Monday, December 23, 2013

Dress Progress and Some Nice Memories of 2013

Well I'm right on schedule with the back "bodice" totally beaded and I'm about halfway through the right front. I'm just itching to sew the center back seam together, though - whaddaya think? Good idea? Bad idea? My only hesitation is that it would be a little more cumbersome to bead, but it's already too large to carry around. I have to sit at the kitchen table to do it. Anyway, here's how it's looking just roughly pinned together.


I think it's going to be gorgeous! What should I do with that little blank area at the waist where my stenciling skills lagged? Maybe I should just see how weird it looks when it's fully beaded - you may not notice it so much.


So that's all the sewing, but I wanted to keep a couple of pictures up for when I look back. (Do you ever go back and read your old stuff? Very Clark-Griswold-in-the-attic-watching-home-movies, if you know what I mean..sniff.) Jake starts the night with Lucas, standing by his bed for some reason till he falls asleep, then he sneaks out and goes to Drew's room to sleep under the bed or next to the closet. This morning, though, he was IN the bed, which was a surprise. Poor Drew had to sleep diagonally all night.


And then Jake wouldn't leave. Lucas went back in with my phone while Drew was in the shower, and Jake looks kind of PO'd and guilty about the whole thing. ("Lucas, you snap one more picture of me and I'll bite your hand off...")


And how great (or sad, depending on your weather preferences) is it that in the middle of December, the kid can lay barefooted on the dock without a coat and fly a kite? The Gulf Coast really is a paradise...when there are no hurricanes around.


This one came out blurry, but I was trying to capture the pink sky reflecting off the water, and the phone color-adjusted if I focused too long, so I snapped it really quick. I love pink skies!


I totally forgot to get a picture of the Christmas tree - guess that'll wait till tomorrow. Lucas decided the lights were so pretty that he didn't want to cover them up with ornaments, and Dean pointed out that means less clean-up later, so we went with it. Luckily it's a pretty tree, so she don't need no bling! If I don't see you tomorrow, you have a Blessed and Merry Christmas!

10 comments:

BeckyW said...

Your dress is really coming together!! I think it is really pretty. That little gap you are talking about ends up looking a bit purposeful to me. I think it gives me a hint of a corset with a skirt. What about adding a curved line of beading to look like the finished edge of a corset along the gap. Does that make sense?

Pam said...

Wow! I am loving your dress--it really is coming together!! Absolutely killer! I can't wait to see the final result! And, the amount of time you've put in . . . Happy Holidays!

Bianca s said...

You are really working! It is gorgeous!

I would suggest not permanently stitching it together until you have all four panels done. It will get heavier and the weight of the beads may shift the depth of the neckline.

About your stencil division, the position of it is very fortunate and as BeckyW says, looks purposeful. Maybe leave it?

Did you adjust the length of the pattern before cutting the dress? How tall are you? I am 5'8 and find this dress as is, with the train, too long for me even with reasonable heals. If it is too long for you, you may want to make it a two piece (ACK!). I know it sounds extreme, but if you are tripping on the back, it may solve that problem...

Great work




Dr. Fun (AKA Sister) said...

Becky - great suggestion! I thought about a belt, but it's a little below my waist, so beading would be better.

Pam - Thanks and happy holidays back atcha!

Bianca - I'm 5'8 too. I realized when I cut it that I didn't want the train at Mardi Gras, but I wanted to see how it looked first, so I already planned to cut the bottom off. It's definitely going to get longer with all these beads, like you said, and I'm a little worried it'll pull the neckline too low, so I may have to think about cutting it...oh, so painful! I'll have to pray about that one...

Anonymous said...

It is absolutely beautiful!!! I love it!!

Robbie

Dr. Fun (AKA Sister) said...

Thanks, Robbie!

Sheila said...

Omg... your dress is Gorgeous, the shaping of the bodice, the stenciling, beading .. just beautiful. I like the spacing.

Dr. Fun (AKA Sister) said...

Thank you, Sheila!

arlene said...

This is spectacular!! You've done an amazing job with the beading. You should be so proud!!
I'm making a skirt, but the pattern pieces are not marked as to which seams are the side seams, and which are to be joined at centre front. I'm stumped. I can't find directions to this anywhere on the patten pieces or in the book! Any help? (I noticed its the same with the dress pieces...cut two each of front and back, but no indication where to join...no dots or anything like on a "normal" pattern)
Thank you in advance, if you happen to see this and reply!

Dr. Fun (AKA Sister) said...

Thank you so much, Arlene! The skirt pieces have a straight side and a flared side, and the straight side is the center. For the dress and top, I figured out which was the neckline and the armhole (that's hard on the fitted top - they're very similar), and be sure to mark it well - I sewed mine together the wrong way twice. For the skirt part of the dress, I used the same clue, that the center back is longer to make a train, and center front is straighter. You're right, the pattern pieces are very minimalistic! I'd love to see your skirt when you finish...