Oh There WILL Be Cake

On Friday, I got the lining/wearable muslin prom dress just about ready for Meri to try on.

She was busy and we didn't get a chance...

So the lining is completely done with skirt lining attached. Including some continents made from an old pillow case, hanging from the waistline so she can get the overall affect.

On Saturday, we got a freak blizzard...  I guess it's still March, so I have no idea if this is the "out like a lion" or we need to wait until next Saturday to decide.  The girls who stayed over on Friday night got picked up by one of their dads when it was obvious Meri wasn't going to be able to drive them home in this weather.  

Her other plans for Saturday fell through too.  She was going to go pick up her prom date, go shopping at the Goodwill for a used suit that fits and then have him at our house for the whole day so I could get a good handle on fitting his suit.

Blizzard.  So no go.

I decided to spend the entire day, instead, on her prom dress and get it done as much as I possibly could.  Once I had the lining skirt attached, I texted her to come try on the lining and she texted back, "in a little bit."  That can mean anything...  And then the neighbor girl showed up wrapped in a blanket for a coat.  She must have packed her winter things away the same as I did!

So Em went downstairs to Meri's room and the "in a little bit" turned into "a long a bit."  uuugghhhhh...  

Oh well, I had lots of other things to keep me busy.  I KNEW that the lining bodice was going to fit her, so I cut out the pieces based on the paper pattern pieces that I'd cut out, forgetting a few important details... Such as "add 1.5 inches to the top of the side bodice and back sections.  

oops.

I didn't discover it until I had the organza overlay laying on top of each piece and ironing them.  

Now WHY are all these organza pieces longer?  Does organza stretch???...

no.

sigh...  I attempted to patch the shortened areas but couldn't line up the word cific and cean with the original Pacific and Ocean under the arm pit.  yikes!  and it would LOOK patched...

So I bit the bullet and cut out new pieces.  When ironing in the LAST of my fusible interfacing, I realized I'd cut TWO of the right side front.  

really?...

So Robb may have heard me use a swear word from clear downstairs...  and I cut out another piece strategically from the map fabric.  

There is less than 2 yards now for the prom date's suit jacket now...

AND nearly no continents to hang from Meri's waist line...

The only continent intact on the rejected bodice pieces is the USA, so I can salvage that one.

I may need to order more fabric.  Good thing Amazon shipping is fast!

So here is the bodice so far.  

I finally cornered the girl and made her try on both the lining and this.  She is THRILLED with how it's looking!  It's exactly like she imagined it.  And I got some clarification on how the organza on the skirt will be.  I had misunderstood, but now it's ALL clear!  and whew!  I hadn't cut that out yet!

I will need to add more tulle to our crinoline.  It needs to be poofy.

I spent another couple hours cutting out the skirt pieces and then took a break.  Robb wanted to get a snow fort built for Leon before the snow wasn't packable anymore.

If you were down our street Saturday, you would have seen a couple 51+ year olds loading storage totes with snow, packing them in and making HUGE bricks for the snow fort.

Nine tubs of snow later, we have a fort that the boy would love and won't melt until June.  Leon was thrilled when he got home Sunday and spent a good long time playing around it.  He gently carved a window in the area where I'd carefully packed snow between the bricks.

It reminds me of the windows at Newtown Castle in County Clare, where you could defend your castle with weapons through little slits in the wall. 

Weren't they just so LITTLE??!!!!  

The kids I mean.  I can't believe that trip was 20 years ago this spring!

Back to the dress that will make you want to travel...  I'll work on it today a little on my breaks and hopefully have the skirt attached by tonight.  The suit jacket that the date's mom picked up for him will be by later today so I can see how it fits on him.  

THIS is what we're shooting for.  This pattern was $1.99!  Simplicity is on sale this month people!!!  Woohoo!

More tomorrow on my weekend adventures.  There will be cake.