NY NY dress

The back of the dress

At the last contest, the little sister sat quietly in the stands just watching. There were so few skaters in the beginning levels that I thought it was kind of silly I hadn't bothered to enter her into the contest too. She too would likely win a medal for just having shown up...and that might help her get over her feelings of being left out.

So our coach is working with her a little each week and she's going to skate to NY NY at the next contest.

I had this fabric on hand and since everyone in NY wears black...all the time, it was clear the dress should be black. Then I decided to look at dresses worn by Audrey Hepburn for inspiration, because I wanted a "classic" look. I saw a few "Breakfast at Tiffany" styled dresses I liked, but decided that this dress had to have sleeves, and I didn't want to fuss with a zipper. So I came up with a simple off the shoulder scooped neck and back get up. The fabric shines on it's own, so I just embellished the shear and neck line with beads.

Last night I finished her dress and beaded it up. I just have to come up with hair accessories for both girls and this season's dresses (maybe we can eek out two seasons again ;) will be done.

New Contest Dress

This is the dress! I've been working on this "classical" polka concept for a while. The music is Tritch Tratch (chit chat) polka by Johann Strauss...and I just love how everything is coming together! My daughter and her coach worked on the first part of the program today...and I'm just tickled pink! I just don't think I could get tired of ever listening to this piece and watching her skate to it. I'm happy with how the dress has turned out thus far.

This afternoon, I'm working on the beads.

And then, I have another dress to make up for her sister when I'm finished...and will have to start this all over again.

Practice Dress

I made this practice dress about a week ago. It was mostly so I could see how the new pattern I bought worked for my daughter's body type. Of course, it needed to be tweaked, but it's easier to buy a pattern and then tweak it, then to try and draft my own pattern. So I needed to start with a practice dress.

Maybe one day I'll be good enough at design and sewing to draft my own patterns from scratch. I'm self taught, so I learn something new with each project.

I don't like it...

Nope, I don't like how this turned out at all. It doesn't appeal to me in the least and I loath how the lines don't connect and how the patterns don't exactly flatter my recipient.

My DH said, "don't worry, you can always make me another sweater."

Ugh...November, December, January, and into February...hours and hours, and hours...and I don't like how it turned out. Oh well...after I finish tucking all the tails, I'm done with this thing.

At least my model is cute! And he did say that he would wear whatever I made for him. What a sweet guy!

The sleeves

The sleeves of that sweater are done...finally! Last night I ripped back the neck and picked up the new neck line stitches. I hope to have this sucker finished by this weekend.

skate dress time

 I really was milking it when I got two seasons out of the last dress I made for my daughter. Alas, she's too big for that dress now (nearly popping the seams), and it's time to craft another one. Thus, the planning has begun! I'm kind of nervous. I hope I can pull this one off.