After hours spent cutting the intricate pieces, happily, the bodice tucks went in very easily! But then I got to step 7. It looks misleadingly easy in the pictures: at first glance, it appears that you simply stitch the bodice side onto the bodice front. But then you realize that if done this way, the seams will be on the outside. I think the seam allowance should be turned back and the bodice side stitched in at the seamline. However, I could not determine where the bodice side's pivot point lies on the bodice (i.e. how far above the slash-to dot, if you are looking at the pattern instructions).
To confound matters, a stabilizing remnant on the outside is somehow supposed to be flipped to the inside during this process. And then this same step has to be done in 3 other parts of the dress. (Sorry for the lack of pictures to display this - DH is away for the weekend with the camera!).
After almost 2 hours of basting and seam ripping, and a desperate, but ultimately fruitless, call to the pattern support helpline, I gave up. Please, if anyone makes this dress, take detailed shots of steps 7, 13, 20, and 32, and report how you did it. I will be so grateful - and impressed. (BTW - this pattern is labelled "average" - what is a Vogue "advanced" pattern like?!)
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My day was made slightly better by the arrival of a new pair of shoes!:
Online shoe shopping can result in such betrayal: a shoe may look amazingly cute online, but be a poorly-made dud in real-life. I've never worn ECCOs before, but have heard good things, and these seem to be comfy for heels and well-made. I had a hard time finding a fun pump with a heel under 3 inches, so I'm really glad these fit. May have to order them in black, too....
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So fall is the best time to order summer fabric! Fabric.com put a slew of Ralph Lauren chino fabric on sale for $1.95 a yard, with an additional 20% off. I ordered chino fabric and a few other pieces - enough for 10 projects - for $34! They'll go into the bottom of my fabric bin, and will be a nice treat for spring.I LOVE off-season shopping (which I of course won't be doing this year) - some real deals can be snagged. A few years ago I picked up an orange ikat 100% silk sundress from Banana Republic for $12. My favorite, and most random find, was a faux fur collar, again at Banana Republic, that I regretted not purchasing over the winter. I strangely found it half a year later, in the middle of summer, hanging in the clearance section for $6.97?!
Enjoy your weekend!