Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Can I get an amen?

The dress is done. And miracle of miracles, I think I like it.

It's getting handed off tomorrow night, so I won't see it again until the show opens, but after all the twists and turns of this particular journey, I think the result is better than anticipated.

Tonight I got the last of the lining sewn in. The lining isn't completely fitted - I just didn't have the time and energy to cut a bodice lining that exactly fit - but it fits along the top edge and it's tacked to the zipper and at the side seam, and the minimal excess fabric won't take up any extra room inside the dress.

Good enough is, indeed, good enough.

I realized today that it's the 3rd of the month and I haven't done my month-end review for January yet. I was going to put off doing it, but I like the reviews just because it keeps in front of me how much (or how little) I accomplish each month.

I have been a bit unfaithful to the dress. Whenever I need a change of fabric, I've been working on the BWOF 12/09 #120 hooded tunic made from a toast-colored stretch velvet. I got it almost finished tonight, just need hems and buttons on the placket to call it done.

It was supposed to be the last project for January, but I think not. There are actually a few UFOs for January, which I need to take care of soon. I don't like to keep UFOs around anymore. I won the UFO Contest on Patternreview in 2006, and I haven't recovered from the shame of it yet. You should never have so many UFOs that you can win a contest with them.

I have 3 dress UFOs - the BWOF dress that was too small and that I'm finishing for a friend; the dress I started to wear to the wedding the other week and lost interest in; and another dress that I started based on pattern I drafted, that just isn't exciting me right now.

First up I'll finish the dress that I wanted to wear to the wedding. It's a pattern I've made before; I just got h ung up on the sleeves and got distracted. Easy fix.

The BWOF dress is easy, too, but after working on the costume, I'm done with sewing for others for at least a week.

The third dress may well be a wadder, or it may be a successful top, if I can bring myself to chop it off at waist length (it was an attempt to lengthen a favorite top into a dress, and maybe there's a reason it's a good top).

Coming soon: I stopped in at the thrift store after work today and found an absolutely beautiful navy blue wool pea coat for $18. The wool is very good quality, and it has all its buttons, plus the extras. The only problem is that the lining is frayed around the hips. But on the plus side, the lining is still intact, so it'll be easy enough to remove and duplicate. The sleeve linings are still perfect, so I may just make a new lining and attach it to them, then bag it around the jacket. I do some navy floral poly charmeuse in the lining stash. I hate re-lining, but not so much that I'll pay someone else to do it, and certainly not enough to leave a jacket that fits that well hanging on the rack.

Notes on the dress photos here: top, dress without flash; next, closeup of the pieced bodice; third, bodice from the side, showing the invisible zip; fourth, dress with flash (shiny); and last, the unfitted lining.

I'm tired now.

15 comments:

AllisonC said...

Congratulations, I like that bodice design, you did a great job reproducing it. I hope they are giving you some front row tickets for the show!

Stash said...

Whew! is all I have to say! lol

It was fun following along and it looks great. You sure did a good job on that zipper too. I love the bodice....Hope this is appreciated. ;-)

KID, MD said...

Nice!! You did a great job saving that horrible fabric.

Little Hunting Creek said...

Wow - it looks amazing!

SEWN said...

I'm very impressed with what you can do with fugly fabric. Kudos! Looks awesome.

Rachelle said...

You did a most excellent job with that dress. Whoever said "you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear" obviously never gave the project to YOU to complete!

Nancy K said...

Congratulations on finishing this and doing a beautiful job with it. I hope that its a good play!

Rose said...

Amen! The dress looks amazing!!

Gretchen the Household Deity said...

You really did end up with a great dress after all that. I'm sure it will look fabulous on stage.

Meg said...

Amen here too! Sewing for others is a little on the frustrating side, isn't it? Whenever I make complicated stuff for Annie I have to take breaks from it and work on stuff for me.

Michelle said...

The dress turned out great! Congratulations to you for working through al the issues.

Vicki said...

Congratulations! Job well done.

Silknmore said...

It looks fabulous, Karen. Your skills are incredible.
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meredithp said...

Amen! And will we see pix of the dress on the character? I hope so. Hard to picture the "context" for such a shiny thing. You did a beautiful job, though. I would have taken a match to the whole thing and watched it melt into a lump of cold plastic :-)

Linda L said...

Love the dress, the bodice design is very attractive.