Open Waters

It may be no surprise: I decided to throw away the pattern.

I felt uninspired by it and overwhelmed by it all at the same time.  I had to ask myself--do I have to commit to the puzzle of cutting out pieces and following those rules?  My old battle with rules surfaced.  Are rules guides?  Or confinements?

I decided, finally.  No pattern out there existed for the Wright Dress.  I've embarked out on the open waters of garment construction with no compass and no tangible map. 

I studied the Pettibone dress from the pictures of the lucky brides wearing it.  The bodice I have is a similar style.  I just need to sew in a skirt.  Find the Guipure lace for the neckline.  Sew in a sash.  Done.  Right?

Well, I'm on my way.  I cut out the skirt and several layers of lining.  I had to figure out the easiest way to gather the top, and I discovered a blog post about the ease of gathering with clear elastic, here.  I finally hunted down the stuff at JoAnn's.  It's magical stuff, and it worked perfectly.  You simply stretch it out across the top of the hem while sewing it in.  It created a perfect, even gather. I highly recommend it.

So, here's the next development.  I'm on my way.  And I'm very hopeful about what awaits on the horizon.

P.S. Check out this video.  I'm loving She and Him, a project by Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward.

Tucked Away

More dress updates are coming soon!  I'll be taking it home this weekend for Mother's Day to hopefully finish it up. I've documented all of the elements, and I promise to explain it all.

I've been thinking.  It's been hard to have a project that I've hidden from Jacob.  I usually seek his quiet opinions about paintings, "design", and photos--and I hadn't realized how much I need his input in my work.  We often disagree, which makes me defend things he usually shrugs his shoulders about.  I've learned I'm intentional about utilizing some of the things that his line of work has taught him to avoid.  I have to remind him that while all art is communicative, not all communication is art.  And some blurriness or illegible fonts are okay, when they're there on purpose.

Jacob helps me develop ideas like this.  He helps me know what I like, and be more confident within my work.  Maybe even more determined. So, it's been a battle to keep this project tucked away.  Literally.  I've often wanted to pull it out, and just talk through it with him.

Thankfully, though, I've been able to show it to several of my girlfriends.   All of the affirmation I needed came a few weeks ago, when I pulled it on, zipper not quite completely sewn in, and showed it to Becca.  And she cried. It was perfect.

I joked with her:  "Better than you expected?"

I've surprised even myself.

In the meantime,  I just have to share an exciting purchase.  Everyone, please behold the "wedding boots":

Yes, they're my first pair of cowboy boots.  And yes, they'll be getting me down the aisle tucked under a dress I made.  And maybe I'm learning that some of my favorite things in life stay tucked away for a while, at least until the perfect moment...