After trying on a number of white dresses at Lone's Emporium (a second hand clothing shop in Chinatown), I finally chose this one. The butt bow went in two snips even before I took a photo. The next parts came more slowly. Silver beads needed some paint and polish to shine again. And those sequins: Be gone!
As I snipped away the stitches for all those sequins, I couldn't help but think of the woman who had painsakenly sewn them.
Sean (the Lone Emporium's owner) had picked up this lot of white dresses from one woman. Why did she make so many of them? Had she intended to sell them or to give them away? He seemed to think she made them for fun in her spare time, that she wanted young girls to be able to have a pretty dress for their special occasions.
I hoped that was true... Though it made it a little sadder to think I was undoing her work, destroying her art, eventhough it was for the same end.
The sewing machine came out. Strings of dollar store pearl necklaces were cut. The glue gun was warmed up.
Over the few weekends I had, I made it fit. I "solved" the too long situation by gathering the skirt to create balloons (like valances). I took in the waist to give it more shape.
Then I covered the back (which had been all shiny - same material as the skirt) with white T-shirt material to mimic the matte-finished front, and sewed on pearls to look like buttons.
And viola!
I felt proud like the critters from Cinderella.
No, it wouldn't hold up to scrutiny under bright light, but I think it was dark and far away enough that it (I) did not look too out of place.
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