Finally getting somewhere...

Phew! Finals are over, and I have a lot more free time to work on various projects.  In fact, I had a fantastic 4 day weekend to work on the natural form gown, and I made some decent progress.  I finished the skirt, which is made of a cream colored super-shiny satin.  It still needs lace trim etc., but the worst of the work is completed.  I didn't take many photos of that process partly because the seams are all straight and there really wasn't much of interest and partly because I was just so darned psyched to have free time to sew that I just kept going without stopping!

Here's what I have so far- a mostly completed bodice with a very-in-need-of-ironing cream satin skirt.  The cream satin matches the cream of the lace perfectly, but has a bit of a sheen that really makes it pop.  I will be adding wide lace if I can find it at a reasonable price.  If not, I think it still works fairly well.

My petticoat is not quite stiff enough to support the mass of the skirt, so I will be adding horsehair braid to the lower edge of the satin skirt to give it a bit more volume.  Also, I will probably need to add some netting to the back gather to give it a bit more of the "bustled" look.  I am not used to natural form gowns, so this is a new adventure for me.

Once I had completed the skirt, I decided to tackle the first overskirt.  As you can see from the pattern piece laid out on the table, it is a large square that is then tied up to form the poof of the skirt.  Like the white satin skirt, there are 2 casings with ties sewn into the skirt that allow you to cinch it up to form the bustled look.  This is a closeup shot of the casing down the center seam of the overskirt.

 Here's the overskirt minus any trim that will be added.  I put in an order with EJoyce.com for the same lace that is featured on the bodice.  It took me 2 hours to hunt down that order- it was from sometime in 2010 so it took a lot of email searching!!!
At any rate, the skirt will be trimmed in the same cream lace that was featured on the bodice.  That will cover up the gathers in the skirt and make it look significantly more 'finished' than it does in these photos.  Also, I will use cream colored silk flowers to cover the gathers around the bustle.

So, we're getting there slowly but surely.  All that is left from a major project standpoint is the butterfly train and that will not be exceedingly difficult.  That is already cut out of the fabric and ready to go, so it is just a question of finding the time to work on that.  The trim on the overskirt shouldn't be too terrible- although that will most likely require hand sewing.  I will also have to figure out the best way to support the skirts and all of that weight so that they don't just fold in on themselves.  Coming along well so far, though!!!  :)