Did y'all think I'd forgotten about my ball gown? Or maybe given up? Nope, I just took a little detour. The pressure of an ever-growing to-do list between myself and NashCon was getting in the way of creative focus. So I decided to knock some major things off my list before buckling down again on my gown.
Priority #1-The Taxes. Yes, yuck. But necessary to try and even have a back-up for funds prior to leaving. Because I'm the a-type planner who wants a contingency plan in case catastrophe hits. And it'd just be one more thing I had to do when I got home anyway, so I took a day and got them out of the way.
Then life hit, so I had to walk away for a bit. And then spontaneously saw an opportunity to accomplish Priority #2-Altering fellow NashCon-goer, Ashley's, ball dress. Which required a weekend getaway to Nashville, where she lives and spending some girly down time. Completely forgot to take pictures of course, but I can provide after shots later.
Being more petite than 6 feet (which the average prom dress seams to be made for, why I do NOT know), she needed the halter strap running behind her neck and the cross backs that meet it to be taken in. By 3 inches! And her dress comes with a bit of a drapey train that she wanted removed/hemmed so no one would trip over it while she's dancing. I seam-ripped the appropriate neck pieces apart, cut off the excess and restitched everything by hand. It also entailed removing and then reattaching the hook and eyes that fasten the dress together on the back of her neck.
The dress is made of charmeuse, so after pinning up the back where the hem should have run, I tried my machine on it, but even with a needle designated for delicate, it was pulling the fabric. So I did a hand stitched invisible hem on the lining and another on the outer layer. Thankfully, the front didn't require any work because in her fabulous silver heals, she's the exact right height to clear her toes.
The only thing left is possibly having to tack in where the cross hatches meet at her waist, which will be dependent upon the exact undergarment she plans to wear (which she didn't have for the weekend). Because I cut off part of the top of the cross hatches, it slightly changed their angulation and therefore how they tie in at the waist. One bra she wore made everything lay flat and fine, but another didn't. But it should be an easy enough hand tuck and stitch to correct in less than an hour right before Con if necessary. And I need to reattached a jewel that hangs from the cross hatches in the back that I forgot about before I left.
Hopefully, she's pleased with the way the dress now fits. I think she looks awesome and gorgeous in the gown. I'll get pics up after the big event when I see her next. I had a fabulous weekend, but now it's time to buckle down or y'all will be asking why I'm wearing something found at the last minute off the rack and I'll be kicking myself!
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