Yes, my friends, it is that time of year. Winter Formal has come and gone, along with being the lucky every-fifth-person breathalyzed ("Just breathe into the straw until it beeps, and then we'll see if you're in trouble") and the spectacular people-watching at our Hollywood-themed dance.
And of course the eternal problem when faced with a school dance: What to wear?
I solved this problem myself this year by dropping some serious cash at Britex Fabrics (shout out to the employee who helped my mom and I!) and making my own dress, using a pattern from this book, written by Mary Adams.
The dress is a princess-seamed bodice with a circle skirt and a sheer, sparkly overlay. Here's the bodice partway through construction:
(Ignore the awkward black bra straps. The mannequin's boobs are ridiculously small, so I had to stuff an old bra to get them to the right size.)
Of course, time-management-skills-lacking me was sewing this dress when my friends showed up to get ready, 2 hours before the dance (hence the unfinished overlay hem in the night-of pics).
I'm super proud of the zipper on this dress. I was able to completely encase it in the lining, so no raw or serged edges on the inside.
I did have one little mishap with the iron, though. I ironed the fabric for the overlay on too high a heat and accidentally melted off some of the glitter (don't worry, there was plenty left to spare).
Party iron!!
Overall, I loved this dress. It was super comfortable to dance in and moved so nicely! I would definitely recommend this pattern and book to other people.
Party on, Single Ladies!
Taft W-K
