$314,000!!!

That's the amount of money raised last night for the Winchester Hospital Breast Care Center. The party was pretty amazing. It was held at the brand spankin' new Westin hotel next to the brand spankin' new Boston Convention Center. The event was, as they say in the society papers, "glittering". We wanted to raise funds to purchase an MRI Guided Coil Breast Biopsy machine. It gives greater accuracy in determining where to operate and how much to take out when excising lesions. And it doesn't come cheap. But last night's fundraiser went a long way toward purchasing one, so women will be able to have access to this state-of-the-art technology without having to go into Boston. Yay!!!!!

Oh yes, the dress:

It was a silk taffeta/Alencon lace stunner by Arnaldo Couture. And damn, I looked hot! The only question I have is, why the heck do I spend so much time working out my arms, only to have them look humongous in photographs? Sigh...

Yes, this dress required a serious amount of double sided tape:


Thank goodness for Bug Catcherz! I bought a package called Lacebugz, and they really worked well. I was even able to swing dance and rhumba with my husband without showing anything I didn't intend.

One of our party, Kim, really got into the spirit of things, wearing Nu Bra earrings:

I think she also got into the spirits of things!

Well, it was a great night. I woke up today with a sore throat. So I think I'll go up to my sewing room and finish my HotPatterns Tango Blouse and drink tea. You can find out more about the Winchester Hospital Breast Care Center by clicking here: Winchester Hospital Breast Care Center

Happy sewing!

Taking One Off the (sewing) Table

Well, one project just got pulled off the table for now. I won't be making my Winchester Hospital Gala dress after all. My friend Danielle owns a boutique, and she and I are co-captains of a table - I just got the note from the gala chair. So Danielle asked me if I would do her a big favor and wear an Arnaldo Couture dress that she has in the store. Oh gee, let me see, do I really want to put $2000 worth of silk taffeta and embroidered lace on my back? Oh, I suppose, if you really want to twist my arm - and it fits perfectly and makes my boobs look like I never had kids? Oh alright, you don't have to twist that hard! All I have to do is have it cleaned afterward. Woo hoo! I'll definitely take it to Holly Cleaners in Newton. They are a couture cleaner, and they get all the high end stuff pristine.

So I will make the peach and floral dress, but it will be for a big recital I have coming up next spring. That will be nice actually - I'll have time to put some beading on the drape (hello, Sewing Diva Phyllis?). And the colors will be perfect for the spring.

So what to sew next? Oh yes, the kids' Halloween costumes!

Happy Sewing.

Narrowing the Choices

I hit the JoAnn Vogue Pattern sale two weekends ago, and among other things, I narrowed my choice for the Winchester Hospital Breast Care Center gig to these two dresses:

Vogue 2801 is a serious contender. I love the draping, and I think the overlay would be great in the charmeuse, with the crepe as the underlay.

I would probably end up bustling the train. We're expecting about 700 people at the gala this year, and last year I was very grateful to have put a wrist loop on the train of my Flamenco dress. Face it, no one ever intends to step on your dress, but when you get a bunch of doctors cutting loose on the dance floor after a couple of cocktails, it's better to be safe than sorry.


Vogue 2774 is another strong contender. Thanks to SBanks for pointing that one out to me. I really like the almost Grecian lines of this fabric, and the drape could work in either of the fabrics. I'd have to mock it up on the dress form to see which I prefer - charmeuse as overlay or as the under piece.

The other thing I am on a quest for to make whichever of these gowns I choose is cotton tulle. I have Kashi at Metro Textiles looking for me. He had tons of it last year, but so far can't find any. Anyone have a source? I'm very grateful for any info. I need it to make the bustier that will be the underpinning of the gown.

Happy Sewing!