that last 10%

This dress went from a gleam in my eye to 'wearable' over the course of last saturday (unhemmed, the zipper pinned in place, the straps pinned in place -- but fit and in dress shape) but getting it to the point where I would remove those quotation marks took Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.   Granted, on Saturday I went into hermit mode and ignored  the world, while the other days involved other people and crazy stuff like work and getting ready to host a 4th of July bbq.  Still....   10% of the project, 90% of the time.   (This is a thing in engineering -- does it hold true in other fields?  Whenever someone comes to a project meeting and claims their work is 90% done, we laugh like evil banshees for what all know what awaits them.)

Anyhow, the bodice is self-drafted and the concept comes from a halloween costume I made a couple of years ago.   (Well, the idea of the strapping at least -- point of interest, the costume is also entirely self-drafted.  In that case, I put on an old t-shirt, duct taped it to my body, cut it off and chopped up the cast of my torso into a corset pattern.  Much fun :)  )

Back to the main project.... You can't really see it because of the crazy print, but there is a gathered under bust with shaping folds on the overbust.    The purpose of the straps in the back is to take the pressure of the nape of my neck.  I have nerve damage there and halters are remarkably uncomfortable.  (Most frustrating, as I think they are gorgeous.)  The skirt, which has front pockets (matched fabric!) is from New Look 6557. 

I ended up wearing it for fourth of july festivities, but failed to get any pictures of it in action.

I'm not really sure whats next for me -- oddly enough, I'm debating between bathing suit or winter coat, although given my track record, odds are I'll end up working on something completely different.