Jump Dress or I haven't jumped yet!!!!

Lots of progress the under dress is done except for one hook and eye at the back and a good steaming. Thank the Lord above it fit her perfect.

(no purple bar on prom night) haha :0)
I have stayed prisoner in my own home just to get this done. I want to blog about some techniques but for today just this preview of the dress. I still need to do the overdress which is where all the d@#* beading comes in (sorry for the d@#*) haha oh and miles of sequin trim around the train did I mention that? (Reference pictures in below posts)
I have Hand sewed so much on this dress just about everything to be honest. I did not want to take the chance of pins running my fabric.
ok I think I am going to take Dogs to the beach they have been missing walks one because I am prisoner to the dress and two it has been very windy and cold and today is beautiful!!!!!!
have a blessed day

The Jump Dress or I want to jump because of this dress:)

Progress today yeah :) also first day in over 8 days I was virtually pain free. A little pain down the leg but all in all I felt almost back to new!!!!!! I was able to walk dogs for a entire hour with no pain YIPPIE!!!!!!!! Back injuries stink!!!!!!!
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This morning I finished sewing the beaded trim to both net overskirts. I sewed my 12 sequined mediallions on by hand. Previously I added 3 crystals to each mediallion to make it look more like the orginal which was all hand beaded. No way was I about to take that on. The orginal dress had 16 Mediallions but I could not find 16 round mediallions anywhere except on line and I just didn't have time ot wait let me tell you circles were hard to find. For apperance reasons I would have perferred to have 16 for hand sewing reasons 12 was enough.
In addition while I am trying to stay as close ot the orginal gown this is a one time wear most likley (prom) maybe as a costume one day.

After finishing the trim and medallions I cut out the red satin I cut out the front on the fold first.
TIP/NOTE
I tried satin pins, flower head ,long quilting, dressmaking and glass head and the glass head worked the best. I didn't have to work hard ot get them through the fabric I also did not want pins on the fold for fear of a run so I used clothespins (dollar store pack) to hold pattern on. I only pinned in the corners to anchor the pattern to fabric. I also broke out my really heavy metal Ginger knife edge shears instead of my fiskar springloaded shears. I just needed a nice clean cut again not wanting any runs in the satin.
I also used weights instead of all pins for the same reasons. I use large washers from the hardware store they are cheap and work perfect.

Did I say I was trying to avoid runs or snags in my fabric? I know I said that! I know I took all precautions! so off I go cutting into my satin and I look at it after I had cut it. I should have examined my fabric for any flaws before I cut it so of course because I skipped that step what do I see a huge flaw all the way across my front skirt!!!!

ugh now I could cry, throw something, say a very un-lady like word or see if there is a way to save this.
I tell myself that the flaw won't matter since there are two over skirts and the train also comes around the front so three layers are over the red. I am sure it won't show but NOOOOOOOOOO I will know it is there, so I look at my fabric and thank God it is 60" and also my daughter is small so I can get front and back out of one width.
I could not do a same direction lay out, satin does have a nap when the light hits it but with the over skirts it won't matter but that darn flaw would have at least in my mind:).

Red skirts are cut out but it was by grace for sure that I had enough fabric it was so close to the edge notice how little trim there is in the photo.
Ok I am sleepy so good night until tomorrow pray for me I need it.
I would like to thank Maggie @http://www.costumersguide.com/maggie_costumes/my_jump.html
for emailing a response to a question she made this dress in 2006
hers is beautiful!!!!!!!!

P.S. I avoided someone to avoid drama and when I finally returned numerous phone calls it was an invatation to a party. OK I feel really dumb.

JUMP DRESS and b-day

Progress has been slow because so much has been going on including my Hubby's b-day. I have told every one I must work on dress I am writing this to encourage me to get busy.
Progress:
When I last left here I was supposed to be beading the bodice I changed my mind. Instead I cut out the train but first I had to shorten it because My DD doesn't want to have a dragging train at a dance so I shortened it 10 inches making it just a tad shorter than the dress. I did this by lifting the pattern so I could use the round bottom then I used my french curve to draw a new cutting line (one of those notions that comes in so handy)



I also took the gathering out of the skirt I matched notches to the bodice and then folded out the fullness. The original is not gathered to the bodice and the pattern I am using is fully gathered. (reference pattern in below post)

I then did a test cut out of two old sheets one to check fit and also to make three skirts lengths the costume pattern I am using does not have the three skirts it just has you sew trim at hem lengths. I want three separate skirts like the original dress (reference pictures of dress and pattern in below post).

This is the skirt cut from a sheet this pattern only uses one pattern piece for the front and back the only difference is the front is cut on fold.


I sewed my muslin to test fit DD loves the two sheets and said I can use it for the final dress forget the beautiful expensive lace hahahaha :) silly girl I am tempted

Checking fit and skirt length

I cut out the two top skirts out of stretch fine net the pattern called for tulle which I bought then I found this stretch net and the drape is so nice I am using it instead I took apart my muslin after I noted fitting points and used it as the pattern for the skirts it worked out really nice it took very few pins since the fabric doesn't move around like tissue paper.



After I cut out the skirts I tested the three length with the trim and medallions on



I sewed the front to back skirts with a rolled edge which is perfectly fine as a seam it is strong and stretchy and eliminates french seams on a sheer fabric



I started sewing on trim to one of the overlay skirts I hand basted it on first in pink thread I think hand basting is underrated it really saves time in the long run and I know why couture houses use so much hand basting and hand sewing period. I didn't have to worry about straight pins snagging my net or I didn't have to take the time to pull them out. I also finished the edge of the fine stretch net with a two thread over lock it prevented a lot of the curling that would have happened with the stretch net again an extra step that in the long run saved me time.



One of the reasons I have not worked on this more is My Hubby's 44th was on the 9th and since it was a work day and my Son couldn't come home from college until Sat. we decided to have a little shin dig on Sat and I asked my Hubby what he wanted me to make him he picked chicken and dumplings which is delicious but is an all day dish.

Birthday table
I used some fabric I had on hand Nascar since my hubby likes Nascar I put out some cars and I used Canning Jars for glasses it made a cute table and was a hit with the guests I also put out colored straws so guests would know whose is whose.
I wanted to do something special on his actual B day so I made him a doughnut cake. It has been a issue with us for over 20 years if he has a buck in his pocket he is at the doughnut shop this man loves them I give him a lot of guff about it so I thought it would be fun for him to find a mountain of them. Happy Birthday Mark you are My dream come true I love you.

Whew I am tired but I really want to blog this dress it has truly been a dream My DD and I have had for 11 years.
Please pray for me I need it off to sew trim:)
God Bless

P.S. prom is May 3rd do you thinnk I will make it??
P.S.S don't give your husband money they go get doughnuts

Finally after having these rubber bands for over 15 years another use for them and of course it is sewing related isn't every thing in the world a notion???

My daughter had very little hair for the first few years of her life and to boot it was blond so I was desperate to make sure she looked like a girl now it doesn't matter how pink the outfit is people assume all bald babies are boys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not to mention she got to the point where she would yank off her headbands and eat em. I had to think and started looking around the house and I saw a doll so I took a tiny rubber band out of it’s pony tail it was pinky sized just big enough to do a nice little water fall sprout right on top of her head.
I was so worried I would break that one precious rubber band I had. I was so careful but I knew the day would come and it didn’t appear she was growing any real hair any time soon. Guess what disaster happened it broke!!!
Now I am back to the cute baby boy in pink dresses. My neighbor an elderly lady who didn't care for babies much was won over by my cute little girl and she started visiting her.
I told her about my story as she witnessed my daughter eating a headband.
I mentioned I would have to buy some dollar store dolls just for the rubber bands they use on them and never even thought about what came next.
One day my neighbor came over and she was so excited and handed me a bag and inside you guessed it a box of about 5000 pinky sized rubber bands I was so happy I could even do two little sprouts now and didn’t have to worry about breaking one I did have to worry about DD eating them so the box was stored carefully for years.

My DD is almost 16 and I still have a whole lotta pinky sized rubber bands.

I have found uses for them believe it or not. Just yesterday I came up with another great sewing use: they hold button cards together perfectly and then I wrote how many buttons were in the group so if I am making a blouse or dress I can see at a quick glance if I have enough.




Any one have any other ideas let me know cause I still have a lot of them and yes DD finally got real hair in about kindergarten. For some reason she won't let me do the little sprout on top of her head anymore :(