Day Off = Fabric Shopping at Haberman's!

I needed to go. Cross my heart, it's true.  I had to go there.  It's prom season, and another senior girl needs a pretty, pretty dress made by the magical (sewing) math teacher. She loved the dress Mila Kunis wore to the oscars...

Mila Kunis, 2011 Oscars, in Elie Saab

 so she picked a pattern...

Vogue 8360

and we've been on the search for an embellished lavendar lace and satin.  Did you know that embellished lavender lace is hard to find? I figured that out the hard way, after searching online, making phone calls and ordering swatches.  Even Haberman's only had 1, and thank goodness the half-yard they had left was exactly the right color and style!

The lace is only for the bust, the stretch satin will be everywhere else.  I'm excited (as usual) to make this up, so stay tuned... Prom is May 26!

I also had a gift certificate to spend (darn it!), so I picked these lovelies up and took them home...

Rayon Blend, perfect for a dress or skirt

Cotton blend, perfect for a dress or skirt

Poly chiffon, for a summer tunic

In exchange for being so good and patient, and playing so well in the "play area" at the fabric store, we stopped on the way home and had lunch at McDonald's Playland.  A great day was had by all!!!

p.s.  When you hear "formal attire" on a wedding invitation, what comes to mind? Friday night, ceremony at the reception hall... floor length or knee length? Solid or print? I've pulled a bunch of patterns and fabrics from the stash... TO BE CONTINUED!

Catastrophe... Averted!

I am slowly (but, surely) making progress on the Communion Dress.  Had a near catastrophe the other night involving a leaky black pen... but thankfully, Facebook came to the rescue!!! I didn't realize that I had the ink all over my hands when I turned the dress inside out, and just about fainted when it occured to me.  There were black smudges across both shoulder backs, leaving me with no clue how to proceed.  Somewhere between depression, rage, and confusion, I posted my problem on Facebook, and was ready to rip the back pieces out and re-cut them... and re-sew them.... when faithful reader (and lovely lady) Leslie commented that RUBBING ALCOHOL WORKS MAGIC ON INK.  With nothing to lose, I grabbed some cotton balls and started dabbing and blotting, keeping a clean layer underneath, and I'll be darned... it came clean!!! Major crisis averted, and lesson learned! Leslie: I can't thank you enough!!!  And look, you'd never know (if I didn't tell you myself):

Last night the zipper went in, and I attached the lining to the dress at the neckline.  With the netting/tulle ruffle gathered and attached to the lining, the dress has this very lovely poofiness to it, that is so absolutely sweet that I now want ruffles inside all of my dresses!

Here's the back view:

Next step is attaching the sleeves, and then attaching the beaded lace trim at the hemline.  Oh, and that veil thingy... no problem! ;)

Aloha!

A week in paradise is good for the soul.  I highly recommend the "Big Island" of Hawai'i to all, it is breathtakingly beautiful and relaxing in every aspect.  Just a few shots to prove my point...

We stayed in Kona for 1 week, and saw so much.  Drove to the Volcano National Park, snorkeled LOTS at the beach, Place of Refuge, and Captain Cook's cove. Took a helicopter ride along the Kohala Coast to see the valleys and waterfalls.  Most of all, we RELAXED, and came home "reset" and ready to rejoin the world.  No, it wasn't all "crazy expensive" and the customer service can't be beat, as everyone we talked to was so nice and welcoming.  My brother was generous and shared his time-share condo with us, and Grandma babysat for the week... otherwise, this trip would not have been possible!  If you haven't been to Hawaii, you need to start a "vacation jar" for it, as you'll never see anything like it.

Apparently, my sewing "mojo" came home with me, as I am ready to wrap up the Communion dress, and have lots of other lovelies coming soon, too.  A prom dress for a student, inspired by Mila Kunis's Oscars dress...

Along with more "evening wear" for my nieces's upcoming May wedding!

Eager to get started, so I'll catch up with you all soon.  Thanks so much for sticking around during the "doldrums" of Febuary and March, I was a real bummer there for awhile, but that's over with now!