Anatomy of a prom dress

I recently completed a prom dress for my niece Macey. I thought I'd show it off since it is probably one of the last big dresses I'll ever make...unless one of my future grand kids wants a prom dress...and I'm not too old to sew it by then...and they are a girl.

I used to do this all the time for Chelsie, not only dresses for dances but plays she was in and costumes for various occasions. So I thought this would be a breeze. It actually turned out to be a little bit of a challenge but I think I pulled it off...judging from the smile on Macey's face when she tried on the finished dress.

The bodice was the hardest part, interestingly enough, because of the curves seams in the front. It took me hours to get it right. And I had to make the sleeves from a different pattern since this pattern didn't have sleeves.

The cat was my constant companion whether I wanted him or not...one look at that tulle and he would NOT leave me alone! The thread going through the machine was another fascination. I did end up shutting him up in another room occasionally and he would meow and meow until I let him out.The skirt was three separate layers of tulle with the top layer covered in glitter and a base layer of the purple fabric. The glitter was a fun little side benefit of sewing this dress. Glitter everywhere! Notice my machine...a 1950's vintage Bernina...all metal parts...sews like a champ. Kevin gave me this our first Christmas together in 1982 and it was 30 years old back then! I love this machine.Here is the completed dress from the back...lace up back with a tie around sash.Throw it on a cute teenager and you have the finished product! She was especially excited for prom since she is going with a new crush and they are totally gaga over each other.

Here she is with the front view...yes, glitter on the furniture but that's ok...a small price to pay for a happy niece.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was so fun. My family took me to a nice restaurant for brunch, Cottonwood Grill. We go there quite a bit when we are celebrating something.

Chelsie and Michael brought these beautiful potted flowers right into the restaurant to decorate the table and it was perfect. Chelsie made these out of ordinary clay pots and some craft paint and do-dads that she got at a craft store...I was beyond impressed and I think she should make them and sell them! If you click on the picture it will enlarge enough for you to see the detail...super cute. I have them on the front porch now.

Jasper and Polina went to my favorite clothing store and picked out a top that I had looked at before but didn't get...they didn't even know that I had seen this and wanted it. So they are really in tune to what I like. It has rows of bead work around the neck and it's made out of super soft fabric. I will definitely be taking this to Greece with me! What a nice surprise. Later, Kevin and I went out to see his mom and give her a present. Kevin got her a printer for her computer since hers broke. So we ate chinese food and messed around on the computer with her. It was a very nice way to spend the evening.

I called my mom in the afternoon and talked with her for a while. She was having a good mother's day too but I wish that I could have been with her. It seems like I don't see her enough...and that's because I don't! I am working on a plan to bring her home with us on our way back from one of our many cabin trips this summer for a few weeks. We can just hang out here and go to parks, etc. It's so beautiful in Boise in the summer when it's not too hot.

Well, that's it. I'm supposed to be cleaning...have a bunch of co-worker gals coming over to my house tomorrow for bookclub and I haven't even started...oh, I take that back...gave Mocha a bath. Most important thing because she was hideous and now she's fluffy.