making the dress and on Sunday I went for my first fitting and the dress fit perfectly. It wasn’t by any means what I had previously envisioned but at this stage, I couldn’t be choosy

Read the full story on her blog:

I hade made the gold raw silk dress for their registry wedding a few weeks earlier.

Here's my fav pic from their wedding. That's her holding my son, Nathan (she calls him Prince Edward) He was about 5 months old and he got enough kisses that day to last him a lifetime :o)

When I got the call from Femi about making the dress, I wasn't sure I could pull it off. I knew, however, that they really needed me, so I dropped everything I was working on and went fabric shopping the very next day. I drafted the pattern and cut the dress immediately and started sewing on Saturday morning. She called me from the airport as soon as she got into Lagos on Sunday to ask how it was going and she couldn't believe it when I said she could come for her first fitting. I was positively thrilled that the dress fit :o).. She was soooo happy, and that for me was enough to make up for all the neck-breaking work.

I met Nkem in 06 through Femi and I've made many dresses for her some of which I already shared here and here. She loved my work and encouraged me a great deal, introducing me to many of her friends who have become loyal clients and dear friends. You remember Lebs from this post? I met her through Nkem, as well as Atinuke of Zuri Perle and many others.

As you've probably read from previous posts, I have no formal training in sewing or designing. All I've got is an innate God given gift that I have worked my behind off to turn into a skill. All I know, I have learnt on the job. The encouragement from friends like Nkem who could have discouraged me cos I was less than perfect have played a HUGE role in making me into the sought after clothier that I am today. When I read the hateful and spiteful comments people sometimes leave on blogs about designers work, I cringe and thank God for a support system made up of my family and friends who helped me grow without killing my dream. While I do not expect everyone to like a designers work, there is a HUGE difference between constructive criticism, which points out things that are less than perfect and offers pointers to helping others become better, and vitriol laced attacks that cut people down.... I can imagine how the designers must feel, cos I know firsthand how much work, physical and emotional, goes into creating clothes, especially in Nigeria where it is such a huge challenge to run a business....

I've gone from making dresses like these for Nkem and her friends back in 06/07

To making better ones for her even after her wedding dress

Femi took this pic of me grinning from ear to ear at City People magazine's fashion show competition when they came to support me. See my wiiiide grin? I couldn't believe it when I was called out as 2nd runner up!! You see, I didn't know until that day that it was a competition. I took part just for fun, plus participation was free and all I had to do was bring the clothes. You can view that collection over at www.gbemisoke.com. It was my first fashion show and there were so many talented designers that had been doing their thing loooooong before I started. I realized that day that there was more to this "hobby" of mine. I met Frank Osodi (He designed Agbani Darego's Miss World dress) that day and that led to an internship with him that has moved me closer to achieving my dream.

I thank God for blessing me with dear friends, too numerous to mention who believed in me when all I had was a dream that one day I would become a "world class couturier", a dream that has taken me on an exciting journey that started from delivering clothes to clients on okada until I could afford a beat up nissan sunny, to having a film crew fly from South Africa to feature me in SABC's documentary Promise Africa and fulfilling my elusive dream of taking courses at the acclaimed London College of Fashion last summer.

I haven't reached my "world class couturier" goal yet, but guess what? I'm closer to it now than I was and I'm going to keep giving my best.

Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential. ~ Winston Churchill

Thanks for coming by again and again.

May your dreams com true xoxoxo

Gbemi's got her cooking mojo on overdrive... and some fab dresses too :o)

So here are the pics I promised :o)

Here's my "Gbemskiluzi" special "obe ata dindin" inspired by 9jafoodie

So, she said to add basil leaves to the dish and when I got to the store, I didn't remember what leaves she said, so I bought parsley *hides face in shame*... just kidding :o)

I garnished the rice with the parsley and steamed some broccoli... Believe me, I enjoyed every bit of it. I usually serve my food with a salad plate so that even with a small portion, the plate looks really full... this helps my mind think I've had a lot. I still went for a second helping though :P

So D didn't want rice, so I boiled him some yam :D... I think I got a pass mark cos he went for more too...

Seeing as this blog's focus is not food, (sorry, fellow foodies)*insert wicked laughter here*.... Here are a couple of pics of yours truly rocking gbemisoke... You remember the dresses I made for the twins for our friend, Ro's wedding? You can find that post here. Well I didn't finish my own dress in time for the wedding, and I promised to post pics later. Today is later :o) It's a tulip dress with pockets. Yeah, I love pockets :o) The sleeves are overlapping and I embellished the shoulder area with some crystals... I love this dress and I've worn it over and over and over and...(ok, you catch my drift)... hehehe. My point is, clothes are solutions. I make pieces that solve problems, so if you ever need a solution provider for custom made clothes, think GBEMISOKE :o)
Here's another dress I really love. We handstitched about 20 dozen crystals around the neckline and pockets. The result, a simple bejeweled shift dress that had me feeling like a million dollars. Feel good clothes are my forte. When a woman looks good, she feels good...so in my own lil' way, I'm making the world a better place, one gbemisoke wearing woman at a time.
PS After I wore this dress, I realized that it was about 2 inches too long!! I have since fixed that 'issue', with the full support of D (my accomplice) *grinning* and will be rocking it soon. Good thing the cold's going away fast :o)

Thanks for coming again and again.

May your dreams come true xoxoxo

Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire!!

Hello!!!

So we're here!! We got here safe and sound thank God. Thankfully, our journey was stress free. The munchkins slept for the most part of the journey, in fact they both slept all through the connecting flight from ATL to Houston, saving me from the temptation to go chemical on them :o)

We got some stress from naija customs and immigration cos they claimed that my fabrics and trimmings were not "exportable items"... there was no way I was going to leave about 5 boxes filled with Ankara, Sequins, Stones, Laces, Raw silk, thread and zippers that cost me a fortune to buy behind, so I paid 'tax' as they called it.....thankfully I got waivers on excess luggage fees on a couple of boxes :o) You should've seen our luggage! 13 boxes or so... D was like "are you sure you really need all this stuff?"hmmm... to think that I even left some stuff behind!!! I packed just one box for the munchkins, One and a half for myself...err make that two and a half ;o), one box of food... did I hear you ask what was in the other boxes??? Fabric, thread and everything else I would need to start my fashion business! I brought some ready-to-wear shift dresses and patchwork skirts too, so if you're reading this and you're in the US, send in your orders and I'll give you a "blogspot" discount.

I need to figure out how to make my website more "e-commerce compliant", so if you have any suggestions, please share. In the meantime, I'll put up pics of the stuff I have here as soon as we move into our place and I can unpack properly. There's lots of stuff you'll love. I"ll also be taking custom orders, so drop me a line at gbemi@gbemisoke.com if you want anything.

We're all seriously jet lagged though, so we've been drifting in and out of lalaland... there's a thousand and one things to sort out... car, apartment, appointments with paediatrician and dentist to name a few... I'll have my hands full for sure. I expect things to go really well though, cos God's grace is sufficient. My plan is to throw myself straight into my work, so I can channel all the creative energy I have into making 'feel good clothes' for women who are not afraid to live out loud :o)

America, Gbemisoke is here!!!

Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.~~Arnold H. Glasow

The elastic band worked!!

Hello!

It's a few more days to the BIG MOVE!!

When I feel overwhelmed, my coping strategy is to stay positive and focus on everything I have to be thankful for and it's working :-)

I was backing up my stuff cos D lost his external hard drive last weekend... really sad, cos it had loads and loads of movies and music :*(... well, I found lots of pictures to share, so here we go!!

Here's my dear friend Lebs. She's such an amazing woman! I've been making clothes for her since about '08 and she just inspires me. She celebrated her 18th wedding anniversary last year and D even didn't believe me when I told him! I hope that I can be a babe like her when I'm in my 40s, wearing the same dress size as my children even though they are taller than me ;-)

Simple and sweet dress made out of woodin. Coil effect with bronze taffeta at the bottom :-)

Shirt dress with diagonal zipper in front, pockets and belt... I like this dress cos it's one of those 'I can't believe it's ankara' dresses :-D
She bb'd me this pic of her looking really lovely as she was about to step out. This was a lace 2 piece number I made for her in 09.

This next set of pics are of a blouse I made for her that pushed me to extend myself.

You see, I love working with ankara. I actually started making clothes cos I wanted to make ankara into contemporary pieces. When I see our bright patterned African prints, I immediately think dresses and not 'native'.... I can work with other fabrics, but ankara still remains my firm favorite. When she brought this fabric, I was like, "you know I don't enjoy working with silk and chiffon"... but trust Lebs not to let me off easily! She said she liked the chiffon dresses I had made for her and so she wanted a dress and a top made out of this fabric. So I set to work.

Here's what it looked like after I cut it, put the ruffles on and was trying to decide what to do to the neckline
Too much fabric there! Not what I was expecting.... hmmm.. what do I do?

Then the Holy Spirit gave me an idea. He always teaches me what to do. I usually say that the best friend any tailor can have is the Holy Spirit. I once said that to one of my trainees that was a Muslim and she asked, who would be her own best friend? I told her to ask Him to help her anyways... He always comes through for me. I'm sure He'll help anyone who asks.

I decided to make an elastic band around the neck.

Day 2, after we put the elastic band. There's a lil bit of gaping in the armhole...

Gaping fixed, Final result

I'm hoping Lebs would send me a pic of her wearing it. When she does, I'll share.

I'll be posting even more pics, so do drop by soon :-)

Thanks for coming by again and again.

May your dreams come true xoxo

sewing like it's going out of fashion :-P

Hello People,

Your girl's been a lil under the weather :(

Since the photo shoot on Thursday (which went very well, thank God) I've been sewing like it's going out of fashion (pardon the pun) :-) One of my tailors called in sick on Friday and with so many last minute dresses to deliver, I've had to work extra hard.

I must have overworked myself cos I woke up this morning with a severe headache and a bad cold, my body's way of telling me to slow down. I spent the entire morning in bed and I'm glad to report that I'm feeling a lot better. Still a little woozy from all the medication though...

I'm glad I was able to join Sunday service online at wwww.daystarng.tv :-D

My church is one of the things I'm going to miss about Lagos. I love how the word is served in such practical and easy to apply terms. I've been a member for quite a few years, I even met my husband and got married here. I love the people, I love the music, I love the children's church, I really love the pastors too. Rev. Sam and his wife, Pastor Nike are loving and warm. I've made some dresses for Pastor Nike over the years. Here's a pic I found in my archive

It's made out of black and white lace and black taffeta..

Thanks to facebook, I found these

I remember when Rev. Sam came to Houston last year! I had been away from Nigeria for about 5 months and was homesick. I had just dropped Nathan off at daycare that Monday morning and was driving past Dominion International Center on Beechnut when I saw the billboard advertising the conference my pastor was speaking at. I was ecstatic!!! It was in my neck of the woods and I was able to attend two of the sessions. Thank God I can join the services online...

I'm waiting on the amazing photographer, Babasola for the pics of the photo shoot.

Here are a couple of pics I took on my phone. I'll post the official ones as soon as I get them.

Here's me with a LOT of make up :)

Thanks for coming by again and again.

xxx

PS I'm so excited that three bloggers Ibhade,Dee and Beautiful nominated me for theStylish and Versatile blogger awards *grinning from ear to ear*... I only just started blogging and I'm humbled by the love and acceptance I have received from seasoned bloggers. Thank you soooo much. I've been unable to follow the rules and tag others cos I haven't been feeling well :(..... However, I promise to get to it sharp-sharp!!!

Smoking hot!!!

Hello!!

As I was getting ready for work this morning, I got a BB message.. "You should see the patchwork dress on me!!". It was from one of my new clients, Duupe. She publishes the wedding planner magazine. You can join the facebook group here.

What a great way to start my day! Just knowing there was a woman somewhere who was rocking a 'gbemisoke' number was enough to make my day.

She sent me a pic this evening and I'm so thrilled to see her looking so good in this shift dress, I thought I should share it with you :-)

You can order one for yourself. Drop me a line at gbemi@gbemisoke.com and I'll give you details. It's made out of ankara and dry lace. I cut the different fabrics in 5 inch wide strips and joined them vertically, then I used black dry lace for one side in front and also for the pockets. She wore hers to work, I wore mine to church last Sunday. You can dress it up or down, depending on the occasion. You can be sure you'll stand out and feel special in it...

My friend , Tinuke who is a jewelry designer has asked me to collaborate with her on a photo shoot on thursday. I'm very excited about working with her because she makes such lovely jewelry. I don't have enough time to make anything over the top, cos of the big move, so we are going for simple dresses that would complement the pieces she has already created. We have two models and I'm making three dresses :-)

I'll share the pics soon, so watch this space...

Meet Tinuke of The Wright Jewelries. She's wearing a monostrap dress I made for her this Christmas. The top part is ruched, ever so slightly. I used black raw silk for that, and the rest of the dress is made out of french lace. I love it :-)

You can join her facebook group here

Here's a purple dress I made for a dear 'big sister' of mine, Tobi who lives in Croydon. It's made out of dry lace and purple satin... Watch out for her on the UK red carpets anytime soon :-)

Here's me @ work earlier today. I spent most of the day making patterns and cutting up fabric. Hectic but fun!

and guess who came to visit mommy @ work???

Alexis!! She's such a big girl now.... :-D

Thanks for coming by again and again. May your dreams come true xoxo

Happy new year!

Happy new year good people :)

Is it just me or did this week legitimately FLY by!!!

I've been working non stop since Tuesday and it's been C-R-A-Z-Y... I'm reminded of how important it is to follow you passion, cos I find that I just have the strength to keep going, even when I'm extremely tired. Thankfully, my nanny didn't go on holiday, so I've got help with the munchkins, but my maid hasn't come back from what was supposed to be a week long visit to her family... I hope she comes back this weekend though, cos her school resumes on monday... While I sometimes feel I shouldn't have such a young maid, I know sending her back to her folks will mean that they'll just send her off to someone else, so I made it my responsibility to ensure that she gets an education. I really hope her parents let her come back cos they might send her off somewhere else if they will get more money, so I might never see her again. *sigh* Well, she can rad and write now, which she couldn't do before I met her.. I pray she'll be ok.

Not having domestic help is one of the things I'm going to miss the most about naija.... I'm sure I'll be fine, cos I know people who are doing such a great job holding down a job, school and being good moms. God's grace is sufficient for me. I was just telling D the other day that I'm sure God knew that there would be no amount that would suffice as payment for parenting, that's why He made it voluntary... All the munchkins have to do is smile, and no matter how tired I am, I find that I can still go on. I'm so thankful to God for the privilege of being a parent. I'm far from perfect (you should hear me scream :oP), but I would gladly be cook, maid, nanny, driver and everything else my kids need me to be :)

Work has been hectic and fun! Just before Christmas, I worked with a bride with a really small budget. She reminded me so much of myself when I was getting married, I was glad to help her out. I went with her to the market to buy the fabric for the traditional marriage ceremony and I made her a 2 piece outfit. Most people wear Iro and Buba, but she wanted a skirt and blouse and I was glad to oblige.

She's quite busty, so I boned her top to give her support. She didn't need to wear a bra.

I don't have a better pictures cos I couldn't attend the wedding, as I was neck deep in work. I got these thanks to facebook.

So, her husband called me on the morning of Tuesday the 21st asking if I could make a wedding dress for their wedding on Thursday the 23rd!!! 'What happened to the dress your brother was supposed to bring from London?', I asked. He said the dress didn't fit and she didn't like it. They brought the dress over and it wasn't so bad. She just didn't know how to lace it up properly. I laced it up and it was ok, in fact it really cinched in her waist and was very flattering. The only snag was her boobs were spilling over the top!! There was the option of making a bolero, but I didn't want her to spend the whole day pulling a jacket together, besides why cover the lovely dress? Time for some Gbemisoke magic!!! Thankfully, I found a piece of leftover beaded lace from a wedding dress I made in 08 and guess what? It was the exact same colour. I made a 'blouse' (I'm not sure exactly what to call it) and she wore the dress over it. It turned out quite well.

She was full of smiles....

As a full figured woman myself, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to find clothes that flatter the curves. I love creating pieces that solve problems for real women. Making patterns and building corsets require more time and effort than making basic pieces, but I find myself drawn to the more challenging process cos I love the final results. I'm experimenting with draping and I like the results I'm getting. Here's a pic of one of my experiments.

I'll post a pic of the final result soon. It's amazing what the right construction techniques can do to the female form :)

I've got so much going on right now!

I'm working with my jewelry designer friend, Tinuke on some designs for a photo shoot on Thursday. I'm also making a few ready-to-wear pieces. I'll put some pictures up soon. I'll have some stuff for sale, so you can buy yourself (or someone you love) something special ;)

It's about three weeks before we move and so there's a lot of last minute stuff to do... God help me!!!

Thanks for coming by again and again. May your dreams come true xoxoxo

Mr X versus Mrs X...The conclusion

It's a great season to be alive!

It's so good to wake up the day AFTER Christmas, knowing that the birth of Christ is as relevant as it was yesterday!

I learnt something new today. Whatever position or condition you're in, there's someone somewhere who is wishing they were in your shoes. There's someone who would forever be grateful to God to have what you have now. So let's quit complaining and be grateful, because it could've been worse!

I promised to let you know how Mrs X handled the coil drama I shared in an earlier post.

She told Mr X that they should let her sister (whose opinion he respected) be the umpire. Her vote was to be the deciding factor. She told me when they were leaving, to Mr X's hearing (and pleasure) that I should be prepared to remove it if her sister sided with him. Now why am I not surprised that I did not get that call??? Mrs X surely knows how to run things ;-)

Naijamum's solution is the closest to what actually happened. Win-win solutions win any day!

Here are some dresses I made last week.

Pu'a looking yummy. She still doesn't look like someone who had a baby some weeks ago.

Dramatic sleeves for my big sister

same sleeve, but here the other arm is sleeveless

Thanks for coming by xoxo

only a great fool would not be grateful!

Merry Christmas!!!

My heart is filled with gratitude to God for such a great year.

Two weeks ago, D and I went on a retreat. We took time out to pray and make plans for 2011. We reviewed our family vision, came up with a fresh one and set new goals. As I looked as those goals again today, it became clear to me that God is faithful. Most of my goals for 2010 were accomplished and it could only have been God.

The highest point of my year was giving birth to Alexis

I am so blessed, I can't thank God enough for His blessings. Especially the ones that money cannot buy.

As I look forward to 2011 and the many changes that the new year will bring, I am convinced that God will do even more.

If you have any doubts about what God has promised you, I encourage you to trust Him. He is faithful. If He could do it for me, He certainly can do it for you :)

Care to share what the highest point of your year was?

See what coil has caused oh! Mrs X versus Mr X....

One of the things I love about my job is that I get to meet lots of people. Different kinds of people.

While most of my experiences have been pleasant, there have been some not-so-pleasant ones…. I should do a post about those sometime soon, you’ll laugh ehn!! Anyway, I had an interesting experience today and I’ll like to know what your thoughts are.

I have a client, let’s call her Mrs X. She lives in London and even though I’ve been making clothes for her for about 3 years, I saw her in person for the first time early this year and we just clicked. She’s special because she’s in her 50s. I don’t know her exact age, that’s just my guess.

So what’s so special about making clothes for 50 something year old woman?? Well, first she’s set. As in, she’s got a really great figure…I want to be like her when I grow up J, the only thing coming between me and this goal is my love for all things delicious… I know there’s hope for me anytime I see Oprah sha, cause if she has access ( for free) to all the best of the best cutting edge fat ‘eliminating’ technology which I would have to pay for and I’m still slimmer than her, there’s hope for me… That’s not the point of this post at all… forgive my rambling….

As I was saying, I’m usually excited to find someone in Mrs X’s age range who likes my work because most of my clients are younger than her. What I like the most about her is that she’s the kind of person that doesn’t need to tell you she’s a believer before you know. She just has a sweet spirit and she’s an encourager…I know all this from speaking to her on the phone three or four times and seeing her only once, no twice, if you count yesterday.

I got to meet Mr X yesterday. By the time he had finished explaining how Isaac reaped when he sowed in the land, only because he was in the right location, most of my fears about the relocating were out the window…ok ok back to the point of this post

Her sister had dropped off her fabric earlier and she came to pick her outfit up yesterday. I wanted to make her something that would be age appropriate, while showing her curves, so I went for a classic silhouette. However, I didn’t want to be boring, so I tried the coil effect on the ruffles. I have seen people do this coil thing over the years, but it was my first time and I loved the final result. The coil is what defines the ruffles and makes them stand out....

She loved it! It was different from anything else I had done for her and she was pleased….

Mr X wasn’t. He liked the style, but he thought the whole coil thing was too much so he asked me (nicely) to remove it….

Remove????!!! ME NO THINK SO!!! Me I liked the thing (a lot) and then I thought about the hours my girls spent getting the coil done right. I had really given them a hard time, making them undo and redo till it was neat enough for me…I was in ‘wicked witch’ mode yesterday meeeehn! You see, I can be very difficult to work with especially when I know someone is trying to take the easy way out..I digress, again..

I smiled sweetly and pointed out to him that his wife liked it

His point was that since his wife was dressing up for him to admire her, he’s really in fact my client and so his preference should be the deciding factor. He wanted her to keep it simple because she’s a simple person and that’s one of the things he loves about her. My coil was over the top. Valid point!

Her point was that since she was the one going to wear it and it made her happy, he should let her wear it. Even though her usual style was simple, she liked it because it was different. Valid point!

What do you think? Whose wishes should I obey? Please let me know what you think and why, so we can all learn.

I’ll let you know what eventually happened in my next post J

PS I found it remarkable that they each made their points and explained to each other their reasons. They could have turned it into a shouting match with Mr X insisting ‘I’m the man! You must obey’, but he didn’t. She could also have insisted ‘I like it and that’s all that matters’, but she didn’t … Important lesson there for me.

more dresses

I love it when I get positive feedback.

Negative feedback? I don't actually like it, but knowing that it can help me become better, I embrace it. Constructive criticism helps us grow and become better. God corrects us because He loves us. If we were all left to ourselves, we would never become the best that we can be.

Where do we draw the line between constructive criticism and hateful spiteful comments?

Please share your thoughts. I would like to learn from you.

I'm sharing more pics today. Some people have asked me if it's okay to copy the ideas and styles. Yes you can copy. Ideas are personal, products are public. Before I execute an idea, it's all mine, but as soon as I create it, it becomes something others can enjoy and recreate.

These ones are recent.

Here's Kenny @ our friend, Rotimi's wedding in October. This was one of my first designs after I got back from maternity leave.

Here's Taiye... They liked the dress so much, they didn't mind me making the same style for them.
Here's me at the same wedding. I wasn't able to finish my own dress in time for the wedding, so I wore this. I've since made mine, but I didn't take a pic when i wore it. i'll put it up when i do

This was also aso-ebi. Most people made iro and buba, cos the lace was pricey, but me?? Why make something I won't wear again?
Showing off the back view :)

Here's my babe Pu'a... Her baby is only a few weeks old and she's already rocking.... me likey

This lace dress for Adenike was also aso-ebi. Shesa id most people made iro and buba...
Another tulip dress

Thanks for dropping by. Please leave a comment, so I'll know you came

Life is short. Enjoy the journey

xoxo