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.