A wedding dress (bodice mockup attempt) is born!

I have FINALLY had some time to work on my wedding dress after what seems like endless travel, socializing and who knows what else.

I haven't gotten all that far, but progress is progress, yes? Not sure how much you can tell from this photo, but I definately have more in the love-handle department than my little expandable form does. This little form also comes nowhere close to matching my bust so as I stood and pondered how best to fill this out for photos, it dawned on me that I was wearing the perfect bra for the project. Off it came and went straight onto my little red lady. Much closer to how it will look on me. This will be my drop-waisted under-bodice out of the silk dupioni which will then be covered by the lace, off-shoulder over bodice that is currently being mocked up out of hot-pink tulle that was rescued from a friend's "luffah" halloween costume.

This hot-pink monstrosity is still VERY much in the works since I'm still trying to figure out all of what needs to happen in terms of alterations (I am not only high-waisted, but also very short-waisted as well). Add to that the fact that the pattern I'm using has that fold over collar thing and they have this wonky shape with darted top for the sleeve, well I'm not having the greatest success figuring out this whole off the shoulder sleeve thing. I've also never worked with a pattern that called for this sort of sleeve so I'm having some issues visualizing.

As for skirt, I was given my aunt's wedding dress to whack apart and use what I wanted for my gown so voila! Her skirt will become my skirt pattern...I think. I have my petticoat fluffy bits to go under my skirt and her skirt has the general size and shape that I want. I just have to figure out how I want my skirt attached to my bodice (smoothly, pleated, gathered like my aunt's, etc). Actually, I'm not even sure if I want to attach my skirt to my bodice. If I do, then I have some serious thinking to do about the reception and make this big ole ballgown skirt into something swing dancable. Bustles can only get you so far after all! I may have enough dupioni left from my gown to make a second, smaller, cocktail type gown to dance in...but do I have the time?!

Sigh...decisions, decisions. I have at least accomplished some wedding things this week, like finally getting the invitations to the printer. Now bring on the endless hours of addressing envelopes!

In non-wedding news, other projects are finally being finished up and will be heading to their new owners, like the Northanger Abbey inspired pleated chiffon Regency gown for Ivy along with her almost finished corded short-stays. I'm happy with how this gown turned out, but I'm even happier to just see it finished. Pleating all that chiffon was absolutely beastly and was cause for much swearing.