Project the Third, in which my dreams are crushed.

So, apparently my offerings to the sewing gods were deemed inadequate. While the bodice of the Enchantress costume fit beautifully, something went wrong with the skirt. There were many theories as to what exactly happened:

1) Water retention caused by the sustained crazy heat we've had here lately;

2) Something hinky with the pattern itself (supporting evidence: the skirt was cut from the same pattern and same size as the bodice, so in theory it should have all fit together);

or, my personal belief:

3) I have a big ole butt.

Anyway, there is a photo to prove that I actually did try it on. :)

I apologize for the jeans underneath. I hadn't put the leggings on yet, and trust me, no one wants to see my pudgy legs!

There is about a 1-2" gap at the back of the skirt. In this photo, it's held on by sheer will power. The bustled back part of skirt looked pretty good when we tried it, but there's no photo as it was held on by wishes, dreams and more safety pins than you can shake a stick at.

I'll also note that the room we were doing all this in was west-facing and it was *very* hot. Not too long after we'd tried the full skirt on, I ended up kneeling on the floor trying to stop the world from spinning. My first fit of the vapours. I do declare!




The current idea to fix this is an extra panel across the back to span the gap. However, a good friend of mine suggested (as I was standing there holding back the tears of frustration) that I put this in a corner for a while and work on something else. Think I'll take her up on that. (My first thoughts tended much more towards mad capering around a large bonfire, but we have a burn ban on.)

Needless to say, there was much wine after this little setback. There was a Hook & Ladder Chardonnay that my friends had found. It was pretty tasty - not heavily oaked and some nice fruit. Lighter than a typical Chard and quite good for the really hot afternoon it was. The second wine was a 2011 Charles & Charles Rosé (another tasting bar find). One of the Charles's involved is the Charles Smith who does Kung Fu Girl Riesling, which is a favorite among our friends. The Charles & Charles is a 100% Syrah rosé and it is quite yummy.

Happy sewing!