SWAPus interuptus or Prom 2013

I have taken a very long break from SWAP...against my wishes, of course.  First came the Snow White costume. Then two back-to-back business trips -- one that extended over a weekend, my prime sewing time.  Returning from the second trip I was greeted by a very sick husband and a messy house, then came Spring Break.

Contributing to my lack of time for sewing is my general malaise resulting from the ruling that I can't use my jacket for SWAP.  Technicality: it was started before the rules were made public and finished after the start date.  It would be allowed if I had finished before the start date, or if I would have purchased it.  I briefly thought about purchasing a cardigan or jacket that would work with both capsules, but doesn't it seem silly to buy clothing for a sewing contest?  So I have come to the conclusion that I likely won't complete or compete in this year's SWAP "contest", but I will finish my plan.  Eventually.  I think I have planned some really great pieces that will work well for me, and I am happy that SWAP gave me the momentum to finish the jacket.

Moving on to Prom.  My daughter changed her mind about her choice of dress, which is fine because I like the new one better. In fact, I like it a lot. I was really excited when I saw that it was "Fast & Easy."  Of course that means that I need to give myself some obstacles and complicate it a bit.  I lean more toward "long drawn out and complex" projects.

Butterick 4343 (view D)

It is a very classic sheath dress that reminds me of Breakfast at Tiffany's, at least in the front:

The suggested fabrics included crepe to get that great drape. We had trouble finding a color that we both liked. As classic (and useful) as black would be, it just doesn't scream "prom."  Stephanie suggested hot pink, so I reminded her of the hot pink crepe back satin that we nixed for homecoming.  Instead, I suggested lace with a nude underlay.  "A nude underleg?!" my eavesdropping son replied (clearly horrified).  "What is a nude underleg!?"  Underlining, that is, which reminds me of Roman Holiday.

Audrey Hepburn's lace dress from Roman Holiday (designed by E. Head)

So Stephanie ran with that idea -- she settled on this sparkly blue lace fabric.  Who wouldn't love this?

Elie Saab does lace right.

Of course, this fabric is most likely a beautifully hand-beaded piece of art that we wouldn't be able to find or recreate on our timeline or budget.  Stephanie does have great taste. So we found this instead, at my old standby: Gorgeous Fabrics.  Because I was so distracted with work and didn't order it until yesterday, I got it on sale!

Blue/silver metallic Chantilly lace

As for the underlining, we are going to attempt to dye some silk crepe.  Sounds a little bit scary, doesn't it?  I did, in fact, have a nightmare about it last night.  Just another complication, though.  I'm sure it will be interesting.