Prom

The biggest thing that has been going on around here is Prom preparations.  Much of the week has been spent on finishing "the dress".  Here are some pictures:

When we first started talking about this idea of making prom dress that wasn't just a dress, but was a Disney princess dress, we looked at lots of the classic dresses, Cinderella, Bell, Sleeping Beauty, but the one Kaitlin loved, was this one, from Tangled.

I found this dress at the thrift store for $6.  It was a long shot but for six bucks I thought even if I used the skirt as a petticoat, it was still a good deal.   Do you see the V waist, sweetheart neckline and puffy sleeves?  In construction is is basically the Tangled dress. And it fit Kaitlin pretty well, I only had to make a few adjustments to the bodice.  It was an amazing find.

I didn't take any pictures of the dying process, but first I dyed little scraps of the fabric in my kitchen until we got a color we liked.  Then I dyed the dress in a bucket in the bathtub. It was hard physical labor, but turned out really well.  I had a vest pattern and sewed the lining, and it just didn't fit right. So I bought another pattern and sewed this mock up. Again, it didn't have the right cut so (if you look close) I stapled additional fabric to it and cut it to fit Kaitlin the way I wanted, and then I unpicked the fabric and used that for my pattern.

There are over 17 feet of lace on this dress, and almost an entire spool of ribbon.  I looked hard at unpicking the sleeves to sew on the ribbon, but in the end basted it all by hand, and then sewed it on while the sleeve was intact. Next to building the vest, this was the hardest part of the dress.

Kaitlin loved the dress, and we had several "squee" moments as it came together.

Here she is, all ready, and waiting for her prince to arrive.

Ben was such a good sport, renting his Flynn costume from a local theater.  Kaitlin hid when he came and made Ruth and I announce her and blow pretend trumpets.  I wish I had a video of when they first saw each other, they were both so excited!

I haven't had enough time to talk to Kaitlin about how Prom went. When she got home she was glowing with happiness, but then went straight to bed. Maybe I'll add more to this post after I get a chance to talk to her.  I'm sure they were quite the sight mixed in with all the tuxes and formals.

Kaitlin said they had a great time at Prom. Once everyone got over the initial shock, all her friends, and many students she didn't even know complemented them.  Ben's parents hosted all of them for a mixed up dinner at there house complete with family members as waiters.  They made quite an impression walking into the dance at the capitol. She said most of the girls were excited or jealous, and that the boys were a little more judgmental of her date, but he took it all in stride. She said they couldn't get a slow dance to themselves without being interrupted by people complementing them on their outfits.  She said it was the "best date ever!"