ALMOST DONE

I present tomorrow & I'm still not completely done with the dress, hahaha. I worked on it all last night, adding decorations & finishing the bust & the train. Today after school Kala & I went to Yrma's & tried it on for the last time. We're burning the ends of the skirt, putting the zipper on, & I have to put the train on tonight. I'm going to Yrma's early tomorrow morning to ensure everything, & then tomorrow's the big day. Wish me luck!

5 am

I had to wake up at 5 in the morning & meet Kala at the college so we can drive to Yrma's & try on the dress. I thought we were totally done. But we had to fit it & fit it, & fit it. We have to take the top off & take it in & as well as the back. So I have to go back tonight & work on it a lot more.

Zip zip

I've realized how much I don't like zippers. I actually really like zippers, but I just hate sewing them on. It's very confusing. I went to Yrma's around the usual time, 6am. Sewed some more of the dress, put the zipper on, & brought over the tulle I bought yesterday for the train.
I'm going back tomorrow morning to finish it up! Then Thursday night, I will take Kala to try it on one more time, cut some from the bottom, burn the bottom & it's FINITO! :D

iron this & iron that.

This morning I went to Yrma's house around 6. We hadn't done anything over Thanksgiving break, because we were swarmed with family, so there was no way. Everything is pretty much sewn. I had to iron some things, especially the skirt. We have to put the skirts together on the machine, & the bust as well. Then it's done. Yrma's daughter is letting us borrow her veil. So that's another check on the list. I think we're still gonna make the train, which I have to buy the fabric for today. It depends. Then add a few decorations here & there & it's complete :D

I'm going back tomorrow morning to work on it some more.
Mr. Beane said that the product needed to be finished by today, so I'm going to try my hardest to finish it by this week!

I got home at midnight

Last night I went to Yrma's to work on what I thought was almost done. So we were going to put it on the machine after dinner. I thought I was done taking the dress apart & sewing by hand for the rest of my life. But I was so wrong. We had to take everything apart, pin it & leave an inch to sew. So out I took pins, needles, white thread & my handy dandy measuring tape. The bust was perfect, so we didn't have to worry about that. Put the skirt on the machine, until our eyes couldn't stay open.

We only have a little more to go. It sucks that I can't work on it again until Monday morning.

But in the mean time, I have to buy 'tulle' for the train we're making & the veil. I think those will be easy as pie. We might even borrow someone else's veil, because that's extra & not part of the deal, Mr. senior project :p

well I'm off to enjoy my Thanksgiving break.

till Monday, blogger. Till Monday.

6 am meetings!

So this morning, I met Kala at the college at 5:45. Got to Yrma's around 6. She wasn't even up! But we got her up & immediately started working on the dress. It was put together except the bust. So when started putting the skirt on her, it was about 4 times her size. It was awful. I guess I measured her wrong or something. So, we started pinning how much we needed to take off, when we decided to just take it apart & cut the pattern but in the smallest size. So it went from 16 to 12. Now, I'm not gonna lie; we put that dress together in an hour & a half. Like, completely. What it took us to do in a month, we did in like 2 seconds. the bust was perfect, & it looks so great. We're going to make a little train at the back of the dress, as well as a veil!
The dress already looks gorgeous. I'm going back tonight to put it to the machine :D
I can't wait to just finish this. She said she might use it for her actual wedding :D

I'm so excited.

Nervous.

Today in class, we started practicing for presentation day. Mr. Beane made us all go up one by one & practice how we're going to start our presentation. Hopefully it'll get a lot better.

I just finished sewing the skirt. I'm going to go to Yrma's house tomorrow morning. I'm just dreading getting up that early. Kala & I ran into her at the library, & we're all going to meet Friday at Yrma's house to try the dress on Kala. Then start sewing it!

Excitedddd.

Good & bad news.

I had my mom help me put together my dress all week. I'm telling you, the instructions that come with the dress don't help at all. I try & try to read them but I just don't understand. It's like their in Hebrew or somehting. But with a little help from my mom & looking at the pictures, we managed to put it together. BARELY. Yrma told me to try my best, & I did. I worked on it all night. I finally went to my mentor's house yesterday after work, & presented it to her. She said I had put it together all right & she was proud of me! UNTIL SHE LOOKED AT THE DETAILS.
The stitching was on the outside. & it's obviously supposed to be on the inside. I don't know why I didn't think of that earlier. So I had to take it all apart. Oh, but then, she looked at another dress she had sewn, & saw that the layer on top, is supposed to hang on over the dress, & not be sewn together. So I litterally had to take it ALL apart. except the bust part. just the skirt. So it wasn't THAT bad but it was three BIG pieces.
So I'm going to work on it tonight & tomorrow & have it done by the time we meet again.
Which is Thursday morning. AT SIX. Meaning I have to drive deep into Lenoir at quarter to 6. To work on it & maybe start sewing it on the machine.
I just want to get it done!

Last night,

I worked on my dress for a couple of hours. My boyfriend came over & helped me pin a few things & took a few pictures. I've got one more thing to hand sew, then to put it all together & try it on Kala. I also need to buy a 7/9 invisible zipper.
Kala & I are going to go to my mentor's house tomorrow around 5:30.
Expect pictures!
I'm finally gonna take time this weekend to upload a bunch of pictures on my website.
But I think I'm going to make it into a slidshow on photobucket or something.
I just need to e-mail myself all the pictures from my/my mentor's/my mom's phone.

[:

This morning

I met up with my mentor at my house. We started working on the part where the bust is, which in her opinion is the hardest part; it's almost done.
We thought we weren't going to have enough fabric for the straps, but we managed to cut it out of scraps. So there is nothing left inthe world to cut!

I need to sew pieces together by hand by Thursday, which is when we're meeting again. After that, we need to start putting the pieces together into the actual dress.
Having that done, we are meeting again Saturday morning, because I usually work Saturdays, to work on it some more. Maybe Kala will come with me then, so we can fit it, because we start sewing with the machine. I'm estimating i will have it done by another week.
Piece of cake, right?
:D

I forgot to mention

Friday after school, I went to my mentor's house for a few hours & worked more on my project :)

Fabric is all cut!

Friday night, I went to my mentor's house & cut all the fabric. It was awesome. We were coming up a little short on some fabric, but we managed to fit it. We worked for a few hours, & it's just so time consuming. Pinning everything, cuttingn it perfectly. I'm basically sewing two dresses, because it has this pretty covering. Saturday morning for a couple of hours before work, I went back to finish pinning both fabric together & start sewing both fabrics together. For the bust, we have to buy lining. So I have to buy that sometime before Thursday, because Thrusday morning, we're gonna keep working on it. Then Thursday night, when Kala & I get off work, we're going to head to my mentor's house to start fitting her. & then immediately start sewing. I'm so scared that I'm going to mess up. So much. But this'll be good experience. Hopefully.

Cutting the fabric!

This morning, my mentor came over around 7. & we got the big pieces cut. I'm going to her house tomorrow night & saturday morning before work to finish cutting the fabric, & start sewing. I've been such a procrastinator about getting everything done. But I really have so much on my mind. I just hope to have this done soon. Or I'll have to explain to the judges why I'm such a failure. Awesome!

6:30 am meetings

My favorite. But not really. I had to wake up at 6:30 & get everything ready to cut the pattern. That is pretty much the only free time my mentor has. We cut out all the pieces to it. I'm gonna work on it tonight, possibly starting the fabric tonight with the help of my mom. Because I honestly think I couldn't do it right, & mess it up forever. I have to buy pins to pin the cut out pieces on the fabric. I'm excited, yet scared. I really hope I don't mess it up. the fabric was like $40! I have picturesssss, & my mom took a video today of us cutting the pattern. I might have that uploaded on here sometime soon, definitely on my website.

Fabric

I talked to my mentor this morning. We are going to shop for fabric this Friday & start cutting it!
I can't wait, finally.

Interview

Yesterday, I called my mentor, & interviewed her on the phone. We then talked about going to shop for the fabric, but something always gets in the way. We're shooting for Monday to go shop for fabric. We have Kala's measurements & everything. Soon after we buy the fabric, we can get started & cut it. Then all that's left is to sew it together, decorate it some & then we're all done! I can't wait to have some pictures up of us shopping[:

Bought the pattern!

I went to Hancock's with my mentor this weekend. and I finally bought the pattern, it's pretty and simple :)
and since her theme at the wedding will be hot pink, we're gonna throw some pink sewn into the dress, and decorate it real nice.
I can't wait! The pattern was $3.00, I bought it on sale, because it was originally $30.00.
I have to buy the cloth/decorations and I can get started!

I didn't

buy the pattern this weekend :(
My aunt is supposed to visit soon. She sewed her daughter-in-law's wedding dress not too long ago, so I guess I'm going to use that pattern. She said it was a simple, cute wedding dress, & that's exactly what I want. So three cheers for that. She's also bringing her sewing machine. Hip hip hooray.

Friday

Friday, I was supposed to meet my mentor at Hancock's, a fabric store in Hickory. Turns out she had to be at an important meeting and she couldn't make it. I had my parents and Andrea accompany me. I saw some really cute patterns. A single pattern is about $30! But this weekend is labor day weekend, and some lady behind the desk said the patterns would be about $7. So I'm waiting till then to go and buy the pattern, possibly the fabric as well. Hopefully it won't be too expensive[:
Oh, and as for the sewing machine, I'm either using my aunt's, my mentor's, or another family friend. I really don't see the point in BUYING a sewing machine. They're very expensive. And I doubt I'll have any more patience left in me to sew anything else. Therefore, I'm just going to borrow one[:

Thesis statement

The thesis statemenet we have to write in the introduction is much harder to write than I thought. It's one sentence; ONE sentence. It's honestly killing me.

Mentor interview

Today, in class, we started to type out the questions we will be asking our mentor.
Surely by the end of the interview, we'll become good friends [:

New model

Kala is going to be my new model. Simply because she's ACTUALLY going to get married in the summer.
Yesterday we were sketching how she wanted her dress. It's really pretty, but I'm not sure it'll be EXACTLY like that. But I'll try my best!

Letter of intent, mentor,

Check!
I have recently finished typing my letter of intent, and have signed it.
I have also found my mentor. Which I'm so excited/glad that I've got that checked off.

Yrma Lopez Miller, long-time family friend. I was stressing yesterday that I would have to go to different bridal shops today and look and ask around for one. But then I mentioned this to my mom, and right then she said "Yrma sews beautiful dresses!"
She does. You would believe she bought right out of a store.
I'm so excited to get this project started.
Some time this week we're going to go buy the pattern for the dress.
And then take the measurements of my friend Emma; she's going to be the model.
Some time after that, buy the cloth, and hopefully get started.

I wanna be ahead of the game, and get this started, asap.
I estimated the time it would take to complete this, 3 weeks.
I'm not sure if it'll take more or less time, therefore I must start soon.
I definitely don't want to fall behind.

Egad!

So after pondering for a couple of days, I have decided what I want to do for my senior project. In my first blog, I mentioned that I wanted to do quite a few things, and I definitely want to sew something.
My boyfriend's sister is getting married in a couple of months, and she has two little daughters, who I would imagine would be the flower girls. So then I thought to myself "why not sew a flower girl dress?" My mind was set on that for a while.
My research paper had to be something relevant to my product, so I thought, "well flower girls are used at weddings--ceremony--marriage!" Marriage would be the perfect topic. So I dug a little deeper. I can interview couples who have been married over 5 years, and how their life changed, and the commitment it really takes to go through with it.
"I should make a bride's dress." Something simple, yet cute. What can also be included in my research paper, is SIMPLICITY. How you don't need to stroll down the aisle in a $50,000 dress. It doesn't need to be super fancy, but comfortable. In movies, I've seen girls do anything to buy the most glamorous dress. I don't think it's about that. Sure the dress is important, but it's not the most important. On your wedding, I bet you're already stressed enough with everything going according to plan, you don't need to be uncomfortable the whole ceremony.
So right now, that's what I'm thinking about.

I still need a mentor, hopefully tomorrow I can go look for one, probably at a bridal shop. HOPEFULLY.

Academic Coach

Today in class, Mr. Beane told us we had to have an academic coach by tomorrow. Teachers can have up to 2 students. I rushed to Ms. Poole's classroom, and I was the first to ask her. So I'm glad I have my academic coach down! [:

She has to proofread my research paper, and grade my portfolio.

In class,

Right now, I'm trying to decide what my project will be. I've thought about it before and at first, it started with taking voice lessons. It went from voice lessons, to pottery. And from pottery to Peru. And now I'm thinking about making clothing.

We just created a web site on Google, which I have done before, but it's hard to get it exactly how you want it.