The "A-ha!" Moment

There is a certain point in costuming, where a half-baked design and hard work, coalesce and one gets a glimpse of what the final gown is going to look like. And it's good.

I finally hit that spot tonight. :)

It wasn't easy, and up until about 15 minutes ago, I was beginning to think I had made a mistake in using black velvet for this gown.

I had a long list of things I needed to do today, both for work and for home. More work than time, and a huge batch of things that need to be done.

I had a slow start tonight, as far as sewing. I should have worked on the hem to my overskirt yesterday, but I spent most of the day indisposed (stomach flu), and therefore only managed to dress my dressform last night.

After work today, we had tons of errands to run, and it was after 6 by the time we got home. I made dinner, and then puttered around until close to seven, when I decided that I had to quit procrastinating and get the hem and trim at least pinned.

I was procrastinating because I didn't really like what I was seeing. Just black, light-sucking velvet, as far as the eye could see. I knew in my mind what I wanted this to look like, and I was disappointed that it hadn't lived up to my vision. So, I forced myself to work on it tonight.

Did you know that the Connect Four game box is exactly two inches high? And that it makes a perfect level for pinning up hems? It took over an hour, but the hem was pinned. I took a bit of a break, then started working on pinning the trim into place. After a couple of false starts (the wire!!!! Argh!!!!), I finally finished pinning the trim into place. I placed the overskirt on Scary Lady Mary (the dressform), and stepped back.

...

Wow!

I just can't believe how great it looks! The trim just makes this gown perfect. I know I have a long way to go before it's finished (trim sewn, hem finished, hook and eye, and pearls, plus braid), but I can finally see the end is in sight! I'll take pictures tomorrow, when the light is better.

And that's good, because I have an incredible amount of work still to do on other projects. :)