Eight Weeks!

Rain falls all around as the latest hurricane from the gulf disbands in the skies this far inland.  I've always loved rainy days--the gray color of the sky and the diffused light, the force indoors, the excuse to relax.  Lately, though, I've developed a sort of resentment toward the weather, and any bride planning an outdoor wedding can relate.  Months of planning could go awry on the whim of a weather pattern.  The jet stream, El Nino, barometric pressure--a radar filled with color--could force the dreaded relocation, a change of plans.  Yet the mark of well-adjusted human is adaptability.  So, I'm acknowledging this.  But I'd just prefer no rain eight weeks from today.

So--onto the dress!  The dress is almost done, just a few measurements and a hem.  The dress now rests in Muskogee, as my grandma will help me with the hem.  Right now the fabric falls in a pool around my feet, and if it wasn't an outdoor wedding, I'd be tempted to leave it.  But grass and gravel suggest otherwise.

I couldn't speak more of the process of dress making.  It's been about discovery, trial and error, and problem solving.  It's also been about surprise.  The dress has come together almost completely apart from my hands--and sometimes I feel like I just helped it into existence.  And after slipping it on this weekend, it feels as soft as a cloud.  A light, airy, sunny cloud.

Here are a few detail pics.  I'm most proud of the neckline, a crocheted piece that I hand-sewed into the top of the bodice.  It's not quite the guipure lace, but the delicate design is close.  I love it.

So, here's to rainy days.  And the hope of sunny ones...