Sat Oct 15

I just entered my blog for today and lost it.........frustrating!

So we'll try it again.

Around Sep 15 I started sewing for a wedding for my friend that lives across the street.  His oldest daughter was getting married on the 30th.  I had 5 dresses to make and beleive it or not, I got them done and they all fit perfectly.

The pattern we used was Butterrick B5457.   The fabric was a teal and gray taffeta.   The pattern wasn't difficult to sew, however, the inner lining on the bodice didn't fit.  I had to open the seam at the bottom of the princess lines and spread them 1/2 inch.   On the first one I did that, then forgot for the 2nd one so I had to do the same thing.   On the rest I made the piece slightly larger toward the bottom of the pattern.  That worked.

I altered all of them.  The first one was a size 12.  She was short waisted so I had to shorten the waist 3/4 ".   When we fit it, I had to bring the side seams in 1/2 and ended up making the back seam bigger in order to keep it up on her frame!  So the final measurements on the pattern weren't true.  She was a perfect size 12.     The rest were 14.   I enlarged all of them, and two of them ended up being size12 when I finished!
 the Matron of Honor was a grey dress with a teal band.  I had to enlarge the pattern up  from the largest size.  I did a full bust adjustment and lengthened the waist.  This was a challenge in that I've never done an FBA on a bodice that was pleated like this one.   I was so stressed out worrying if it would fit properly.  but I had the bodice ready to try on and I had the skirt and lining ready  to attach.  I adjusted the bodice a tiny bit, then she went home   I took the dress over at 7a.m. and it fit perfectly.  I was so shocked.  I'm getting way too old to do this kind of thing last minute, but that was no one's fault but my own..
The dresses all looked like the pattern, thank goodness and they all looked pretty.  I don't think I'll make this pattern again.  It was easy to make, but fitting was a bear.  Oh and I put the zippers in by hand.  They turned out really nice.   I love this family.   They've grown up right before my eyes.  Where in the world does time go so quickly?    Sigh...........