The Dress Is DONE!!!

The dress is DONE!!!!

Well, almost. I didn't get the lace on the neckline, and the bows weren't quite what I wanted because I hadn't bought enough ribbon. I finished it 15 minutes before the dance! I also didn't get to alter Drama Queen's too-large gloves or make her hat because I simply ran out of time. (Even after staying up until 3am for 3 nights in a row!!!) The trousers of Pete's store-bought costume had to be safety pinned because I didn't have time to deal with them, either.

Oh, well! Perfectionistic rantings aside, here is the finished product:


Drama Queen truly looked like a princess! She was so excited!

I have to say that this is absolutely the best sewing I have ever done. The seams were straight and even, and everything looked just like it was supposed to. I was especially proud because instead of following the directions for just one view of the pattern, I combined three different views and even added something (the sash) that wasn't on the pattern at all. Not bad, considering I am mostly self-taught. I plan to add the lace and take some closeups to post for you to see. (After I shovel out my house. Let's just say that the housework has been, um, a bit neglected these past two weeks.)

I forgot to take pics of the ADORABLE shoes I got at Payless. Here's a pic from the website:


Aren't they adorable?

Pete looked pretty dapper in his Confederate officer uniform:


The Civil War dance was SO much fun. Master's Academy goes all the way through high school, and seeing the high schoolers dressed up made me feel like I was crashing a prom. (Except these kids were sober, well behaved and overall pleasant to be around!)

We got to see the younger kids (Drama Queen's group) perform dances like the Virginia Reel and other square dances. The older kids did waltzes and other dances from the romantic era. I LOVED all the authentic dresses, especially the Scarlett-O'Hara-type ones! It was cool watching those humongous hoops sway and swish to the music. I should have taken more pictures.

They also had a daddy-daughter dance. My heart just melted watching Hubby dance with Drama Queen, looking into her eyes as though she is the only person in the room. (I might add that at the time he was suffering from terrible pain in his ears, with are both now infected. He had to go back to the doctor today.)



Pete also danced with Drama Queen. I would like to say it looked like this (the pic I had them pose for):


But in reality, it was more like this (the dance he agreed to after much threatening):


Fun was had by all (except Pete)!

Sewing Success (I Hope!)

Hooray! [happy dancing] I know what to do-oo, I know what to do-oo!

In case you're wondering what I'm blathering about, I got a 2nd call from Simplicity explaining how to sew the bodice on Drama Queen's civil war dance dress. I had missed their first call when I was dealing with yesterday's lice crisis, and the message they left on my answering machine was NOT helpful. I called and left another message today.

When 4:00 rolled around - the helpline is only open from 9 until 4 on weekdays - I was despondent at the thought of getting no sewing done this weekend. At 4:20, I got a call. On the verge of tears, I babbled on and on about how I had been so sure that I was going to have to wait until Monday.

She replied, "Well, you sounded desperate."

I suppose that's because I am.

On to the pattern problem. I fully expected her to gush, "I'm so sorry, there is a huge mistake in the pattern. Please accept our deepest apologies and this gift certificate to our online store."

Instead, she patiently explained that it was a princess seam with reverse curves and then proceeded to give me CLEAR, step-by-step instructions on how to pin it, clip it, and then sew it.

Not wanting to look too ignorant (just a little bit is okay), I thanked her and then demanded, "Why didn't Simplicity put these steps in the directions to begin with?"

She replied, "Well, with a complicated pattern such as this one, they're assuming that anyone who would choose it would be an experienced sewer and would know how to do a princess seam."

Gulp. I've done, maybe, 5 projects in my life.

I have 6 days to finish this.

I might not be talking to y'all for awhile. Feel free to bring my soon-to-be-neglected family some food this week.

Lousy Day

Today I had a bazillion things to do. Tops on my list was to call Simplicity regarding some erroneous directions on step 2 of the pattern for Drama Queen's dress for a Civil War dance (which is just a week away!)

(STEP 2. Not step 14. Not step 21. This really irked me. If they're gonna screw up the directions, why does it have to be at the very beginning? Couldn't they have picked a later step? I'm working on this late at night when the kids [read: Screech] are in bed. Since I can't go past STEP 2 I have to wait until 9:00am the the next day, call the helpline, leave a message, and then wait for them to call me back. I was steaming, thinking of all the sewing I could have been doing!)

Next on my agenda was to drop Drama Queen off at Master's Academy of Fine Arts, then pick up Cutie, a sweet, 10-year-old homeschooled girl in my neighborhood. She LOVES Screech and agreed to be a mother's helper for a couple of hours so I could get some sewing done. After lunch, I was going to take Cutie home, put Screech down for a nap, then sew some more. Then, I planned to pick up Drama Queen and have her entertain Screech while I sewed even more.

In my mind's eye I could just see that shapeless pile of ordinary fabric transforming into a billowy, pink masterpiece!

Because Simplicity had not called me back yet, when we got to Master's to drop off Drama Queen I showed my pattern to several people to see if they could help. While the other moms were taking turns telling me, "I have no idea" and "I don't sew," someone came to tell me that a nit was found in Drama Queen's hair.

This was not on my agenda.

My choices were to: a) take her home, or b) remove all the nits right then and there.

Did I mention that her thick, ropy hair goes almost all the way to her tushie?

New agenda:

- Throw fit. (Actually, I skipped this one. I'm quite proud of myself.)

- Cry. A lot. (Did I mention that I had been up until 3am for three nights in a row, trying to work on that dress?)

- Drive to a good friend's house. Pick up fancy schmancy $25 nit comb. Cry some more.

- Drive home. On the way, tell Drama Queen and Pete that they are not allowed to speak to each other until further notice because their fighting is driving me looney. Cry some more.

- On the way, tell a shrieking Screech repeatedly that I'm sorry, but she may NOT play with a certain loud, obnoxious toy because it needs new batteries.

- Make mental note NOT to change said batteries. Ever.

- Fix lunch.

- Put Screech down for nap.

- Put self down for nap.

- Deal with nits later.

A sweet, helpful mom told me about a great article by Dr. Sears that dealt with how to get rid of lice. It was great because it gave clear, sensible information, even listing all the medicated shampoos in order from least toxic to most toxic. It also mentioned many homegrown remedies. Best yet, it saved me from the hours of research I usually log when I am facing a crisis.

I chose Nix because it kills lice AND their eggs (Rid only kills the lice), plus it keeps working for two weeks so it doesn't require retreatment.

I thought every one looked pretty cute in their disposable caps. Good thing about Screech, she's a real sport when it comes to things like this. She only screamed when it was time to take it off.

As I rubbed the Nix into the hair and scalp of each member of the family, the texture and slight odor reminded me disturbingly of a flea shampoo I had once used on my cat before Advantage flea treatments were available. Which made me wonder: Why can't I just open a little tube, squirt a little on each person's neck and be done with this mess? (There's a wide open business opportunity for all you enterprising moms out there!)

Speaking of messes, here's my new (not necessarily improved) agenda for tomorrow:


This doesn't even include the 4 loads I already did. (Sigh.) I don't think I'll be getting much sewing done tomorrow, either. Hubby suggested that I just take it all to the laundromat, but I don't have the time to sit there for hours and wait and fight people for the triple loaders. I might add that some of my most horrible childhood memories took place in laundromats. Oh, the agony! The torture! (And that was just from the cigarette smoke and country music!)

P.S. If you didn't get a chance to check out LTDCHix.com for the t-shirt giveaway, there's still time! We've extended the contest to Friday, April 11th! Click here to see how to enter.