The Last Prom Dress

I wish I could show the faces of DD and her prom date. They made a really good looking couple. But, I made her remove her picture from Facebook and it would just be wrong if I did what I wouldn't let her do. Besides, this is sewing blog, so I'll talk mainly about her dress.

The dress was very easy (McCall 4450). The fabric is a crepe backed satin from JoAnn and is a little drapier than their Casa Collection for Special Occasions. I underlined with organza and lined the standard Casa Collection lining. DD doesn't like a lot of fullness in her dresses -- she doesn't want to look fat. The hardest part was sewing the beaded trim on top of the bodice. The trim was just two or three hairs too wide to fit under the foot (#12 - bulky overlock foot) and it rolled up on itself when I used the zipper foot. I had to hold the trim flat with my finger or an awl while I sewed. I made a matching shawl (with more of the pesky trim), which DD has balled up in her fist in the photo.

Now, back to the prom. A group of 24 prom attendees boarded a "Party Bus" to prom. The after prom party/sleepover will be held at the point of departure. I think the host family deserves a special place in heaven. They are entertaining a group of high school seniors near the end of their high school careers. There were only three house rules. (1) Males and females must remain separated after "lights out" - 4 am (2) Anyone who has a car at the house must surrender the keys until departure (to stop anyone from sneaking out) and (3) NO ALCOHOL. I'm a little wary about the sleepover part of the festivities, but it's really the safest way. The hosts are no-nonsense people and I'm certain they will enforce the house rules. (Please, God!) They've done this before with their other children. Regardless, I'll be a little apprehensive until DD is safely home and I can debrief her about the prom and the after-party.

Living & Sewing in the Digital Age

I am always amazed by the things we can do in the 21st Century. This week, I experienced how digital, fiber optic, satellite technology influences even the humble act of sewing.

On Tuesday, my sister called me (on her cell phone) from North Carolina. My 5 year old niece was singing with her Kindergarten Chorus on Thursday. They were singing songs from the 50's and my sister wanted my niece to look the part. She called so we could brainstorm about Niece's outfit. We settled on plain, 5-pocket jeans rolled up to capri length and a shirt (think Bye, Bye Birdie). Then my sister found out the girls had to wear skirts with white blouses. Sis wanted to keep with the 50's look, so she wanted a poodle skirt. In spite of her husband buying her a sewing machine a few years ago and me buying her Sewing 101, Sis has never sewn a stitch. I believe she wanted me to make the skirt Tuesday night and FedEx it to her by Thursday. But, since we live in digital, fiber optic, satellite, high tech era, that wasn't necessary (or practical).

I photocopied pages from Make Your Own Sewing Patterns that illustrated cutting a pattern for a circle skirt. I faxed these pages to Sis. While I was driving to the library to make the copies, Sis was at Walmart shopping for fabric and notions. Again, we used cell phones to communicate in real time about what was needed, and what was available at Walmart. Once she got home, we got back on the phone and I talked her through cutting-out the skirt. Sis has never sewn a stitch, but she can do amazing things with Stitch Witchery and fabric glue! You see the results of our 21st Century, high tech collaboration -- an adorable black and pink polka dot poodle skirt with pink sequins for the chain! Thanks to digital photography and home computers, on Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours after our first conversation, I checked my e-mail and saw my beautiful niece wearing her poodle skirt.

We live in an age that allows us to have cell phones so we can talk from anywhere to anywhere. We can reproduce pages from books thanks to digital photocopy technology (and old fashioned public libraries). We have fax machines in our homes. I'm able to share the experience through my blog. This would not have been possible or practical 10 years ago. The only thing missing is the ability to beam myself to North Carolina to see my niece perform!

JoAnn, My New BFF

I've done my share of JoAnn bashing in the past, but lately I've been able to find several usable pieces there. No, the fabrics were not from prestigious designers and fashion houses, but they were exactly what I needed at the time. For me, practicality always trumps prestige. Most recently, I'd decided I wanted to wear a skirt and blouse combination to my daughter's high school graduation ceremony in early June. I wanted something summery and festive, but not dressy. I did a quick search of the shops on (Philadelphia's) Fabric Row. Even Kincus, my favorite Fabric Row store, let me down. In fairness to Fabric Row, I was rushed and I really wasn't in the mood to search in dark, cramped shops on that particular day. I found the fabric pictured at JoAnn. It's a linen cotton blend and it was 50% off - $4.99 a yard! I think it says "proud, happy mother" quite clearly. I can top it with a plain white linen blouse, probably from Fabric.com, and I'll be set.

I've learned my lesson. I will never bad-mouth JoAnn fabrics again. (Well, I will continue to publicly question all than darn FLEECE!) I will not look down my nose at humble JoAnn, but I will keep my fabric-buying options open and consider every fabric-buying possibility. The way fabric stores are closing, I need to support every fabric merchant I possibly can.

Next: Burda Plus Spring 08 #403B Pants & #406B Shirt

Judging from my blog, one would think I haven't been doing any sewing at all. That is not the case. I finished the outfit I began at the end of March and I finished DDs prom dress. I wasn't able to get usable pictures of my outfit, and the prom dress is at the cleaners for a professional pressing. It's not likely I would get DD to do a photo shoot anyway. My sister and my two nieces visited during their spring break and I had to change my sewing room into a guest room. I postponed changing it back into a sewing room because reassembling the cutting table is best done by two people and only one person (me!) is ever available when I feel like putting it back together. (Funny, DD always knows when to disappear on some important errand! I must be unknowingly telegraphing my intentions). Then, I decided indulge my other hobby and make some soap. Making the soap further distracted me from reclaiming my sewing room. But finally, the cutting table is up and I am more than ready to get back to sewing.

My next project is from the Spring/Summer 2008 issue of Burda Plus Fashion. That's 2008! This may be the first time I've made and outfit from an issue before the next issue comes out. Sure, I know Burda Plus comes out every six months, but I will not be robbed of this victory. I'm undecided about the pleats/tucks at the knee. Something tells me to trust the Burda designers. Maybe those pleats/tucks serve a purpose; like allowing me to bend my knees. See how gracefully and comfortably the model bends her knees. But when I'm standing upright, pleats at the knees may look like wrinkles. Just another example of Burda being fashion forward, I guess. I'll probably make a muslin. After my last fiasco, I'm a little concerned about the fit.

Prom Dress Progress: Nancy v. Sandra

My favorite method of pattern alteration has always been Pivot & Slide from Nancy Zeiman's Fitting Finesse. But, for the first time, pivot and slide didn't work for me. What's a mother to do?

My "otherwise perfect" daughter has a difficult body to fit. She has always been an athlete. She's played soccer, basketball and currently runs track. Her body is well developed in some places and over-developed in other places. Her back is broad, but she barely fills an A-cup. This made the strapless bodice a fitting nightmare. There was just enough room in the back of the dress and too much room in the bust area. If I'd used the pivot and slide technique as described in Fitting Finesse to decrease the bust, I would have decreased the entire circumference of the bodice, including the back. So, I turned to Sandra Betzina's Fast Fit. Betzina presented a method that specifically addressed a small bust in a princess seamed dress. The changes are applied to the bust area in the front of the dress and not the back. It's a good thing I had Fast Fit and an alternative method for altering the pattern. (Another reason to buy all the sewing books you possibly can.) I got a much better fit in the bust area, but I still may have to include the straps to hold the top closer to her chest.

Now, more about the "otherwise perfect" daughter. Her Senior Prom is less than a month away. I'm in a panic because I desperately wish I had more time to work on the dress. In the past, getting her to cooperate and try on anything has always been a challenge. After she tried on the first muslin, I finished the alterations and made the second muslin of only the bodice. I needed DD to try on the second muslin. She had the nerve to ask me, "Can we limit these fittings to one a night?" I have less than a month to finish the dress and she wants to establish limits! BUZZZ! Sorry, that's wrong! Teens must be the most self-centered beings on earth. Even more self-centered than panicky, stressed-out mothers!

The Search is Over!

My daughter is a high school senior and we've been in the midst of the Great College Search for over a year. It's been stressful, yet exciting. There are many things to consider when choosing a university - security and safety, tuition, financial aid, available majors, tuition, programs for study abroad, tuition, co-ed dormitories, tuition, and room and board costs. There were two schools on DD's A-List -- University of Virginia and Cornell University, and two schools on her B-List -- University of Maryland and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to the aforementioned important considerations (did I include tuition in that list?), I was looking for independent fabric stores in the cities and towns we visited. Yes. I really was.

UNC was the first campus we visited and at that time, I was too inexperienced to look for independent fabric stores in Chapel Hill or Durham. Silly me, I was only interested in my daughter's needs. University of Maryland had G-Street Fabrics about 30 minutes away (or 90 minutes, depending on the horrific Beltway traffic). But Maryland wasn't on the A-List, no matter how much I loved G-Street. My brother lives 30 minutes away from Cornell , and I got too involved in family fun to visit Homespun Boutique, although it sounds like I would have liked it. By the time we got to UVA, I wised up and made a point to visit Les Fabriques in Charlottesville, but I wasn't crazy about it.

Only a truly twisted avid sewist would throw fabric stores into an already dizzying mix of college criteria. My daughter made her decision without even considering the local fabric stores. (Did I bring the wrong baby home from the hospital?) Thanks to a generous partial scholarship (God is good!-- All the time!) it looks like she'll be going to Les Fabriques, I mean University of Virginia!