Catherine's dancing dress 2014

So I'm determined to get good at making dancing dresses for Catherine. Last years one was my first attempt... and was semi ok. Probably not good enough for a regional competition though. And I emailed the teacher what I had done so far, only to be informed that as a Novice dancer she is not allowed to wear solo dresses this year anyway!! But all good. That means I have a full year to get this one right.

SO. The progress so far....
 I got Catherine to give me a sketch of what she would like:

Then I turned it into a sketch of my own, using it as inspiration yet still following the basic idea as best as I could

Then I got to work trying to turn it into an actual pattern. The pleats still needed fixing up, and I'm going to curve or put a point in the waiste, but this is the image I sent to the teacher...

The Feedback:

The teacher said she liked the style because it was classic and suited her level (beginner)

Also, nowadays, the skirts are usually separate from the tops, which she said may help me fix my issues with the skirt.

So there you have it. This was about 4 evenings work spread over 2 weeks. Getting the pattern right will be the hardest part. Once that's done, actually creating the dress will probably not take that long at all.

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And lucky me! I get to design the inserts for the medals for the Auckland dancing competitions! I was going to put up my preliminary designs...but I better be good and not. Better start being a bit more professional .