CASA evening a.k.a. PROM!!

We attended the CASA Gala last night, or as we like to call it . . . PROM! So fun with dinner, dancing and lots of interesting things to bid on. We ended up with Juice Plus, cause it was less that what we pay wholesale! Whoohoo. We were outbid on baseball tickets and other cool stuff, but we bought the table and invited friends who we saw throwing money around.

The folks who head up the Gala are so passionate about children and that they ALL deserve a safe, healthy home. Yet, that is not reality at times. They know they can't help every child, oh that we could, so they concentrate on helping one. Then they gather lots of folks together and together we help lots. This annual event raises money for the program that supports Court Appointed Special Advocates in our county. A great cause. One of the guests we invited is even considering becoming an advocate upon retirement! Very cool.

Oscar de la Renta

My mother purchased this dress in 1969/70 for my brother's wedding. I will have to find a picture of her in it to post as well. TRUE vintage. My youngest is now ready to head out for something special. I am sure it will draw comments. A forty year old classic!

Vogue!

The dresses ON the models, I am SO pleased with how they turned out, I have a most beautiful daughter, inside and OUT!


. . . and VOGUE!!!

DONE!!

I am done! I have been in the process of making these dresses for weeks, but they are DONE! And our event is Saturday night, so even have some leeway! I just finished my jacket this afternoon, with the deep purple dress finished yesterday. We had the final fitting on Saturday, so it was just a matter of zipper, press and sash.



I won't work with the fabric that I used on my jacket as it easily broke needles and I ended up sewing the entire thing V - E - R - Y s - l - o - w - l - y in order to avoid breaking any more. It has little beads and things ON the fabric. Nice to look at but a pain in the neck to sew.




We will make a dandy duo!

Valentine Bags

Four of my grandkids are far away, so I have to find a way to help them know just how much we love them and think about them. Most are still too young to realize exactly who we are and what they mean to us.

When we went last October I made Halloween themed bags filled with little treats and toys. I noticed that the girls, especially, loved carting their "stuff" around. There is something satisfying about keeping your stuff together. So, in the midst of sewing such intensely detailed dresses for the CASA event coming, I took an evening to do something FUN. These were fun.

They are now filled with little toys and treats and packed to send in a couple of weeks to help them celebrate one of my favorite holidays!!

The CASA dress

I am pretty much finished with my youngest daughter's dress for the CASA event coming up. So simple to look at, but a very steep learning curve for me. We made many minor adjustments and I spent hours carefully picking off the beads where the seams would be. I sure enjoyed the process and she will look stunning at the CASA Gala. Fun.

Sunrise

Just sharing a lovely moment one morning last week. A gift within the VERY frosty days.

Foster Son

My oldest daughter and son-in-law are foster parents. I have been babysitting a bit. I can't publish pics of the little guy until he is officially theirs, but want to remember a bit of the fun I had snuggling. I made this from something I saw on-line. Works GOOD! We are both very comfy, as I am still in my jammies.

Working on the PROM dress

Between babysitting and other stuff, I have been spending time in the sewing room. So far many hours have been spent and progress is being made. It is going to be nice!

This shows the front of the bodice.

This is a side seam. I find I have to carefully remove the beading at the seams to make sure it lays flat and smooth.

This is the back of the dress. Unlike the bubble dress, I altered the neckline in the back and raised it nearly 10 inches. I left over an inch for seaming in the back. I want it to fit her perfectly.

A piece of the lace showing the beading that needs removed. Not hard, just a bit tedious so it doesn't have any loose threads. Takes time. Perfect time to meditate and pray!

This is the underskirt, which will be covered over with the lace fabric gathered up. I will get that ready for a try on sometime in the next two weeks. Deadline is coming up. Good thing I made a New Year's Resolution to be FEARLESS!! I am finding it applies to SO many situations!