Bollywood Ball Gown- Muslin and Dress Fabric

I am so sorry I have not posted pictures before this. 

I am going really slowly because (grand excuse coming here!)
I have been dealing with migraines a lot lately.

Excuses, excuses!

So, enough excuses already!

Since I had not used this pattern before, 

Vogue 2717, 

and we accidentally purchased the wrong size pattern,

I started with a muslin.

In this case, I actually used real muslin, 

but I have used other fabrics in the past for this purpose.

I like real muslin because it is cheap and you can mark it all up!

Marking is so important because then I can take the 

muslin apart to make changes to the pattern.

Shockingly, I only needed to make a few changes this time.

India is sway backed so I had to add a bit of 

width at the back side panels and even out that 

line a bit. Then I had to alter the angle of the back pieces 

to remove that wrinkle at her upper hip.

It was less of an issue than 

it could have been. 

YAY!

I am sorry I did not get a good pic of the actual pattern alteration.

 Then I pinned the pattern piece to the muslin to see how

much I needed to shorten the length. 

This pattern had me do something I have never done before.

Now for some of you, it may be a big "DUH!" 

but it was a new, and not terribly welcome addition.

It is a bridal pattern so that may have something to do with it.

But let me just tell you how much I HATE tulle!

Ok, that being said, I get it. 

Really.

Each piece of the dress 

(not the lining or the over-dress, just the actual dress)

has a layer of tulle sewn to the wrong side. 

Hm....

At first I thought it was a waist of time.

But that tulle really adds body to the satin. 

Nice!

And serging the tulle to the satin added a nice finished edge

to the dress pieces so after I sewed the dress seams,

I had a nice seam that could be easily altered. 

That is really important since I am sewing so much of this gown while
India is not here. 

This was India at 5:30 this morning getting ready

for school. She will not be home

until midnight because the upper level

choirs are gone all day at the Golden State Choir Competition.

So, I will have to grab her for a few seconds tonight before she 

passes out in bed to fit the dress on her.

So there is not much to show yet. 

It looks like a 7th grade Home Ec. project 

on the dress form there.

But after I get it fitted on her,

and start adding the various layers of lining,

foundation, boning, more tulle,

and then the draping of the Sari fabric,

it will start to look like something pretty.

More pics to come tomorrow!!

So, Ahnalin just learned to make daisy chains and is picking 

all of our daisies before they get a chance to bloom.

I explained to her that I had photo plans for those daisies so hopefully

she will let them alone for a while. 

And one more thing.

Guess who is back!!!

Yep!
The froggies have returned!!!

This little guy was
IN THE HOUSE!!! 

So Papa caught him and Ahnalin got to release him back into the pond.
Yay for our froggies!!!!

Now, back to the " Dress mines."

More pics to follow.