Final sketches came. green. that deep green. i looked at it for a minute.

Started with toile. always toile. muslin on the form. pinch. release. pinch. no pattern because i never use them. hand baste as i go. on the form off the form on the form again. three times maybe four. no gaping now. fine.

Real fabric next. satin matte. tulle over it. but i ordered wrong green first. twice. dont ask.

bodice beads one by one. follow the scroll thing. dense on bust light on sides. double stitch every bead because last time they fell off. sneezed once. had to redo a whole section. wanted to die.

the bow. oh the bow. cut layers. press. cut again. still lumpy. pressed again. added beaded tulle. kept moving the loops. stared at it for an afternoon. not exaggerating.

skirt panels one at a time. grain line has to match or it sags. learned that the hard way. stitched pressed stitched pressed. train cut by eye. ruler makes it fake.

assembly. boning in hand sewn channels. beads on top. tested many times. lost count. made tea. came back. still off by a bit. fixed.

finishing. hem by hand. trim threads. move bow one last time. half inch off. couldnt sleep.

every gown different. thats fine. imperfections and all. threw scissors twice. cried on day three. dont tell anyone.