This Friday evening is ending sweet! Five lovely blog friends - listed below - answered my SOS and walked me through ideas for altering my daughter's prom dress. Success!
The technical bits: A fitting with the dress inside-out for marking. Straps taken in. Hand-sewing done at the decollete.
Just before creating some inside darts at the side seams, we had a second fitting and decided all that was needed was following Kristie's final GENIOUS advice (pardon my French, please) -- boob tape! It comes just like double-sided Scotch tape in the dispenser. We put a length along each edge of the bodice and taped it to her skin, and we put a couple strips at the deepest point of the V and taped it to her strapless bra.
For testing purposes, I have her cleaning the downstairs family room. I told her folding all the clothes and straightening up should be a good indication of how well the stitches and tape will hold out tomorrow. She even passed the Dad review. He didn't see anything he didn't want to see or anything he doesn't want the boys to see!
Prom pictures on the next post. Pretty photo above taken early this month when we were spring cleaning inside and out. Recently, I came across the Tuesdays with Dorie blog, was intrigued, and borrowed the book from my library. Camille made the lovely marbled pound cake for us. My son planted the little side garden for me. April has been a beautiful month of sunny days and blue skies!
Thanks so much to the ladies below who responded to my SOS and set me in the right direction and out of the way of panic! Now I can get an early night's rest -- if I stop blogging.
Pam, Wendy, Kristie, Margaret, and Mary.
My daughter chose a darling dress for her first prom! I was surprised she wanted a short dress, but by the looks of the catalogs and the shops, it looks like they are all the rage.
The dress arrived today, you know ... just in time for the prom on Saturday! Anyway, it was hard to get a good shot in the evening light with all the irredescence, but here it is. The color looks great on her and everything fits, except for the bodice! There must be a half-inch of padded cups built in, and the bodice practically stands up on its own.
I don't think this is a case where stick-on "falsies" augmenting a strapless bra can work. The bodice stands out from her body. I really think I need to adjust the bodice somehow or add a bandeau of matching tulle inside.
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The dress came with a "shawl" of tulle, useless for that, but it might be handy with alterations. I'm not a tailor, and I really need some advice if you have any.
Below are some shots of the bodice and back of the dress. Also, I put several pictures on my flickr gallery. Can you take a look for me? It is a well contructed dress, too. The straps are covered in sequins, so if taking from the back is the answer, how do I do that with a professional look?
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This month has been glorious to date! Windows open, refreshing cool breezes, blue, blue skies, and A TON OF WORK! On this 17th day of April, I'm exhausted, both physically and mentally, and have a fuzzy mind this morning but have to log into work in just a few minutes.
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Easter Sunday was lovely, including a great church service, the same gorgeous weather, and beautiful children (see above). We found the Liberty of London dress on clearance at Target for $15.00. Only the shoulder button was missing. Amazing catch! My son was elected to the student government at his university and bought a three-piece suit for the inauguration service. He does love manly dress clothes. He sent us an article from the university paper that covered one of the meetings last week and which included the name Senator Chisholm. Fun! Proud!
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When I can transcribe no more and have free time away from the spring gardening and other household projects we've been working on, I steal away to the sewing room to relax. Three bee blocks were completed this month. The first two were for the 2010 Round Robin Block Exchange. A Batik Maple Leaf for Wendy and a Rainbow block for Rene. The leaf was fun and turned out more stunning than I expected due to the batik. The rainbow block is perfect for a stash buster or to feature a fabric line. I've been collecting all the Meadowsweet pieces and wondered how to use them well. I thought I could show off small squares of each fabric in a quilt of these blocks and sash in one of the larger prints. Just a thought…
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The last set of blocks is for Jacquie in the One Block Over Bee. I'm all hip for Red Crosses now. Great idea. She has been collecting these blocks from friends for a while, and if you go to the bee blog, scroll down a bit, you'll see a number of these blocks on her design board.
I leave you with this shot of my favorite springtime sight, my blooming dogwood in the front yard. Someday, I will have a pink one.
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