BWOF Dress & McCalls Jacket

I've finished the dress and jacket I'll be wearing to my nephew's wedding next weekend. I'm happy with the outcome... not thrilled, but happy. Why not thrilled? I should've adjusted the hem of the jacket to account for removing the ruffle, and while I like the front of the dress, I'm not crazy about the back and I can't get the hem to lay flat. It's times like this when I wonder... maybe I should've just gone shopping instead. When I came out to model it for the fam, DH said "I don't like the jacket" and little Miss D echoed, "Me neither, Mom." Well, gee... thanks. Love you, too...

Anyhow, the dress came together well. It's BWOF 09/2008 #132. The instructions were good, the pleating was a PAIN IN THE BUTT. Next time I post, I'll show you details, but for now I'll just say it was time consuming. Part of the problem was that the pattern called for satin for that mid-section, but I couldn't find any to match the copper silk jersey I'd already purchased. So, I used fusible interfacing and pleated the knit as if it were a woven. It's a perfect match, but a tad on the bulky side. I really like the center front and center back gathers, I little place to hide some baggage without the maternity look.

Want a good laugh? Can you believe the bodice was supposed to be split all the way to the pleated band? Are you crazy? Heeeeeeelllllllll no. Stitched that sucker up, pretty darn quick.

I also shortened the dress to knee length, and used a knit swimwear lining under the skirt, but used the left-over silk jersey for the bodice lining. Oh, and I skipped the zipper. Yes, you read that correctly, I skipped the zipper. When I realized that the knit midsection allowed me to slip into the dress without opening the side seam, I got really lazy, really fast. And I will admit, the thought of putting a zipper into all those pleats made me a little nervous (all that matching and all that bulk).

The jacket was the bolero version minus the ruffle. In my previous post, I got some fabulous feedback and decided to keep it simple and let the fabric do the talking. Well, I should've extended the hem to produce a little more coverage, I feel like the jacket is pretty much 2 sleeves and a back! It will serve it's purpose of covering my arms during the 40 degree day, and will probably be shed when the dance floor opens at the reception! I lined the bolero with some copper dupioni. I like to think I'll wear the bolero with other things, but all I can hear in my head is Chris Farley in "Tommy Boy" singing, "Big guy in a little jacket"... I really need to step away from the Halloween candy.

Anyhow, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Once I've purchased the proper footwear, apply makeup and curl my hair, I'll share pics that don't intentionally chop my head off. Promise...