Day 3 of adding a corset back and Weekend catchup

This weekend was a whirlwind. I'm totally beat.

I rushed home after work on Friday and began furiously sewing in order to be ready in time. Mostly this included sewing in the loops which i ended up doing by hand.

Finally my mom laced me into the dress and made the final adjustments. While she steamed the dress, i ran to the costume shop and grabbed a mask. I regret that at no point during the night did i take a picture of the back. I'll put the dress back on tonight and take some pictures though.

I also added some fake eyelashes just for effect. While i loved the effect, they were the most difficult things i think i have ever put on. Thankfully, I'm one of those few lucky women who's hair pretty much always cooperates. It was nicely secured into a cascade of curls (thanks to some hot rollers) with two barrettes and i threw on as dramatic of makeup as i dared.

Just when i was feeling like flopping down on the couch and taking a nap from all the hard work, Boyfriend Jon and I whisked away to the Masquerade Ball in Seattle. From there it was a whirlwind of brilliant dresses, hilarious masks, and enchanting dancing.

For the record, neither Boyfriend Jon nor I knew how to waltz. And attempting to dance it for the first time was rather cumbersome. We stayed to the outskirts, out of the way of the older, more experienced couples as they twirled and glided across the main floor.

We quickly decided that formal ballroom lessons were long overdue. We both agree that it's important for both men and women to know how to dance for those rare formal occasions that pop up in life. Not to mention that it's just plain fun!

Long about 10:30, they had a series of performances that were highly entertaining. There was the partner changing dance that was outright hilariously choreographed to seem like infidelity. A soprano from the Seattle Opera did a beautiful aria. And two of the orchestra, the pianist and the accordionist had wonderful solos. The night was well worth the cost even if we didn't dance much.

The rest of the weekend was spent baking thank you cookies for my mom as well as a batch for Boyfriend Jon who now is adding bread and such to his diet after his surgery. Tuesday marks the official end of his soft diet, and i'm sure if he doesn't see another pudding or jello cup for several years, he won't be sorry. I pulled out my bread maker and made him a loaf of my acclaimed sweet bread as well.

After that it was cleaning up my apartment from the mess left over from the frantic sewing fiasco. I've made a decision to try and get rid of some of the larger items in my apartment that I don't use. Time to craigslist it up.

Lastly, the very same Wallet Thief as my previous post will be staying with me next week. So my cleaning efforts are doubled as i try to dog-proof my apartment. Or rather Molly-proof it.

Day 2 of adding a corset back

There's roughly twelve hours to go before the masquerade and so much to be done.

Boyfriend Jon and I made an excursion last night to a different costume shop to look at their mask selection. While most impressive, the price tags were downright painful! Jon was disappointed that a the top hat he liked was $119. So he settled for a rather dashing fedora.

For me, my taste in masks ran far beyond the capacity of my wallet. There was a gorgeous silver fillagree mask for just $156. The average of the masks in the store was around $40. And for one night, i couldn't justify that cost no matter how much my heart begged me to. However, wandering around that store, they have the single largest costume rental that I've ever seen. They won my heart when i saw the Jedi robes prominently displayed right next to the front door. I shall be returning to A Masquerade Costume in Bellevue.

Yesterday was frustrating in the dress alterations department. I tried my best to follow the advice on Sew for Dough's page, but the chord i used made my life hell. I would advise fellow attempters to avoid using any kind of chord that cannot be pressed flat or that unravels. Getting them done was quite a fight and I'm not thrilled with the results.

Getting the old fake criss cross lacing out was by far the easiest part of yesterday.

And finally i couldn't avoid it any more and i was forced to cut into the dress itself. There is no turning back now. The white lines you see were whip stitches so that the top layer (see through with the sparkles all over it) would stay in place while i cut.

All and all it was productive. But time is closing in fast and i wish i had more of to perfect my creation.

Boy this sure reminds me of being back in school. I always waited till the last second and then threw something together. Granted, writing a 5 page report was never difficult for me and i typically got A's. But with this, i run the risk of having it tear and rip, ruining the dress or exposing more flesh than intended. Since this is an annual event (i know this now) i don't want to have to do this again.

Please please please come together flawlessly! Or at the very least, make the results worth the battle.

Day 1 of adding a Corset back

In my previous post, I decided that i was going to alter my old homecoming dress in order to make ready for the masquerade.

First and foremost, let me give thanks to the multitude of online blogs, how-to sites, my mother and a co-worker who dabbles quite beautifully in sewing.

Sew for Dough a recent find that has a step by step process of how to add a corset back to a dress as according to an actual seamstress who makes gown alterations. Several nifty tricks in this little nugget.

eHow.com...as always has been extremely helpful in explaining sewing terms to me. On the bias means diagonally. Why they don't just say "diagonally" is beyond me, but online was a great deal nicer about my ignorance than the lady at the fabric shop.

My mother who gave up her evening to assist me in locating good fabric and reminding me of things like interfacing and oh yeah THREAD! which would have completely slipped my mind. Also her own sewing skills as a much needed second set of hands.

And lastly, my co-worker Susan who has a far superior knowledge of costume design than anyone else i know, who patiently took the time to explain to me how to go about making the changes i wanted.

Now for the before pictures!

Front of the dress Back of the dress

The plan is to split the back of the dress down to just about my tail bone (where the safety pin is), remove the existing fake lace up, insert a modesty panel with ribbon tie. Oh yeah, and i'll also be sealing up where the zipper currently is located on the side.

Last night, i set up my craft table and sewing machine and since it was already 9 pm, I settled for just making the ribbon into tubes to be ironed flat.

So much to do, so little time.

Ambitious plans

"Ambition is like love. Impatient both of delays and rivals."

This is another of the sayings I've picked up in my life. When my heart starts pumping, and my fingers start tapping, I find myself resenting whatever is in the way of whatever project has stolen my attention for the time being. I'm completely impatient. I just want to get to it before the obsession is past. Right now, the obstruction is work. More so than any other day lately.

What is making me so impatient for the workday to be over?

I have a sewing/craft project brewing in my head. One with a distinct time limit to it. If i can't make the deadline, it's over. The entire reason for it to be done will be gone. So i must work quickly and efficiently.

A little back story:

Junior year, i was dating my good friend Kacy and homecoming was upon us. I had been to a school dance once before, but I had worn a hand-me-down dress from my sister's friend Carla that had never fit my figure right. I begged my dad to buy me a new dress on the strict understanding that i would only get that one for all the remaining dances throughout high school. That's was just fine by me. It wasn't about the money, it was about my friends with four dresses that they would never wear again that i would have killed to be able to wear.

I found a gorgeous dress on the "cheap" rack at the boutique that i would work for a few years later. It was burgundy, with sparkles all over it. $200 later, it was mine. It was a perfect dress except for the tulle underneath. It brushed up against my skin every time i walked and by the time i had gotten to dinner, i had taken Kacy's knife and cut it off.

After that dance, the dress went into my closet never to come out again. I didn't go to Senior year homecoming or prom because i was doing running start and there was a college level final around that time.

But it has always grated on me that the dress was so expensive and I only got to wear it once. Through all the moves, and closet purges, and knowing that the dress was too extravagant for most post-highschool functions...i couldn't let the dress go. Even when it wouldn't fit anymore, and the zipper was broken...i didn't get rid of it. I'm still in love with that dress.

Now I finally have found a post-highschool function that demands a little extravagance. The masquerade will be ideal for a full skirt, rich hues and sparkles.

The problem: The dress still doesn't fit.

The solution: Perhaps it's a good thing that i like lace up dresses.

The Ambitious plan: Tonight it's off to a fabric shop to buy material for a modesty panel and the making of a lace up back for my old homecoming dress. Tomorrow, it's adjusting seams and creating the new fit...which will spill into Friday most likely. With any luck, i'll be able to make this adjustment in time. Please cross your fingers for me.

I know how to sew and have made garments before. I even sewed a bodice together by hand once a long time ago...in two days. At least this time i have a sewing machine.

Can this be done? I'm confident it can. Will it be easy? No, I'm confident it won't be.

But I like challenges.

Masquerade!

Masquerades have always enchanted me. They're the perfect blend of glamor, mystery, dancing, and fun. Perhaps it's just in my blood since masquerades were made popular by the Italians in the 16th century as part of the Venetian Carnivals. Ok, perhaps not. But something about the gorgeous gowns and glittering masks thrills me as the tomboy side of me could never understand. I'm left with a rather dorky look of excitement on my face, so i'm told.

In the process of finding something to do to celebrate Jon's official recovery from his surgery (as he unofficially scarfs down burgers, tacos and liquorish) that would double as our year+a few months-versary...i landed on the page for the dance studio I've been going to for the last 7 years. Since our (whatever)-versary lands on the 13th or 14th (to clarify, our celebration usually means being together and occasionally a special meal out) and that's when the dreaded Hallmark V-day is for February, I had to find an alternative to the timing. By grouping the recovery with it, i pulled the date up by a week. And wow, did i find the hands down winner.

Side note: I hate Valentine's day. Always have. I hated the absurdity of having to make valentines for the kids in your class so that no one was left out. I hated the day when i was single...declaring it to be "Single Awareness Day" and feeling compelled to fight those pitying looks with proclamations of how happy i was without a valentine. And i hate it now, despite having the wonderful Boyfriend Jon if i did want to celebrate it.

I hate how so many relationships are made or broken on the outcome of a single day of the year because greeting card companies have trumped it up so much... that if a guy doesn't go and spend hundreds of dollars on roses, expensive dinners, or spend weeks planning in advance...then it's just a bla valentine's day for the girl. I'm on the guy's side. What's the big deal? It's just one day.

Quite frankly, Boyfriend Jon is under strict orders to forgo any mention of the v-day, flowers, chocolates, and any kind of romance that he wouldn't show me on any other day of the year.

Ok, back from that tangent.

The dance studio is throwing a masquerade. But not just the masks, not just the costumes...but an all out ball. Variety of dances, both elegant and just plain fun. The second i saw the advertisement, i sent it straight to Boyfriend Jon with a long line of exclamation points following.

Since he...yes he... has been wanting to get back out dancing again (and i'm not really one to say no either) we bought our tickets and have begun the hunt for suitable attire. Since the theme is Hollywood Legends, thoughts of Zorro and his Spanish Rose or Cleopatra and Marc Anthony or Ret Butler and Scarlet O'Hara have been dancing through my head. But at the same time, my heart truly desires the fuller skirt and elegant fabrics of eras more suitable to a masquerade.

I'm quite aware of the cumbersome nature of such garments. But the heart wants what the heart wants! Boyfriend Jon has been patiently indulgent in this obsession. Costume shop shopping tonight. We'll see what rentals they have. Especially since i know the owner and if there's any chance of finding a costume for that will fit my figure, she'll find it.

And if that fails, I'm taking a pair of scissors to my old homecoming dress. Spent two hundred dollars on it, and haven't worn it since. What utter waste.

Once the attire is decided upon...then out comes the craft drawers and the raiding of a craft shop as mad crafter Anne gets to work.

I can't fricken WAIT!!!