Making of the Meadow Gown Part 5

So I did decide to just sequins the top part of the skirt and then sew it together so that I could wear it for Pumps and Pearls at camp.  This allowed me to finish everything on my machine before leaving and just have to hand sew at camp - which was a nice calming activity when things got stressful (though I did lose sleep the night before Pumps and Pearls to finish the hem and it is definitely not complete).

Step 30: Finish sewing all the sequins along the top half of the skirt.  Cheer for a second then remember how much more there is to do.

Step 31: Sew the skirt to the bodice gathering it as evenly as possible. Note that the center section where the seam is will be hidden by the corset so perfection isn't so important.

Step 32: Sew in the lining - I have it so that the lining only attaches  at the neckline so that all seams are hidden between the lining and the main layers (to me the gown feels nicer with no seams pointing towards me).  Once the lining is sewn turn to the inside and press down.

Step 33: Sew in back zipper and complete back seams on all layers separately.  Congrats the gown is now in one piece!

Step 34: Figure out that the sleeves plus all the layers of the bodice will not fit in the sewing machine and so will need to be done by hand, so the straps and the edging around the top will also need to be done by hand after.

Step 35: Cut the strips for the straps and the top edging.

Step 36: Pack everything together (including remaining sequins and the rest of the pieces of the gown - sleeves, straps and edging - as well as eye hooks, thread, needles and pins - on cushion) into a bag and bring to camp.

Step 37: Spend the first 5 weeks working on sequins - realize that you have so little free time to sew - esp since you tear your shoulder and can't use it very much at all for a month - that you will never finish the sequins and everything needed to make it wearable.

Step 38: Switch to sewing the hems - take 2 and a half weeks to finish them - including a couple really really late nights.

Step 39: Realize that there is no time to put the sleeves on (and that the heat this summer would make wearing them unbearable) so sew the straps instead.

Because on the screen used gown it appears that the straps are part of the corset and just tack onto the gown but with my pattern and this gown  they are needed to help keep the dress on I sewed them first as tubes then hid the stitching in the back of each strap and sewed them starting at the waistline in the front over the bodice.  I tacked them at the top to help hold it up properly (and because I know I will have to take that stitching out to put on the sleeves and top edging I didn't sew it more securely) and then sewed the back inside the gown as that doesn't show under the corset and hair.

Step 40: finally try it all on together - and realize the straps are way too long - due to time restrictions fold them over and resew the back to shorten - twice.  Figure its good enough for pumps and pearls in a few hours...

Step 41: Wear the gown and problem shoot issues as they come up, mentally noting all the alterations that need to be made before a "real" event.

Here is the dress on me with Snowy - nothing added to it.  You can see how  lose it is in the skirt - the corset will give me more of a waist but this allows the fullness I want.

With all of the UCs in my Unit.  We added a ribbon belt just for the event (its literally just tied on me)  but in this pic you can see the fullness of the skirt which is perfect! And you can see how the corset will give more definition since the belt did and its much smaller.

With Kit Kat walking in.  You can see that it is still a bit long (and I was wearing really high heels - much higher than I will as Padme) so I'm glad I didn't finish the bottom sequins because I need to hem it up quite a lot and I would hate to lose that much sequining! 

Still with Kit Kat - stopping for the "official" photographers of the evening.  You can see that the straps are still a bit too long and are slipping.  I plan on cutting them off in the back just above the bodice (then pulling out all the stitching holding what is left in place).  That way I will have a better measurement of where  they need to be sewn to be in place when it is done.  I will put on the sleeves and top edging before sewing the straps back in place.  

So setting a hard deadline - with the need to wear it helped a lot in getting this done this far.  Now its time to go back put on the sleeves and edging, then fix the straps and get help measuring it (on me) for the correct length and rehemming.  When all that is done I will go back and finish the sequins (but I don't want to put it on areas that are just getting cut off when I adjust the length).  Hoping to have all this done by Halloween - I still have the ribbon for the belt so I could wear it again then as a Medieval lady or something just to have another wearable by deadline.  Then all I will have left is the embroidery on the corset and putting that together, then I can quickly sew the headband together and add the roses and it will be completely done!  Perhaps by CVI it will be all done?