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The dress at work and dirty rotten heels!.



The dress in action with my son and my Mum and Dad. Wearing the dress all day showed up some wearing flaws. The armholes are a bit small - easy fix as I only put bias around the armholes and drafted facings for the neckline (the pattern calls for a lining but I didn't think it necessary for a summer dress in a medium weight cotton sateen). The other problem is that the front is also too wide - I think it is the upper chest measurement - the one around where the arm are - I am really small there but apparently I think I am bigger when I sew. 

I can fix the armholes and will but the next iteration I will have to narrow it above the bust. I think I know how to do it. 

And the dirty, rotten heels? Well the shoes I wore are a black suede with embroidery on them with lovely chunky heels. My girlfriend bought them for some Doctor's ball but never wore them and gave them to me. For the last 9 years I had nowhere to wear them but I couldn't bear to give them away. My graduation was the perfect opportunity. I parked the car at QPAC (Queensland Performance Arts Centre) and walked upstairs and the heels disintegrated! So I used my GoCard and went one stop to town, got new heels and twenty minutes and $27 later I was back one stop to QPAC! They are now perfect and ready for another 10 years.

Tomorrow I have a special announcement.... if you are in or around Brisbane, make room in your stash, save your money and mark 8th and 9th August on your calendar! Thanks for all the lovely comments about my dress.

Comments

Suzy said…
Great family photos and congrats on graduating!

The dress is lovely and I love the fabric. With it being too big at the upper bust, do you do a FBA normally? I find it a lot easier to go by my upper bust measurement and do a FBA than trying to grade in the shoulders, lots easier!

Great story about the shoes! I really liked the public transport in Brisbane, so clean and easy to use. You are making me miss being up there!
Marie said…
Congratulations on your graduation and I am glad you could save the situation so easily. Your story reminds me of the time when my MIL was trying to give me some old shoes that had been given to her - lucky for me the soles had crumbled because I did not want them and she wasn't leaving without giving them to me!

Yay on the fabric sale - hopefully I can get there again this year.
Nikki said…
Looks great! And cheers up the gown no end!
Summer Flies said…
Thanks! I knew you'd know what I meant Marie! I've had no internet till now tonight so will post the details tomorrow. I didn't know heels could crumble like that.
Judith said…
What a great dress under the gown - super choice of fabric! And the show story just adds another dimension to the day...albeit a funny one!
So, am I to bookmark the 8/9 as a sickie for the benefit of my fabric stash - more than willing to do this....
Congratulations on graduating. The dress looks great. I love the print.
kbenco said…
Your dress improves the gown, congratulations! I hope you have an earlier heels occasion than 10 years, what a funny story, so good that you were early at QPAC.

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