CC '09 updates (Cranford and Red Velvet dresses)

Cranford Dress -

I still need to:
*Hem (done!)
-Add hooks up the back (will be waiting until closer to CC, in case I loose more weight!)
-Make bum roll (I'm undecided about this one....may not make it)
*Trim bonnet (done!)
*Add ties to bonnet (done!)
-Trim side curls/make hair piece
-Make sleeve puffles? (or tack into place for less poofy style)
-Make belt - need to find out if I need to use fusible interfacing for stiffness.......ANYONE HAVE SUGGESTIONS FOR MAKING A BELT OUT OF RIBBON?
-Make reticule (?)

I'm really not as angry as I look in this picture! I'm actually quite pleased with how it turned out!






I started on the Red Velvet Dress last night -



My math is teh sucks....I made all the seam allowances too big, so after I had sewn the entire thing together, I had to rip it all apart again to make it fit. (I need to sew it all back together again when I get home from work today) *sigh*

But the pattern itself looks like it will work quite nicely. (I ended up chopping off about 6" from the neckline, it ended up far, far too high for the evening gown I'm trying to make.

There are three major areas that I am concerned about now that the bodice is (mostly) figured out:

1. Collar/bertha - I think this will be mostly resolved through creative draping. I'm mostly concerned about the neckline....do I sew it in inbetween the lining and the fashion fabric, or do I let it drape along the outside, tacking into place?

2. Skirt - Do I do an attached or a detached skirt?! Gaah...this one is killing me. I am SO undecided. I'm kind of leaning towards the detached, but I am very concerned that the velvet will be too bulky underneath such a tight bodice. boo.

3. Sleeves - Another thing that will probably be resolved when I acutally get to draping them. Also probably my least of the three.

High-level to do -

-Sew bodice back together (with correct seam allowances), add boning/hooks
-Make skirt
-Draft sleeves
-Draft collar/bertha
-Make headpiece/hairpiece
-Find/buy ribbon and lace for sleeves and neckline
-Find/buy jewelry

Luckily, ALL of the gutchies for the Cranford dress will work with this dress, so all the hard work I put into them will get triple use! (Cranford, Red Velvet, Sunday Undies) Although I will need to find laundry facilities so I can wash my chemise. I don't have the energy (or time) to make another set, and I think I'll need a fresh set with so much wear.