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Friday, July 18, 2014

Okay, So Where's The Dress

Well, the dress didn't happen :( In order to explain, I'll first tell you a little story. 
Two years ago, one of our former exchange students was visiting from Italy along with his girlfriend. It was their last day in Chicago, so we were having a leisurely breakfast and enjoying our last few hours together when my husband called down and asked if I would come upstairs. He told me that he was not feeling well and was in pain. I asked if he needed to go to the hospital, and he said yes. Not like him at all, so I knew it was serious. Rather than call for an ambulance, I asked him if he thought he would be able to make it to our hospital which is downtown. He said yes. Our exchange student wanted to come along, so we all piled into the car. We were no more than 6 blocks away from home when my husband said, "I'm not going to make it." What does, "I'm not going to make it" mean to a  normal person???? Well, I took it to mean that I needed to get him somewhere fast or this would be his last day on earth. With thoughts flashing through my mind about what I should do, I immediately headed for the nearest hospital. I called a friend who is with the Chicago Fire Department and he's screaming at me to call an ambulance. But I felt that I would get him to the hospital before an ambulance would find us. He then started screaming for me to give him an aspirin. I was so frustrated, and I used some rather colorful words to explain that I didn't have an aspirin to give him. I do carry them in my purse now by the way.  I didn't stop at one stop sign, turned corners on 2 wheels and almost turned the emergency room door into a drive through, but I got him to the hospital where he was immediately admitted and his heart monitored. As it turned out, all of this.....for a kidney stone which he passed the next day.
Now back to the dress. I was busily working away when my husband came into my studio and told me that he was not feeling well. I immediately stopped what I was doing to monitor him. At one point, I thought I would be taking him to the hospital, actually calling for an ambulance this time, but he was finally able to rest and the pain and upset stomach passed, thankfully. He kept telling me that I should go work on my dress and that he could take care of himself. In the overall scope of life, he is far more important to me than a dress and besides that, I do have other dresses that I could wear and that's exactly what I decided to do.
So when I last showed you the dress, it looked like this, 
At the moment it looks like this. It's a wrinkled mess, but you can at least get an idea of where it's going.
 The back. I added godets to the back seams for ease of walking and dancing.
So what did I wear? My tried and true Starry Night dress. I wore it 3 years ago, so long enough for people to forget and if they didn't, well, too bad. I actually received a number of compliments on the dress.
You can see that I'm still sporting my natural curly hair. The nice thing about it is that I just wash it and let it dry. The bad thing is that it takes forever to dry. I'm not complaining though!
When I initially made the dress, I made the fascinator to go with it.
There's quite a bit going on in such a small piece, feathers, ribbon, a few crystals to catch light.
 From the back. I added a strip of horsehair braid for bobbie pins.
All is not lost with the dress. I have another party this fall and the dress will be perfect. The good thing is that I will now have time to do a little more detailed post about the construction of the dress. I will also be making a fascinator to go with the dress, so I'll do a tutorial on that as well.
Note to self....Start a little earlier next time!!!!!

46 comments:

  1. Glad to know your husband is doing better. The dress in all its wrinkle is looking good, so I know when it's finished it will be fabulous.

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    1. Thanks Shelia. I think it will be quite pretty once it's finished.

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  2. How scary considering the episode that previously happened. Funny, that he thought you could go back to working on the dress after his announcement. Glad everyone is okay and the dress will still have a debut this fall. Can't wait to see it all finished.

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    1. There was no way I could work on the dress and be away from him. In the end, the dress will be beautiful for a fall event, so it all works out.

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  3. Glad your husband is feeling better. Guys can be funny. The dress looks lovely, I look forward to seeing it finished.

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    1. Men!!! But then, I have given him ample opportunity to worry as well. The best part is knowing that no matter what, there's someone there to take care of you when needed.

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  4. Both dresses (and your natural hair) are beautiful! And so is having a husband!

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    1. Thanks :) And I agree on the husband thing too!! Hopefully I'll be able to keep him around for a little while longer.

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  5. You KNOW how I adore and envy your hair, and NOW I find out it is naturally curly. Do you have any idea how blessed you are???
    So glad hubby is okay. Both dresses are beautiful!
    Hugs, Joy

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    1. Thanks Jou :) Yes, I do know that my hair is a true blessing. I have shared it in the past. Cut it off and sent it to Locks of Love.

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  6. You are so right. Family is much more important than a dress. Glad your hubby is okay - I do believe kidney stones are so painful you think "this is it". Your apricot dress is looking gorgeous and will enjoy its debut later.

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    1. When he had the kidney stone, I found it very interesting that he couldn't hear what the nurse was telling him to do. I had to put my hand on him and tell him that he had to listen. It was almost impossible for him to do. Thankfully we didn't have to go through that again.

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  7. Yikes! Definitely scary situation with DH. Even if I had tried to work on the dress in a situation like that, there's no telling what mistakes I would have made as my mind would have been on the DH rather than the dress. Glad all turned out well, and the dress you wore is lovely. Still will look forward to seeing the "new" dress when it's all done!

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    1. Once he told me
      That he was in pain and that it might be a kidney stone again, you're right, there was no way I could have concentrated. Had I tried to continue to work, I would have only added more stress to the situation.

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  8. Kidney stones create the most excruciating pain when they are passing through one of the renal tubules, so no wonder your DH thought he wasn't going to make it. Visceral pain is very intense. At least now your know he develops kidney stones, so in the future you and he will know what is happening. A scary trip, though. You made the right decision about the dress - so at least your values are in the right place :) (in my opinion!)

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    1. :) Thanks Sarah. I was really afraid he had another kidney stone. Thankfully, whatever it was passed and he was feeling better by the next day. But in the future, kidney stone or not, if he is in that much pain, he gets a ride in an ambulance.!

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  9. The orange dress is lovely, and you made the right decision. The kidney stone story is hilarious (2years later). Your starry night dress is gorgeous too. No need to rush things if you have such nice "back-ups"!

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    1. The story is funny, now!! And I love telling the part about, "I'm not going to make it." For all I went through that day, he is going to have to hear about it for a while ;)
      As for the dress, that's exactly how I felt. All I would have been doing is adding a lot of pressure to the situation that I didn't need to add, especially when I could open the closet and just make a choice.

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  10. Oh poor both of you! Family comes first.

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  11. Glad your husband is feeling better. And you are right he's more important than a dress. But I'm excited you will still be able to make and wear your dress. It looks lovely crumpled so I imagine it will be speculator when it is finished.

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  12. Oh, my! Life does get in the way of the sewing sometimes. So relieved that DH is OK and glad to know that your priorities are in the right order, and I love the starry night dress. The orange will be perfect for the fall!

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    1. He would do the same for me :) One of the many nice things about having a great husband.

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  13. So glad your husband is ok. All worked out in the end, and you looked beautiful. First time I've seen your natural curls! Lovely!

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    1. Hey Andrea, so nice to hear from you. Hope you are doing well. Did your daughter choose a university? Eventually, I'm going to get to Florida!!

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  14. So glad you husband is doing well! Your Starry Night dress is stunning and the fascinator is the perfect touch! You are so talanted!

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    1. Thanks :)
      I'm looking forward to meeting you next week. I think there will be 5 of us, so we'll really be able to talk and get to know everyone.

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  15. That's a close call Rhonda - dress or husband? But I suppose you chose right and you've got loads of beautiful dresses and only 1 husband.

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    1. The thing about is that it wouldn't have been a close call if I had just started the project a little sooner, like you did with your over the top beautiful ensemble :)

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  16. Your dress will be fabulous for the next party you have coming - and you wont have made any errors in construction by having your mind (rightfully) on another subject.
    You look fabulous in your Starry Night dress, and I love your curls (Grrrr - I always wanted curls).
    I am glad that your husband is feeling better now. He must have given you quite a scare.

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    1. Thanks Kim :) As for the curls, isn't funny how we always want what we don't have? I'm actually ennaturally lowing it to be natural more than I thought I would. Like I said, the only issue is that it takes quite a while to dry, so I have to plan out when I will wash it. Thankfully, it doesn't have to be washed everyday.

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  17. They do a massive amount of urology where I work- I have seen some 'calculus near death experiences' on the way down the hall- glad he passed it without surgery! That dress will be amazing in the fall- so vibrant and lovely!

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    1. They said it was just under the size that would require surgery, so we were lucky. Before that incident, I had a difficult time getting him to drink water, now he does it on his own. So a positive outcome from the whole experience.

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  18. Having seen the "Starry Night" dress up close, I have to tell everyone... IT IS 100X MORE AMAZING IN PERSON!!! So glad to hear that hubby is feeling better, how scary! The dress in progress looks phenomenal! Can't wait to see the final product.

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  19. Both dresses are beautiful. DH is more 'beautiful' than any dress and thankfully he's ok!!!

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  20. What a scary story :-( I'm really glad to know that your husband is well, and you looked beautiful even in your old dress :-)

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    1. One thing I've learned is that the longer I'm married, the longer I want to be married. I'm sure you will agree with me :)
      I've gotten my money's worth out of the Stary Night dress.
      I know I've worn it on at least 5 occassions. Nice to have it as a back up.

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  21. Rhonda, you are such a wonderful person - my heart warms up every time I visit your blog :) I am glad your husband is feeling better, and that I had an opportunity to see you in the Starry Nights dress - you look truly gorgeous in it. As for the fascinators, I was playing with an idea of making some myself and would love to hear some tips from you if you ever have time to write a post about it.

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    1. Thank you Marina, you are so sweet :)
      I was actually planning to go ahead and get the fascinator together for this dress and I thought I would do it this upcoming week. You are the second person to ask, so others will probably enjoy it as well. Thanks again!

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  22. The dress is going to be fabulous. The fabric, your beading, will all work to look fabulous on you. I hope you don't have to wait until next year to wear it.

    So glad hubby is OK. They do scare us now an then, don't they?

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  23. Wow -- what a terrifying, dramatic ride on that first incident. That pain is legendary for being beyond excruciating .. I know a fellow who literally broke a room apart during a kidney stone eruption .. just horrendous agony. Glad your hubby seems over any issues of concern .. definitely your #1 priority.

    Your Starry Night and newest dresses are gorgeous. Such talent .. I know the apricot elegance will have its time, and it will shine.

    I'm sure you've checked out natural remedies to prevent stone formation, but this link may offer additional food for thought:

    http://www.naturalnews.com/033703_kidney_stones_natural_remedies.html

    Yes .. he must have adequate water = preferably filtered to avoid the minerals that contribute to the problem.

    Wishing you and your hubby a peaceful, painless week.

    ~Joy~

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    1. Thanks for the info Joy. I did check it out. He does love diet soda and it prompts some rather strong conversation from me at times, but he is choosing water a little more often, so I take what I can get.

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  24. Rhonda I'm so glad your husband is feeling better. You were perfectly right to forget about the dress and be with him, time is so precious. My husband passed away a few weeks ago and I would give up anything to spend more time with him.

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  25. Thank goodness your husband was ok (on both occasion)! And yes, he is more important than a dress. Your start night dress is lovely.

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  26. Too bad for the dress but you couldn't do less. All the best to your husband.

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  27. So sorry to hear about your husband. Such a sore thing to have, hope he is feeling better now. Both your dresses are beautiful. Sending you both good wishes. Xx

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