Navy Dress Finished (December 2013 Sewing Challenge Project)

front/back

It.  Is. Gorgeous.  It came out exactly as I planned, and for the most part, went off without a hitch (aside from some unexpected cleanup around the V in the front where the seam line was bulkier than I thought it would be).




So, you know that thing where you try on a really gorgeous outfit in a store, but then discover that while it's awesome, it's just about the least flattering thing you could possibly do to your poor body?  Disappointing, yes.  But all you have to do is put it back on the rack and move on, though.

front detail; elastic inverted-V empire waist

Now imagine that you made that outfit yourself.  You used pretty fabric you'd been saving for something special. You spent weeks planning, researching patterns, and drafting the final pattern to use.  You spend weeks putting the dress together, expending ridiculous amounts of effort to make sure every last stitch is perfect and professional-looking, and end up making the emergency-last-minute fabric store trip three times to get the exact right parts.

And only now do you realize, after all of that - and the night before you need to wear the thing - that while the dress is perfect, it looks horrible on you.  It fits like it should, but the style accentuates all the worst parts of your figure and exposes every single flaw.  And now you have a beautiful dress that you can't wear, and can't just put back on the rack.  Nor do you have anything to wear the following night for your shindig.

fake (decorative) buttons made from beads)

Still, though, it came out beautifully, and I'm really proud of it.  I'll probably never be able to wear it, though.  I could lose all the weight in the world and I think I'd still be the wrong shape for this, but you never know.

actual button (bead), and hand-made button loop

When I was a kid, my mother had a similar sewing fail - a dress she made for herself that came out great, but looked awful.  She ended up using it as the default "clothing" for her dressmaker's form, when she wasn't actually using it.

I think I'll do the same thing, if I ever get around to getting a dressmaker's form, hehe.






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