dress inspiration

i am so close to being done with the dress! this is a little picture of the bodice top. it still needs a zipper but that is about it. i wore the 'test dress' at a wedding this weekend and it held up well. it was slightly tight in the top so im glad i havent finished the bodice completely for the final version so that i can adjust it a bit. i doubt it really needed the boning with the lining and interfacing but i suppose it cant hurt to be safe. the real test was the suck in and push up equipment. it passed although i was glad to take it off at the end of the afternoon.

i also wound up with a nasty sunburn. i havent had a burn in years, i am so cautious about sunscreen especially with eliot and i completely forgot to put it on myself. good thing my wedding is several weeks off..and i wasnt wearing something with straps!

these were the pictures i had in mind when i made the dress. took them while they were in the window not thinking about the image from the back showing through. i left them that way because i think it looks kind of arty but you get the idea.

a little skimpy but i like the bubble at the bottom and the flower detail. i still havent decided what details to put on mine. i really want to leave it out to think about it but i also dont want kevin to see it all put together.
i saw this one in person at my local bridal shop and it is SO heavy! i didnt bother trying it on because it looked quite a bit different in person but th is is the closest to mine of the three.

it is so hard to title sometimes...

we have had a nice week around here with a mix of sun rain and the usual business. the wedding planning is winding down with some parts and up with others. 95% of the invitations have gone out and are trickling in with responses. the next steps will be such details as planning the ceremony and the decorations. we found a ton of small glass flower holders at good will this weekend to dress up the tables a bit. the flowers are going to be a low key combo of wild flowers, from my mothers garden and a split bouquet or two.

dress making is nearing completion! and i have taken precious little pictures im afraid. the hour here and there i get i spend madly sewing and forgetting about documentation. i did find a zipper today for the bodice back to finish that up and the skirt part is done, at least pre-details if i add any at all.

eliot has decided on his future profession already. this has been his favorite toy. good thing it hasnt seen any real use. unfortunately he hasnt show any interest in actually using the potty, only the flushing part.

we visited the clam festival last week. the yearly treck to get fried dough was a yummy success. i was too busy with sugary hands and dodging carnies to take a really good pictures. eliot was a little overwhelmed and a tad frightened of the whole operation. i think next year he will be a little more interested and less likely to stay in the stroller. maybe i can get him to sing under the big karaoke tent.



i have also started another craft project to keep my mind at ease while we wedding plan. a friend of mine is having a baby in a few months so i thought i would start a quilt. if my track record holds true she should have it in the neighborhood of august of 09. i decided on an alphabet theme from this inspiration. this woman just has a way with fabric that i really love.

Kevin stars in...

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charming

marching along as usual. i have been taking a lot of pictures of little people lately. a lot of pictures in general including a class reunion and some workplace portraits. eliot's friends are very easy to photograph. charming little gals.

i cut out the skirt portion of the dress today.. i will do a good update on that soon. the image in my head is great, i hope i can recreate it with fabric!

eliot has been sleeping marginally better the past few nights...maybe it was the heat?

over and over

letters into envelopes is the most current repetitive motion around here. i finally was able to get the response cards to print properly using my printer. eliot was very helpful gathering them as they came through to the printer tray. he was also very helpful handing me many, many envelopes. next is stamping and addressing. i hope to get these in the mail by wednesday! then it's official, no turning back.

ive gotten some new inspiration for cakes and decorations. i do love cake. although i have a good idea of what i want i think i need to go around and taste test just for the fun of it. the dress needs to be the next big thing for me though. this coming weekend should be a big one for dress construction.

he has just discovered the nostril and all the mysteries within. i really have way too many pictures like this of him. poor kid.

flowers and busy bee's

start off with a roar. he hasn't quite gotten 'say cheese' yet. but, he can roar, and he can say bye at the top of his lungs. he prefers to say hi and bye to strangers, and pretty much everyone he sees on the street. so far it has been OK. i think it helps that he is cute. when he starts passing out his stuffed animals to the homeless i try to take deep breaths and imagine that they probably need a pick -me- up more than anyone.

he is such a monkey right now. he has figured out a few new climbing skills. he can hold his hands on the side of the table, pick up his legs, and swing. he figured out he can climb his changing table without any kid of box or stool and, the other day i went from one room to the other, and by the time i got back to the dining room area he was sitting all snugly in his booster seat. i figure he must have scaled the back of one of the chairs, gotten onto the top of the dining room table and managed to wiggle himself down into his seat. unreal. needless to say he has started learning the two word phrase 'time out' and repeating 'not safe' around the house before he does something he is not supposed to.

lots of mini wild life around my mom's house right now. kevin goes one way chasing butterflies and i go the other chasing dragonflies and damsel flies.

her garden is in full bloom. it is amazing how fast things come and go.



and the test dress is basically done. i need to hem the bottom. the fit ended up being opposite of what i expected. usually, for me, the top is too small and the bottom is too big. in this case the waist fit perfectly but the top was about 2 sizes too big. i need to take it in about 3/4 of an inch on both sides. im very glad i did a test first because i have come up with several changes i would like to make.

i think i am going to make the pieces separates. ill dig up the links to my inspirations at some further post. i want to take the top in and lengthen the bodice. i think i will make the skirt a tad longer and add a few pleats to the skirt at the top. this really turned out to be an easy pattern. it took me a while as i have about 1 hour chunks of time but it could probably be done by someone with moderate sewing skills in an afternoon. once i fix this one up and maybe add a ribbon around the waist i hope to get some wear out of it.