Dress Progress (or lack thereof...)

To be fair, I have been making some progress on my dress. I had sewn up the bodysuit a while ago and tried it on. (It didn't fit my duct tape dummy because I sewed the crotch shut. Dionne wisely pointed out that I may want to change that to use snaps as it would make potty-breaks easier in the dress!)

It seemed a little big for me. I had made the size 12, which is what my measurements said. I guess patterns are like bridesmaid dresses - they always end up a lot bigger than ready-to-wear clothing.

SO - off to the store to buy the smaller size pattern and go forward with a size 10. I made the bodice part and took in the bodysuit I already made. Now I am worried that the bodice is too tight on me! (Oh brother.) So I need to buy some Spanx, go on a diet or let the bodice out. Or all of the above.


Here it is on my dummy:

And a rear shot:

Here's the bodice pinned to the dummy:

I asked C, "Doesn't it look sparkly?" She said, "No - it looks SILLY!"

Dress Fabric

I went to several local fabric stores today and purchased some fabric for my dress. Or at least for the first attempt! I really wanted to make the main body out of dark navy stretch velvet, but am going to try this glitter stretch stuff first.
Left to right: Body of dress, godets, underskirt, bodysuit

My Future Smooth Dress

Ok, so here is the inspiration for all the duct tape madness. After 7 years of dancing, Doug has agreed to do a smooth solo with me for our showcase in June. We are doing a Viennese Waltz. Of course, this is exciting to me for many reasons, one of which is that I get to have a smooth dress!

I love this dress. It was designed by the guy who does all the Dancing with the Stars gowns. I love the dark blue color and the neckline - love the sleeves, but don't know how/if I will manage that. I would probably like more godets in the front, but other than that, it is so gorgeous!



After weeks and weeks of searching the web, I found a pattern that I believe will get me close to the inspiration dress:

It obviously doesn't have the sleeves, but it is supposed to include instructions for a bodysuit. And it is only $2.99!!! (Other patterns I looked at were $40+) Also, it has a two-piece bodice and skirt. Any suggestions for making that one solid piece? Or am I once again biting off more than I can or should chew for my first gown???