The "Wedding Dress" In Action

Last Friday (11-11-11) I attended the wedding of my niece, and wore the Vogue 1252 Tracy Reese animal print dress. I opted for sheer hose, "caged" platform pumps from Talbots, and bracelets and earrings from 2 of my Etsy friends.


I'll let the pictures do the talking.

with husband, Roland

shoes from Talbots

Leather bangles from Amy Fine Design

Earrings from Kristria Designs

with daughter, Laura, in a Ralph Lauren sequined dress, and Michael Kors leather jacket (all scored with great deals at a Virginia Macy's per Laura)

Laura, me and Channing Brauer, girlfriend of my nephew

my mother-in-law, Carol; sister-in-law, Kim; me; Channing; Laura; Laura's husband, Thomas

Of course, my arms look strange in most of these pictures, but all in all, the dress was really comfortable. I didn't end up tacking any of the gathers, as recommended by the pattern. It just wasn't necessary. Quite an exciting and fun evening!

Vogue 1252, aka The Wedding Dress

I'm kinda loving calling it The Wedding Dress. So much easier than the dress that I'm wearing to a wedding I've been invited to. I'm going to show it to you, but remember, this is just about the dress, not about the styling. The complete look will have to be revealed later.


Starting with the back. The neckline was gaping a lot.

That fence heading down the hill is really messing with me. Seems like there's a lot of leaning going on. I used a zipper that has the little crystals, and wow, it is not straight. I'll have to remember that when I get dressed for the wedding... make sure someone straightens me up in the back. I put darts in the neckline and ripped out the shoulder seams after first taking off the facing (which was bad news). I think I pulled up 4 inches of extra fabric that was gaping.


I haven't decided yet between sheer black hose or black tights, so pretend like that's what you're seeing instead of blinding white legs. Also, pumps instead of loafers.

I haven't tacked the drape across the front yet and not sure I will. It's supposed to be pulled down over the boobs, but with the busy print, I don't think it really makes any difference in look. And that's it.


Hmmm, the dogs kind of match my color scheme, don't they!


Oh, other than shortening the sleeves and lengthening the bodice, I didn't make any other fit changes, cutting a straight 14. When I lengthened the bodice, for the back pieces, I only lengthened the sides, leaving the center back the original length. That took care of the sway back alternation.


Not sure I'll have a better looking dance partner...

Twirly fun...

Have a great weekend! Hoping to have a new pair of clover pants to show off Sunday or Monday.

Wedding Dress Sneak Peak

Not that kind of wedding dress, sillies! But the kind of dress you wear when you are invited to a wedding. One that suggests you "dress to impress". And one that is TWO WEEKS from Friday.


Not too much pressure, but this Vogue 1252 has 63 steps. I've finished 31 and have 32 left, so yep, about halfway and it brings me to the skirt. Here's the top so far:

 Wanna see more? Me too. I'm off to a shopping trip to my favorite fabric.com for some more skirt lining. I bought the mesh as recommended for the lining, but for the skirt I just want some slick black tricot, for spinning drama if there is dancing.

Muslin Progress on Vogue 1252

The days are speeding by, and while I haven't done a countdown until our trip to the midwest, I'm feeling a bit of pressure. The Tracy Reese dress really has to fit well, so the other day I cut out a muslin using a horrible doubleknit polyester shiny thing. My actual fabric has a bit more stretch, so I'm keeping that in mind.


Anyway, I cut out a straight 14, and, well, let me show you another picture to get it in your mind.

I really had to plan the muslin, because I didn't want to make the entire dress, but the underneath fitted part. Does that make sense? So, full skirt... not making. Did cut out the sleeves, the left and right yoke fronts, and the upper back. Eliminated the drape from the left shoulder, and the bodice part that is all ruched. So, that just left the bodice lining.


I took a bunch of pictures, but most are just for my eyes only. Yeah... you just don't want to see these. That might make you think it isn't working, but actually it's really pretty good, and I'm only making a few changes.

#1... the sleeves are about an inch (maybe a little less) too long. Easy. The shoulders fit well, as does the bust area. I think the jersey will gather much more attractively than this hideous stuff. It might look ok in the picture, but it's actually scratchy.
#2... the bodice needs to be longer. Probably a couple of inches longer. The waistline is unbelievably high. Too much white flesh to show you below the cropping, but trust me, that's just about where the bodice ends in the picture.


And that's it! The jersey should stretch nicely, so even though my waist measurement is *ahem* bigger than the pattern, it's not an issue. And, I did the official technique of holding up the tissue to my body, and the skirt looks like a good length.


The goal now... get it cut out, and make some good progress by the end of the weekend.