Thursday, January 2, 2014

Wedding Dress Blues

My plan was to focus on, possibly even finish Lindsey's wedding dress before sewing anything else.  Of course, a problem has come up.

Not Lindsey's Dress
I don't know if this is an actual characteristic of lace, but the lace overlay we planned grew about two sizes while hanging in the closet.   Apparently, lace is not a stable fabric.  I made a muslin using cheap JoAnn lace and the fit was good – only minor adjustments necessary.  But after sewing the overlay in the expensive lace and hanging it in the closet for several weeks, it was suddenly huge.  It acted like a bias cut or slinky knit fabric that grows on the hanger.  I called Nancy K and we had a FaceTime consultation.  She gave me a very clever way to fix the problem.  But it would have meant picking and cutting at the lace and I just wasn't up for that.  So DD agreed to go in another direction.  Rather than a lace overlay, she'll have a lace jacket.  The jacket is underlined and lined so the lace will be more stable.  I was excited about this change because I envisioned a more embellished lace - something with a little sparkle and pizazz.  Not Liberace sparkle, but certainly more sparkle than the original lace.  My daughter, however, doesn't want a lot of sparkle or pizazz and she withdrew my carte blanche fabric selection privilege.  Now she wants to approve my lace selection.  :-(   I've sewn two jacket muslins and she will be home in February for a fitting.

BSM 09-09-138
The wedding is in April, and I'm beginning to feel some pressure.  Until our dresses are finished, I feel all my sewing has to be wedding-related and I don't want to be sidetracked with other projects I really don't need.  Yet, I'm sure I'll need a break from wedding sewing.  So that I'm not marking time until the next fitting in February, I'm going to start my MOB dress.   I selected the fabric for my dress two months ago based on the wedding colors at the time.  But, the colors have changed slightly (of course they have!) and my dress no longer coordinates with the color scheme. But I don't care anymore!  I like the fabric - I like the pattern - I making the dress!  No one is going to  be looking at me anyway - no matter how gorgeous I look!  I've made this dress for another wedding, so I'm familiar with the process.

I lost several weeks due to illness, surgery and recovery. I'm behind my self-imposed schedule. But I'm back on my feet now. I have a renewed sense of purpose and I'm ready to go!


6 comments:

  1. Happy New Year and best wishes with your dress!

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  2. I am sorry to hear you were ill and had surgery, I am happy you are feeling better. Good luck on the wedding dress and the MOB dress, you will do an incredible job.

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  3. Happy New Year and good luck with this direction. I think that it will work out well for you.

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  4. Glad to hear you are back on your feet now. Good luck with the wedding sewing. Hope everything goes perfectly from now :)

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  5. I want to wish you a very happy New Year to you and your family. Thank you for sharing your sewing experiences--I haven't had enough time to sew this year, but I've enjoyed reading about your progress.

    Rose in SV

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  6. Oh noooo about the lace growing in the closet! I had no idea that could happen.
    Ha ha for Liberace sparkle, I could use a jacket like that. :)
    I agree, sew up your MOB dress now before the next fitting. (I heart project management!) :)
    Sorry to hear about your illness and surgery. Sending you healing energy!

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