Kare Dress: MASTERED!

I did it! After all the irritation and silly mistakes, my Kate dress is ready for the BIG DAY tomorrow! I'll be arriving at the party in my dress and blingy blue cocktail ring, with my British flag and "Prince William is a fox" shirt that's a leftover from college. It just can't sit in a drawer on a day like tomorrow!

VICTORY!

New Projects!

I went into JoAnn's yesterday for a few patterns that were on sale, and walked out with three new projects! The first is a top that I've already finished, and will surely be making again! Now that I know to cut a smaller size, it will be easy to throw this together in many different variations.

I made shirt view B in a sunny, floraly, springy print:

And the invisible side zipper:

I also bought cotton fabric to make the short sleeveless version of this sundress:

And one dress to wear to a wedding in June, view A:

My Kate dress and I are still in a fight. The dress is winning.

Bathroom is Coming Right Along!

Andy has finished the bathroom prep work, and has taped the room for painting. We're going with Martha Stewart paint (how apropos) in Powder Puff #MSL032 and Seal #MSL268, each in alternating 6" wide stripes. Fab!

Taped!

Powder Puff!

Seal!



Kate Dress Fixes!

Last weekend I forced myself to take apart my Kate dress and fix my mistakes. It didn't turn out so badly! I had to take apart the side seams and the shoulder seams. Then I inserted a 2" panel into each shoulder to lengthen the bodice, which fixed my first mistake. Then I removed the waist wrap and removed 1/2 of the fabric from each wrap layer since it was waaay to thick in the waist. Then I gathered the narrow ends of the outer wrap pieces so they would look "wrapped" when they pull across the body. Then I could sew the right side closed. I tried it on and pinned the left side in place. MUCH better!

Now I'm in a fight with the left side as I attempt to insert the zipper. I WILL win. Just not today.

After the zipper fight, I'll have to fit the sleeve width and hem the sleeves and skirt. I can do this by April 29th, right? Right?

Potato Chips

Last week I made homemade potato chips with my new mandolin. I sliced the potatoes thin, soaked overnight in 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar, and then dried them off. Then deep fry and salt. Simple!

Spring Things!

I started some plants indoors: all the better to grow really really tall sunflowers faster! I've started the sunflowers, marigolds, phlox, sweet peas, and cantaloupe! There's already a teeny sweet pea and a teeny cantaloupe peeking out, hopefully more show up this week!

Every spring I like to find a new nail polish for summer. This year I grabbed a glittery one called "Rock Star Pink". I've never seen Andy so excited over a cosmetic item. "Can you buy me a bottle? Pleeeaasse?" He wants to make fishing lures.

Kate Dress

Here is the start of my Kate dress! I need to finish it by April 29 to wear to a Royal Wedding watching party! I made a mistake when I took it up in the shoulders a little too soon, so I'm frusterated now with the way the bodice sits too high. I've been hatching a plan in my head to fix it and I hope it works, because I'd also like to wear this dress for Andy's grad school graduation on May 7th! I don't have a picture of it on me yet, because the last time I tried it on I got stuck in it and had to have Andy pull it off over my head because I couldn't move. Oopsies!

Left to do:

* Install a side zipper (yuck)

* Fix shoulder issue (double yuck)

* Fix waist wrap issue (so yuck that it isn't even photographed)

* Hem the skirt and sleeves

Duplicating pattern tissue

Laying out pieces on a diagonal to match fabric grain

Staystiched bodice pleats

Preliminary mannequin fitting. Doesn't the bodice lay nicely? Dumb, dumb, dumb, I shouldn't have "fixed" the shoulders. Urg.



Bath Update

Today Andy began installing the molding on the wall to give it some dimension. He also cut the wood for the shelf and added the decorative edging on that. We're painting all of this new woodwork in the same stripes as the wall, so it will be really dramatic!