Busy, Busy, Busy...

Hi folks! I know I've been a little absent lately, September has not been kind to me!! School started, giving me a new class to teach this year (AP Statistics... sounds like fun, huh?), I've tried to finish my Chanel jacket (trim is on, just needs hems, pockets, and chains), my son turned 4 last weekend (birthday party set-up and clean-up), and this Saturday will find me at the Sewing Expo in Novi, taking classes and modeling my dress and hoping for a prize, too! Lastly, I've been hired to make a Homecoming dress for next Saturday's dance. Thankfully, the muslin was a perfect fit, so when I found out today that my "client" has been voted on to the Homecoming Court, my stress level rose slightly, but did not skyrocket! Yikes... that means my dress will be modeled in front of the ENTIRE STAFF AND STUDENT BODY. I don't know whether to laugh or cry!

Here's what I've got so far...

The Pattern: Simplicity 2692 (view C - top left, 1 shoulder)

Actually, I'm only using the pattern for the bodice, the waistband and the drape. The bust gathers have become darts, for a much smoother, fitted appearance. She really wanted a full length (fitted at the waistband) A-line skirt, so I grabbed a skirt pattern from my stash (with a similar waistband yoke), and added some length.

The Fabric: Valentine Red Duchess (poly) Satin from Fabric.com. The budget didn't allow silk satin, so poly will have to do. It has a great weight and drape, and the color is actually more of a true, scarlet red.

The Trim: 3 5/8" wide embroidered/beaded black trim from M&J Trims, NY. This will be backed in black, and is wide enough to stitch right into the bodice and skirt seams. It is the basis of the waistband and the beads on the "flowers" are actually irridescent (blue/purple/green), but the "webs" of beads are black. When the M & J website wouldn't let me order increments of a yard, I called the store and they allowed me to purchase a 1 1/2 yds. I wondered about putting the red behind it, but the fabric the beads are stitched to is slightly frayed in parts, and is a more striking waistband on a field of black (which also hides the fraying little threads).

I also have the sketch she initially gave me to work with, but I'll leave that to the final post next week so you can compare the two! She is a really sweet young lady (I'll call her "Miss M"), a senior this year and was in one of my classes last year, too. Always smiling, a hard-worker, and quite responsible. NHS President, Student Council President, and wonderful math student to boot! I'm quite honored to be able to do this for her, and am so excited that she's been recognized by her classmates in such a wonderful way. No, she won't be Homecoming Queen (we don't have a King/Queen at our school, just a court), but she'll certainly look like one! The muslin was a fabulous fit, just a 1" adjustment at the top of the zipper, under the arm. In my opinion, NYC did wonders for my sewing confidence, as I was able to put the muslin together in less than 2 hours with fantastic fit!

Please keep your fingers crossed for me this weekend (Top Ten Fashion Show) and next week, as I work on this dress that will be displayed for all my colleagues and students to see... OMG, what have I gotten myself into?!