Gala Dress

I've been putting off my Vintage Sewalong dress in order to finish a formal dress for an event that came up last minute. Well, not exactly last minute. I knew it was going to happen (as it does every year) but I didn't have a date for the event until less than two weeks ago. The company gala. My husband's company Winter Gala, to be exact, and it's January 29th.

So, I dug out my list of formal wear patterns (of which there are very few) and chose Burda 7470.  I first noticed in the inside cover of my November Burda Style magazine. I'm generally not the 'butt bow' kind of girl, but this one just looked so elegant. I even chose a very similar color, a deep maroon.





This is as close as I could photograph of the actual color. It's really close.

The instructions on this one were actually pretty good. I've heard some horror stories of Burda instructions, but I didn't have any problems at all. Of course, I'm not a beginner, so that could make a difference. It seems like it took forever to put together, but that's mostly just because the plague hit our house (or at least it seemed that way) last week and both the little girls and I were quite under the weather. So, that meant that when I felt like sewing (which wasn't much) it had to happen late at night after the girls were in bed. It probably only really took a few hours.





















Sorry for the horrible lighting. It's very late and I have harsh florescent lighting in my basement studio. And the material is shiny. I used a really delicious feeling crepe backed satin and lined it with black charmeuse. Don't look too closely at the bottom of the photo - it's not hemmed yet. I'm getting there tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll be able to take some pictures of the dress on my body, too. You won't get the full picture until after the masks are finished. That's right, I didn't mention that it's a masquerade ball! You can't even imagine how excited I am about it. I love a good theme party. This is the ultimate. A fancy hotel ballroom filled with 200 adults dressed in black tie and feathery/sequined masks. There will be copious amounts of pictures, I promise. :)

Come and Join Us!

There has been a bit of sewing happening here in my house, just nothing blogged about yet. I'm saving up my few 'brainless' projects for one post. I needed a bit of a thinking break after The Coat was finished. Plus, I'm getting ready to start my muslin for my Vintage Sew-along 2011 project, the 1930s Button Dress.

In other news, though, I have joined forces with Steph of 3 Hours Past the Edge of the World. Alas, not for sewing (although I admire her work so much I sometimes contemplate traveling halfway around the world just to raid her closet). Instead, she's hosting a bit of a side project -- a vintage read-along. And why not? We're all talking 'vintage' these days and what better way to understand the world we wish to emulate? The idea is to read the chosen book with the group and pick out the parts that help color our mental images of the time period. We're starting off with Breakfast at Tiffany's. Far more colorful a read than the watered-down Audrey Hepburn movie (as wonderful as it was). Please come and join us! You can find the read-along at Pelicans and Penguins.

I hope the new year is treating you all well and has presented you all with new, promising opportunities and lots of motivation!

Ah, 2011! Welcome... welcome...

I just love the start of a fresh year... so many possibilities. 

I'll be spending the afternoon thinking about my creative to-do list and my goals for the year. There are so many things I want to do and try, it'll be difficult choosing where to begin.

Happy New Year to all of you! I wish you a creative and prosperous year with lots of inspiration and motivation.