Flowery floatness with photo overload

In my last post I mentioned that I made another dress for my friends' wedding. I usually like to have a back-up dress cos things happen... This time I was more worried about the weather - the wedding was in Hervey Bay in Queensland, Australia and I could expect anything between 25C - 40C! My first idea was to make a maxi dress but none of the patterns I have was right. Besides I don't  like maxi dresses. I like the idea of them but I don't really wear  them ;) 

Then I came across Burda 8/2014 and dress number 116 with open back and high-low skirt. It was also a perfect match for pink flowery rayon (viscose) I bought at the Fabric Warehouse a few weeks earlier. The dress in theory should be an easy make and it would be if it wasn't for the fabric I chose and stupid mistake I made.

Long story short after I made a muslin I decided I needed to deal with gaping neckline and somehow managed to take out too much so the top was really, really tight. If I was non-breathing vampire it could work ;) Also using the same rayon for lining almost drove me crazy!!! Not to mention cutting the fabric itself. Anyway I had to recut the top and use different fabric for lining. The only semi-suitable thing I had was some synthetic stripy something from my stash. It worked really nicely and I finally decipher what that wooden spoon method from Burda is!

Changes? I lowered the neckline by 3-4 cm and adjusted it so there was no gaping. Instead of using facing for the drawstring casing I used white satin bias tape as cutting thin piece from rayon was a nightmare.
After all I love this dress! I love the colours and the shape. I love how full the back skirt is. It was very comfortable to wear and dance for hours! I will be wearing it for various occasions this summer!

The photos were taken on the Pier in Urangan. My friends'wedding took place on the beach just near there. After they went to take photos me and my partner decided to take a stroll. The pier is really long but it provided nice background for blog photos ;) As you can see it was quite windy and I had to keep an eye on my hat and my dress to avoid Marilyn Monroe moment.

And a bonus:

Also I got a big surprise today. I was mentioned by Rhonda in the Wednesday Showcase on Rhonda's Creative Life blog :) Thank you!!!

Pink snake

When I saw this piece of fabric in the op-shop I had no idea what to make with it but I bought it anyway. It is slightly stretchy satin in snake skin print and it is PINK (I love pink!) At some stage I wanted to use it to line a jacket but changed my mind before cutting anything. A few weeks ago I went to my stash hoping to find a match for top 115 from Burda 6/2014 and decided to give it a go.

The results are ok. Not great, not amazing but ok. I made no changes to the pattern. It is a very easy make and it doesn't  take long - perfect instant gratification project. I should have used different fabric though...  I'll definitely make it again but in thinner and drapier fabric - it will look better. I will probably add 1-2 cm to the back piece as the back is a bit wrinkly. On the other hand it might be just the photo/pose thing. I was struggling with taking photos using timer and fighting with battery that was almost flat. Probably pulling it down on the back would solve the problem - I should have looked in the mirror first ;) Anyway here it is: