Evening Gown Update and an Expert's Take on Fashion.

Even though the weather was beautiful (at least that's what I've been told) I never set foot out of the apartment today as I was busy working on the evening gown that I need to have this May for The Wedding of the Century (not mine! I will most likely be barefoot the day that happens!).

You should be able to click on these pictures for better details.

This is the bodice underlining for my dress. It's just a pricey sateen cotton muslin.

This is before I added boning to the seams.

I love 'sew in' boning because it's very user friendly.

I just place it into the vertical seams (minus the seam allowances at the above and below intersecting seams) and zig-zag it in place. You don't even realize you're sewing over it, it's that easy.

Here is the bodice with the boning in place.

I didn't worry about thread color as this piece of fabric will be sandwiched between the fashion fabric and the lining.

This dress has a midriff band.

I basted it to the interfaced muslin 'underlining, 'wrong side' of fashion fabric to 'right side' of muslin.

The actual lining, next to my body, will cover the raw edges of the underlining when all is said and done.

Sally Stitch, my slightly (very!) smug dress form (so what if her butt is smaller than mine!!!!) is modeling the bodice of my dress.

I still need to line and bind the bodice but here it is for now.

This is a such a bad picture (just don't tell Sally) but it's all I have at the moment.

Anyway, the dress still needs to be lined, the bodice still needs to be bound at the top, and actually the back center seam will end up getting ripped out. This is because I'm using an invisible zipper, and I use the Islander technique that calls for the the whole zipper seam to be open during the installation of the zipper!!!!

Go figure! But I've used this technique before and it actually works!!

I tried to put Hans to work at the end of the fitting process but what can I say.

I had the dress on, and all I asked was that he tell me if the seam allowances in the back would 'abutt' each other as this is where the zipper will be placed.

After a bit of monkeying around (really while I waited for him to make sure his online poker hand was stable) he assured me that everything was A-OK.

So, hoping that Hans knew what he was talking about I took the dress off, placed it on Sally Stitch, and proceeded to take pictures. During this time I was wearing nothing but my strapless bra, Victoria's Secret panties, and a pair of heels.

Okay, I realize it wasn't a pretty picture but when I was finally done Hans' remark was, "No wonder all the men who design fashion are gay otherwise they'd never get anything done."

I Thank God that man is nearsighted!!!