Butterick B5748 for a wedding

this dress is one of my favorites things i've sewn. i really love how it turned out. the pattern i started with is Butterick B5748, which i posted about here. i think my favorite thing about this pattern is the way the back of the bodice scoops down. i didn't do the full lining that the pattern calls for, i just drafted my own facings. this fabric had a nice drape and was opaque enough that a lining wasn't really needed. i only had 2 yards total, so after cutting the bodice and facings, there was not quite enough for the very full skirt included in the pattern. i shortened another skirt pattern and it worked out just fine. i also copied some pockets off a RTW dress in my closet and added those because i thought pockets would be a plus. i wrote a little more about the construction here if you're thinking of trying this pattern.

i'm sure i'll make this one again! i think i'm starting to do a better job at pairing fabric and patterns that work well together, AND result in something that i'll actually wear. i'm taking a little more time to really think things out before i get started and being pickier in my fabric choices. and plus i've realized that i don't need the pattern company's instructions to sew a dress. so that's a confidence boost since i've been sewing for only a little over a year now. i'm riding on a little sewing high from this dress and have already cranked out another dress (yet to be blogged) and nearly finished yet another dress that just needs a hem. seriously i have been making some time to sew every night. and enjoying it! - which is the whole point, right.

but look! the back of my dress made it into one of my friends' wedding photos!

aren't they cute! and they got married at the same location we used, so that was kinda fun to see the ceremony from a guest's side rather than as the bride.

i managed to get a friend to snap an iphone photo of my husband and me at the reception. he was a groomsmen, hence the suspenders and boutonniere (not his usual choice of attire).

and just for you, i attempted a 10-second-delay self-timer photoshoot. ohhh my, the outtakes were pretty ridiculous.

i really need to invest in a better camera. and one with a remote. oh and a tripod. i'm using one of those fun bendy gorillapod things on my point-and-shoot. it's sad. actually what's sad is that i did a senior thesis in photography in college (developing in a dark room, the whole shebang) but my super nice vintage manual camera with all the lenses and tripod were stolen when our house got robbed. sad face. but enough on that.

oh and just in case you are wondering, thankfully, no, our entire house is not wood paneled -just the laundry room that leads onto our back porch. our house was built in the 50s, and actually the paneling in this room has kinda grown on us. i'm calling it "charm."

one last shot of the back of the dress, which is probably the best part. although some friends were more impressed by the pockets. either way, i'm happy!