Are you ready to see my reconstructed bridesmaid dress? Are you sure? Alright here it is (I'm so excited to share it I can't wait until the morning to post)!

And a photo of the back:

Since you last saw the dress, I attached the bodice to the skirt, stitched the 'ribbon' in place (which is really the satin straps made to look like a 'bow'), used the broach as the ribbon knot, inserted the zipper (recycled from the original dress), criss-crossed the straps and attached them to the dress using snaps, and made narrow hems on the lining and sheer material. WHEW!!! By the way, I might add that the narrow hems were a booger to do with my foot when it tried to go over those French seams!

I honestly have to say, I am amazed I pulled this one off! Not only did I have enough material to make this dress for Taylor, but I did it in a matter of days (and just in time for the wedding). I feel very 'liberated' - taking something from my wardrobe and turning it into something my child could wear. The wedding is Friday evening so I'm sure that I'll have lots of photos to share after the weekend.

After working feverishly, I'm getting very close to being done with this dress. I pinned the bodice on Taylor to get a feel for how it's fitting and found that it was very 'loose'. No doubt this is because it's a sun dress and made to have a bit more ease. In an effort to get the look I want, I'm taking 5/8" off on each side. The skirt portion of the dress has been assembled and since the top layer of material is so sheer, I've done French seams all around. Here's what I have so far:

Now back to work - the wedding is in just a few days!

Normally when I sew, I try to take the attitude, "There is always more fabric". I know that even if a project doesn't work out, I can (generally) either buy more of that particular material (or I bought plenty to begin with) or that something fabulous will eventually come along that I will fall in love with to replace the sacrificed fabric! But in the case of Simplicity 4255 I feel I only have one shot to get this one right and it's making me feel a bit nervous.

So, without further ado, here's what's been happening with this redesign. First, let's look at the dress before it's been cut up (photo on the left). The bodice is satin and has a keyhole design in the center with straps that crisscross in the front. There really isn't enough satin material to do anything with, except for the straps which I think I'll be using for the ribbon trim in the front. I also intend on using the broach as the 'knot' for the trim. The bottom portion of the dress is made of a poly chiffon and has a matching lining underneath. This material will be used to make the dress itself and since it's so sheer, I'll be using the lining as well.

The cutting:

Before I cut into the dress, I decided to 'measure' to see if all the pattern pieces would fit. I increased the length slightly (by about 3 inches?) to make the dress look a bit more formal, but I was barely able to squeeze all the pieces onto the fabric. Thankfully, everything fit and this is what I have leftover (the zipper is still in this picture, but I've since removed it):

With all that said and done, I'm ready to sew! After reading a few reviews of this pattern on Pattern Review, I may have to make some alterations as I go (the bust is a bit loose according to most), but we'll tackle those as I get to them. In the mean time, my Japanese book arrived and I can't wait to share it with you (look for that post tomorrow).

On a side note, I had a bunch of spam comments (hundreds) left on the site that I've been cleaning off all morning. I've had to close a number of posts to comments (some very recent ones and some that are very old) and have deleted a number of comments off the site. If you posted a comment recently and don't see it on the site, I probably accidently deleted it (I apologize in advance) or if you sent me an email and I didn't respond it is probably in my trash or spam folder (so please resend!). Thanks everyone for understanding!

Next Friday, my brother-in-law is getting married. His fiancee called the other night to let me know that they no longer needed a candle lighter (they've been supplied with electric candles), but would like Taylor to be a Jr. Bridesmaid instead. I know the hopes of finding a dress in the right color is going to be next to impossible (or even in red), but as luck would have it, I had a NEW bridesmaid's dress (it was never worn as the wedding was canceled) in the exact colors as hers!

Of course, the style is a bit 'adult' looking for a 10 year old (you can see a photo of the dress in black at the bottom of this post) and it didn't fit properly, so I've decided to take the plunge and rip it apart and cannibalize the fabric (even the zipper!). Since my pattern stash is packed away (and it was too late to go to the store), I sifted through what was sitting out and have settled on Simplicity 4255 - View B. I know this particular design is a sun dress, but the neckline looks like it could be 'dressy' and I love the crisscross straps in the back. If possible, I intend on lengthening the dress, but it will all depend on how much fabric I have to work with. Wish me luck!