Dream Dress- Anniversary Edition

As alluded to in my previous post, I have already completed a project in my new sewing studio. My husband and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary last week, and I just whipped this little number up (I've always wanted to be able to say that!) to wear out on our first child free over-night out in two and a half years (thanks Ga Ga!).

 It is a great fit and the fabric is really cool. I used two identical 40s (?) feed sacks I purchased at an antique mall in Maryland when I visited my mom back in March.

Cutting into 70 year old fabric is a little nerve-wracking

 My original plan was to take Gertie's Bombshell Class on Craftsy and use that pattern. Well, I loved the class, and although I employed several of the methods Gertie instructs on in the construction of this dress, mine was not made as carefully as hers. In fact, it was made in a couple of hours spread over the three days before my anniversary. That's the "whipped it up" part. Also, I didn't use that Burda bombshell pattern. I am very small up top, and I just didn't like the way it looked on me. So, I used the top from Simplicity 4070.

Ignore the horrific bubble dress.
I am learning to look past the awful samples depicted on some pattern fronts. 

I moved the seams so they would be over my bust, as they were spaced too far out at the sides. I also shortened the bodice by one inch for my short waist, and "sweethearted" it a little more, as it seemed not so heart-y. To this bodice, I added the skirt from Simplicity 4491, which I know fits me well and is a style I like from having made it in my Daffodil Dress and in a leopard print as well.  

Of course, I double checked to make sure the bodice's princess seams would match the skirt darts and tucks, and then I shortened it a lot. A real lot.

Getting old, but not willing to hang it up yet!

I also put spiral steel boning in the bodice, moved the zipper to the side seam, lined the bodice, underlined the entire dress, included a waist stay, and sewed the zipper and hem by hand. Of the waist stay and boning, I must say I don't think I would have been comfortable in this dress without them. As Gertie says in the class, they are like scaffolding- that dress stayed just where it was supposed to, and I am one of those gals who always thought I didn't meet the requirements for holding up a strapless dress, if-ya-know-what-I-mean.

I loved wearing it, and I felt like a million bucks. The hub loved it too, and we both loved the gazillion pounds of sushi we consumed at our special dinner. And lemme tell ya, that waist stay does start to feel a little tight after a gazillion pounds of sushi and a bucket of hot sake. I can actually sum up the feeling with another photo......

In other related news, I received my copy of Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing in the mail yesterday. I am still reading through, but I think it is going to be a great resource for in depth techniques that my other sewing texts do not cover well. There are some really cute patterns to check out too. I'll give a full run down on the book once I have finished looking it over.

'Til next time...

Our 4th Anniversary and the Dress to Go With it

Brian and I celebrated our four year anniversary last week. We left the baby at home with her grandparents and went to dinner at a local Italian spot. We have a special honeymoon tradition that we record the year's goings on and put a new family photo in our wedding anniversary book. The book is pretty. It looks like this....

We received it as a wedding gift from my aunt, and we do enjoy taking a few moments to recall how far we've come in the last four years- from being a party pair in downtown Tampa to being a settled married couple in rural NC with a 17 month old. We wouldn't change a thing.

Another anniversary tradition for us is to drink champagne in our wedding flutes (we don't get many opportunities to bust those out, and they are lovely as well.) This year we forgot to toast in the flutes, but as Brian's birthday is the day after our anniversary, we had a special occasion to toast the next night too.

Back to our dinner out though. It was pretty funny- my husband is a teacher who wears a suit and tie to work because he likes to be professional. He was still wearing his suit when we went to dinner, and I wore a dress I finished sewing the day before from Simplicity 3463 circa early 1960s.

We got a lot of funny looks and stares for being formally dressed! It didn't bother me any- I guess I still believe that one cannot really be overdressed. How are you supposed to dress to go out for dinner on your wedding anniversary? I know many vintage seamstress/bloggers have lamented the demise of regular formal attire, and it does appear that nice jeans and a black shirt are the new version of "dressy." I don't really care either way what other people wear, but for me it is hard not to sew pretty things, and once you sew them, you have to wear them, no?

We like to snap a family photo whenever we are dressed well at the same time

LOVE!

And my husband snapped a few pics of the dress for me to share....

Gotta get some use from these heels before Labor Day, har de har! 

I don't know why I like to show the hem lace...it's just so pretty!

Ever since I read about Amy's Swirl Dress Project on Sewing through the Motions, I have badly wanted a back wrap dress pattern to make my own (Hey! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!) Now I have one! Dresses are all about how you feel wearing them, and I must say I felt really good in this one. If you sew or are interested in vintage sewing, I am posting more on the sewing process at Sew Retro.