I'm getting bored--prom dress photo!

Okay, so I was originally going to wait for a few more prom photos, but I got bored waiting for them. So I'm posting the one photo I have, and will just make a new post if/when the others show up.

I think that this prom dress worked out quite well. Quite honestly, when my friend A described the dress she wanted, I thought a white dress with a blue sash would look weird. I'm very glad I trusted her judgment, because it turned out looking beautiful!

What we did was I did a lot of the sewing, but whenever A had time, she would come over to my house and do the sewing herself. I think this worked out well--it took a lot of the pressure off her, since she didn't really have time to sew the whole thing herself. But it also is much more fun for her than just having me make it for her. Besides, I enjoyed sewing the dress together with her more than I would have enjoyed sewing it by myself. (Although, honestly, I think there are few conditions under which I wouldn't absolutely love sewing something that uses 15 yards of tulle for the skirt!)

I reviewed the pattern itself, Simplicity 3878, here. The basics of the review: I thought it was a lovely style. I think that there was way too much ease in the pattern, though. We made a muslin of the bodice, and altered the pattern pieces to make the bodice tighter. However, I also felt like the amount of ease in the dress kept growing--every time we tried it on, we had to take a little more out! It worked out very well in the end, though. I folded over the extra fabric, rather than cutting it off. If A wants to lend her dress to someone bigger than she is, the dress can be enlarged by taking out the lining and zipper and taking advantage of that extra fabric. (I don't think that was well explained at all. Does that make sense?)
We didn't quite follow the pattern--we shortened the skirt and left off all the ribbons, beads, and trims Simplicity wanted us to sew onto the sash.

I went over to A's house the afternoon before prom, so I got to see her in dress and make-up and shoes and everything. She looked beautiful! A took the extra fabric from her sash and sewed her date's tie and handkerchief herself.

Good news, bad news

Well, today has been a bit of a mixed bag, so far anyway.

Bad: I made a minor mistake in the prom dress. It was technically extremely easy to fix, but it took a while to do anyway. It also necessitated a little more sewing with nylon thread, which I dislike.
Good: The dress is finished and looks lovely.

Bad: I have a cold and am very tired.
Good: It's not as bad as it was yesterday!

Bad: It's muggy out.
Good: It's rainy. I like the rain.

Bad: My next project is kind of boring...PJs for B.
Good: I found a slideshow of hats, which aren't boring at all!

On balance, I think today is good overall. I prefer to sew without deadlines.

Day #1 of Me-Made May

Well, so far, so good! Today was B's First Holy Communion, so we went to church. I wore my retro wrap dress which I made from a Butterick pattern. It claims to be 1952 fashion, but I am a bit skeptical that it can be pinned to one exact year.



I also made a good deal of progress on the prom dress. I have a bit of lining to attach and the hook and eye to sew. Then I'll be done!

We also have a new washing machine. In other words, it's been an all-around good day.

What was that about the best laid plans?

Yesterday, we discovered that our washing machine is broken. It had been used for our family of 9 for the past 12 or 13 years--well done, good and faithful servant! But now it is refusing to spin, not only after the rinse cycle, but also after the wash cycle. So all clothes washed in the washer would come out soapy and wet. In other words, we haven't got a washing machine for the time being. We are already in the process of selecting and buying a new washing machine, but for now, we are stuck with the clothes we have clean already.

Now, I was planning to wash and dry my me-made jeans today. They're a major staple of my wardrobe. Without a washing machine, it may be very hard for me to actually wear something hand made every day. I'm a bit worried that I will run out of things I've made! I'll still try, but we'll have to see.

On a positive note, I made a good deal of progress on the prom dress this morning and during the Habs/Caps game last night.

What I'm planning next

I am currently working on sewing a prom dress with a friend. She wanted a prom dress that was $350 or thereabouts in stores, so we found a pattern similar enough and modified it a bit. Now, because prom dresses are generally secrets, or so I am told, I'm not planning to post any pictures of it until the prom is over. So while I'm working on the prom dress, which promises to take a while, I'll probably post about old sewing projects.

For now, though, I'll tell you about some of the dresses I'm planning for after the prom dress.

1. A seersucker dress. I'm planning on using New Look 6699, using options I, J, N, and M. In other words, ruffled straps, smooth front, wide skirt, and sash. Except I'm not 100% sure yet about the sash. Any opinions on whether seersucker with a sash would look odd?

2. A dress, probably made out of a fun cotton print, from a pattern I inherited from my grandmother. The pattern is a vintage Very Easy Vogue, but I forget the number. There are 108 Very Easy Vogue patterns on the Vintage Pattern Wiki, and I just don't feel like trying to scroll through all of them. Next time I go upstairs I'll check.

3. A dress without a pattern. I'm just going to shirr across the top section to make a bodice, and then add straps of some sort. Probably ruffly straps, for modesty's sake--no one in this house is a big fan of bare shoulders.

Those are my three main dresses planned. I've also promised my brother to make him a pair of pajamas for summer and I have the pattern pieces all altered and cut out for a black princess seamed dress. I also have fabric and patterns for two knit tops and a button-down shirt. In other words, I have enough sewing to keep me busy all summer!