Reunion duds

The Dress
Between the time span from my last fitted top and working out for 2 years which changed my upper body, it was certainly a learning experience making my reunion dress. But through the fitting and design alterations, the dress is done.

It's Vogue 8182, made from a fine cotton I bought at Mill End. My short stature combined with a low bust point, and, I think, a less drapey fabric than the pattern called for necessitated minimizing the gathering and shortening the "cumberbund."

The reunion is in ten days, so I should have a proper picture then.

The Shirt
Laying out patterns is my least favorite task, and Tom's shirt is giving me fits. It's actually not the laying out, it's the fabric. We found several shirt fabrics on this particular trip to Mill End, but I decided to start with the 30" fabric. Let's just say this is another learning experience. Having ironed the pattern on to freezer paper, I set out to cut out the pieces. And, of course, discovered I didn't have enough. So off to the store I went yesterday. As I laid out the new piece, I noticed a 6-inch "stripe" that is lighter than the rest. Man! I was going to buy yet one more yard, but have just decided to use it as is. Now it's a design feature - especially since I've matched the pocket to the lighter stripe. So on I forge.