My cursed gown!!!

[LadySeasan]

Ugh! I am so angry right now. The sewing gods are toying with me.

Some of you may know about my earlier issue with my gown.  Basically I started working on it last year, but then I had weight loss surgery, and lost over 100lbs, and the gown didnt fit.  So probably about a month ago, I redid the bodice of the gown, and making it a few inches smaller so it can fit.

I go to put on the gown today so I can finish it, add trim, etc, and the gown is once again too big!!! The back edges of the bodice touch, even overlap a little, so essentially the gown doesn't fit. And this happens when I don't have a corset on underneath!

The gown is pretty much finished, I just need to add trim and grommets for the back. But i'm not sure how to fix the bodice...AGAIN!

oi-I needed to vent

[isabelladangelo]

Do you have extra fabric to cut out a new bodice?  If not, try cutting off the shoulder straps and taking it in at the sides.  Once you have it where you want it in terms of tightness, put the shoulder straps back on.  Don't worry about the seams because a)the trim will probably hide them and b) no one actually sees them normally.   

[LadySeasan]

nope, I don't  have enough extra fabric to make a whole new bodice

So if I take in the sides again, does that mean I have to detach the skirt from the bodice to do so?

[isabelladangelo]

Yeap; you have to detach the skirt and start again.  Always try on the bodice before you attach the skirt.   

[Lady Kett]

I hope you can work it out Lady Seasan! I want to see pictures!!!!

[LadyShadow]

Congrats on the additional loss of weight.  Bummer about the dress.  I hope you can get it fixed with the least amount of aggravation.

[Cilean]

When you mentioned you were having the Surgery and you wanted to make a gown, we all said hold on because your dimensions were going to change drastically! 

Sorry but you have to take off the skirt to get the bodice to refit, and make sure you have your Bodies on before you refit again.  Can you measure and see if if you can still use the back of the Bodice and just make a new front section? It sounds like this will not work but just in case you could at least try?  Could you redo with another piece of coordinating fabric?  Like you are making a stomacher?

CIlean

[LadySeasan]

Cilean-I orginally started working on the gown last ren fair season (August-October 2009).  At that time, I had the bodice constructed and the fabric for the skirt laid out.  At that time I wasn't even considering surgery.  I then had my surgery in December of 2009.  I didn't touch the gown again until a month ago, when my doctor told me that I had pretty much leveled out and wouldn't be losing weight as drastically.  So about a month ago is when I worked on it some more, assuming that my size wouldn't go down that much of a difference.

But alas, it did. So now I am stuck.

So what I am going to do is detach the skirt. Take in the sides and back of the bodice, and retach it.  This is pretty much going to be a one season gown since I am sure it is not going to fit next year, so I won't be going all out. 

I originally didn't have a stomacher in a contrasting fabric, but I may just have to do that now.  I will see how it works out.  the MDRF opens next Saturday and that is when I wanted to wear the gown, I may just have to wait.

[Lady Isabella]

Lady Season, it will workout, congrats on the weight lost! We want pictures!

[ladyharrogate]

Lady Season, do you think you could take a picture of you in the gown as is and post it or post some picture of it that show the seams?  I might help us to give you better advice.  I understand how frustratingthat can be.  One season I had some really stressfull things happen mid festival and lost 20lbs.  My brand new court gown was suddenly two inches too big.  I had to fix it mid week to wear it the next weekend.  It was extremely aggrevating.  Hang in there.

[Queen Genevieve]

I feel your frustration.  I had the surgery and was at a stand still with the weight loss, so I made gowns.  The started loosing again...all of my stuff had to be altered.  Trust me when I say the frustration from this is a good thing.  At least you don't have to let it out or put another panel in.

[LadySeasan]

The gown is no longer cursed! Thanks to my best friend/sewing buddy Megan for pushing me through to fix and finish the gown. I posted it in the gallery of finished projects thread