I made this dress at the beginning of the summer for my friend Angela Ryan FM's wedding to my other friend, Doug Stewart. The fabric is Moda and the pattern is from Betsy Ross, but it went horribly awry. The problem seems to be that my shoulders are tiny but my belly is round and full of doughnuts, so a dress that fits my waist droops around the top. (I know, the people who make stuff out of muslin first and then adjust to fit completely avoid these issues). So I made this dress, which originally had a much higher neckline as well as straps, and it looked terrible. The straps were uneven, the neckline was so high it was practically modest, and I generally looked like a satin clad nun with a drunken seamstress. At first I was grumpy and discouraged and yelled at some cats. Then I became inspired and ripped out all the top seams and took them in about two inches. Then I ripped out the straps, flipped over the neckline, and form-fitted it to myself. I was pleased with the results and held up the whole affair with some stretch lace ribbon. The waist is encircled with some turn of the century (the last one, not this one) pink silk rayon ribbon dating that I found from Inwiththeoldvintage on Etsy. When I originally started the project I was envisioning 1950's debutante but by the end I was seeing mermaids. To complete the look I got nail polish in shimmery turquoise and an aqua beaded hair vine from Chicallure (also Etsy). I certainly didn't look as pretty as the bride, but another wedding guest with whom I was not acquainted made my day by calling me "Miss Mermaid."
