The Final Countdown

So hey, remember that time I was going to sew a bridesmaid's dress for a wedding? Wasn't that a CRAZY time? It was what, three months ago. And now here we are, three WEEKS til the wedding. Yep, 3 eensy teensy right-around-the-corner, here-before-you-know-it weeks. 20 days, actually.

Well, there is GOOD NEWS!

There is a dress. With many, many flaws. But there is, in fact, something wearable for the wedding.

The crinoline ended up being SUPER easy, I just sewed a bunch of tulle to an elastic. Done. And the hemming was, err, ok. The thing with hemming with a lining is that, uh, it didn't exactly line up. But at least I started in the back! So, there's that. The neckline was so bad that my daughter actually said, "I'm really concerned about that neckline", which is not something a 9-year old should have to tell you, so I improvised with a long strip of folded-over fabric. I actually kind of like it, although it will make jewelry options challenging.

The pockets are low but a good depth, and I wanted to show off the crinoline so I tucked up one side to the waistband and just hand-sewed it in place. It's a little crazy, but better than the two-sided tuck-and-bunch effect I first pinned.

I also made a sash because the kid said I needed one, we'll see.

But - DRESS!

Zippers and Pockets and Bears, Oh My

Working on the dress has been hanging over me all week. It's like some fearsome silent green creature, down in the cold and the dark, waiting for me to do my worst. Since Jelly had a sleepover at my neighbor's planned for the evening, I decided it was a good time to do some uninterrupted screaming and stitching.

I got the lining attached to the front and back skirt panels easily enough, and with the help of YouTube managed to get the pockets attached, albeit a little lower than planned (this is what happens when you think you know better and don't measure anything, ever). Then I pinned the entire massive 483 yards of skirt fabric to the bodice incorrectly, and had to undo everything and re-pin it. So that sucked up some time. While I was doing it I realized the dress was literally falling apart in my hands; the delicate and costly fabric was starting to fray. So I needed to get my shit together, both literally and figuratively.

I had solved the bodice problem by adding some makeshift panels, so while the dress now looked like a patchwork quilt at least it fit. This however meant I had some challenges getting everything to line up. Because I'm a total professional I made sure to make all the most glaringly obvious mistakes right in the front of the dress.

I was smart enough to stop and try it on after I'd pinned it, but before I'd sewn it.

I was super proud of my nice even zipper work until I remembered you're suppose to overlap it with the fold of fabric to hide it. Ripping it all out and redoing it will be for another day. Yes, of COURSE I sewed both sides already.

And then, just when I realized my back was aching and my stomach was growling and my eyes hurt, the doorbell rang and I looked at the clock and it was 8:30pm! I'd been sewing for three hours straight. I felt good about my work and decided to call it quits for the night.

I haven't quite decided what to do about the collar. I hate the pattern collar, but I may make it and pin it on and see what I think, and then figure out what I want to do different.  But it's a really solid start, and if I woke up and the wedding was next week I'd be in good shape, and that's really what I cared about - knowing that I'd having SOMETHING doable. There's plenty of time now for the fussing over a sash and making the underskirt and hemming and doing all the finishing touches. It at least LOOKS like a dress instead of a bag of material.

And So It Begins

Yes, yes, I know, I'm a terrible blogger. I got everyone all excited and then left you for TWO MONTHS. That's just cruel. Well, I'm trying to buy a house, which is a horrible thing to try and do in Ontario right now, and is exceptionally stressful and is playing games with my heart, so almost all my energy is consumed by worrying about that every single waking moment. And then Jelly (did I mention I have an almost-9-year old?), she had her school March spring break, so we ran off to the Caribbean. Well, now we're back and work is actually quiet so I have lots of time to worry about houses and dresses.

My sister (Bridesmaid Other) had some drama with the dress she'd found back in January, and it ended up not working out and she had her own stress about finding something else, and she FINALLY did, just yesterday, so OH MY SWEET 7 lb 3 oz BABY JESUS THE PRESSURE. Now she was sharing pics looking all cute in her dress and with strappy heels and she'd even found cute earrings and I was all forever alone over here with my heap of fabric like fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.  So, damnit, I started the dress.

I started by remembering to figure out how to add pockets, since that wasn't included in the pattern. So I watched a YouTube video on that. Then I realized I didn't have a pattern for the crinoline/petticoat, so I watched a video on that. Then I realized I had exhausted my stall tactics and started cutting. I hate the cutting.

Pretty professional, accurate notes there, right?

So first I started with sewing darts, which I don't think I've ever done. I didn't really measure them or know what I was doing, but I felt pretty good about it.

Next I started sewing stuff together incorrectly, because I wanted to make sure my seam ripper still worked. Do you SEE this fabric?! While it cuts like butter, it also tears like tissue, so I told myself not to sew anything else the wrong way after doing one of the darts on the wrong side. However, it's really, really hard to tell which side is the right side and which side is the wrong side, so I went on to sew the underside of the sleeve the wrong way.

Then I decided I should probably take a little break, because I tried on what I had and I already can tell it's going to be too small, so I need to sew in some panels or something. I also figured I should start reinforcing my seams, so I did that. I've already made a few changes (changed the sleeves, change the waist), so we'll see how I like that. Jelly has a sleepover scheduled for this Saturday so I think I'm going to try and knock it out then; otherwise, I've got company coming next week for Easter so will have to convert my sewing room back to a guest room, and then I'll probably forget about it for another two months, and no one wants that.

The mothers of the bride and groom have picked out their dresses, and they are in shades of pink, just lovely. Bridesmaid Other's dress is a mix of greens and pinks and ties everything together nicely. We'll definitely be a colorful bunch!

Pattern Recognition

Now, as with any good dress, you have to start with good fabric. To that end my sisters (The Bride and Bridesmaid Other) went to about 438 different stores in the garment district in downtown Toronto.  We were disappointed to learn that, like NY, a lot of the stores had either disappeared, or become so specialized as to be totally useless. A BUTTON store? Seriously? Although in their defense, apparently the buttons were all very storied and pretty cool. So yes, you already know, I found emerald-green raw silk at a mere $25/yard and bought 9 yards of it. TO BE SAFE, that's why. Also, as previously mentioned, I am not a professional sewer, so despite asking the internets for estimating help while I was in the store and getting NONE, I was kind of at a loss for how much fabric I'd need. And I figured, better safe than sorry.

After hurrying home to put the fabric in my wall safe I started looking at patterns. Miles and miles and buckets and buckets of online patterns. The problem was twofold; I had something very vague in mind, and I had another dress (Bridesmaid Other's) to try and at least look semi decent against. I finally gave up and went to Fabricland, where I found - the PERFECT PATTERN!

No, I'm just kidding, I don't want to look like a sack lunch at the wedding.
It was THIS ONE!

I'm still kidding.
I'm hoping my sister The Bride hasn't fainted. She's pretty tough and is probably nodding her head like, 'Sure, those could work'.

I almost bought this one. If you look past the crazy fabric it's a decent base. Flare-y skirt, pockets, simple. I could do some sleeves, something with the waist, I dunno.
But then I saw this. And again, look PAST the fabric...

Now this, this I could make into something fun. It's the one on the right, but with the sleeves from the one on the left. And that weird waist thing turned into something else. What I just needed was something that wouldn't be too horrible on a larger lady, with a skirt that could accommodate a crinoline (because WHY NOT, that's why), and that wasn't grossly complex. I mean, I can sew in a zipper and a hook & eye, and that's all that's on the back, so let's do it. I think I should also do my hair like that. And stand like that. And also take Xanax through the whole thing like a true 1950's housewife.

Getting Some Green Dress, A Brief History

Now, I don't want everyone to go getting spoiled and thinking they'll get this kind of attention all the time with TWO, count them TWO back-to-back posts in ONE DAY.

But I wanted to explain the name of the blog, in case you didn't know, since I sure as heck didn't until last week.

So last week I went to my local Fabricland, which for my US followers is like a poor girl's Jo-Ann, and started the hunt for a 'base' dress pattern. I say 'base' in quotes like that because I know that no matter what I use to start with, I'm going to end up Frankensteining the poor thing. There just isn't a decent (plus-sized) pattern that isn't matronly or weirdly Lola-esque; it seems to be those two extremes. Also, since I had already purchased the fabric (I know, right, I bought the fabric BEFORE the pattern, daring right?!) and was thinking, "Maybe I'll do this the right way for once!", I figured I'd get interfacing and lining and, uh, notions. Yes, I had a notion to get notions.

Like I do with strangers I was talking excessively to the very polite and interesting-seeming shop girl about what I was going to be making. She kind of knowingly nodded and said, "Ah, so you'll be 'getting the green dress, eh?'" (because this is Canada, henceforth please just add the 'eh' on in your head). I was like, "Uh... yes?" because she seemed to be implying something unseemly, and I normally get a LOT of dirty jokes, but I wasn't getting this one. Turns out there's some sort of very old expression about 'getting the green dress' that implies a tumble in the grass of a physical nature - hence, the green on your dress. Which I find hilarious, because as a single mother of an almost- 9-year old who does laundry on Friday nights, there has been NO green on my dress in quite a while. But I liked the implication. So we'll see how many people at the wedding give me knowing winks and suggestive leers.

What the Heck is Going On Here

Hey look! A new blog! About making a dress! How thoroughly unique and exciting.

Well, yes, it is, as a matter of fact, because the blog is written by ME, not some other less crazy person with way too much time on their hands and mad sewing skillz. I am a sewing beginner of the very basic type; one who reaches for the hot glue gun and seam ripper as often as the bias tape and interfacing, which should make reading about my exploits much more exciting than the blog of someone who actually knows what they are doing.

So what do you want to hear first, the backstory, or more about how I'm a terrible sewer?
Let's start with the backstory...

I am the first-born child of two hippies, and - wait, too far back. Let's speed it up a little.
So my youngest sister (I have two of 'em) recently got engaged to be married. The wedding will be in early August (note to self: add countdown timer to blog page). My other sister found a perfect dress, and I decided it would be easier (ha ha ha!) to sew my own, since The Bride was pretty laisez faire on the style, design, color, you name it. Also, I like to use brackets a lot to comment on my own thoughts, so I hope that doesn't bother you too much.

Anyhow, so here I am, with $300 in fabric and some loosey-goosey ideas of what I'd like to end up with. Oh, and a full-time job, and I'm also getting ready to move in a few months. So there's that.

Welcome! Make yourself comfortable! It's sure to be an exciting time.