Just checking back in here. You've been busy. I love the RL dress on you too. I suspect the other is also really flattering, but that the overexposure of the lighting on the pic and maybe the pic angle makes it not as enticing as the RL. Either one would be perfect. Are you in the mood for silvery/pewter shoes? I just bought these at Dillards (amazing selection I'll add) to wear this weekend as stepmom of Bride. They are comfy enough for me to wear and still act as hostess at this wedding. By J Renee and pretty affordable. I'm a lot taller than you, but have the same figure issues, ie shapely ample tush and bustline. For this "black tie optional" wedding all the bridesmaids will be in long dresses as will I. I ended up buying a dress in the salon the day we went wedding dress shopping, at Sweet Elegance in Atlanta where they were absolutely wonderful. And I went with a mock wrap - silver, beaded. Still haven't decided on jewelry. sigh. Wedding is in three days. (why do they picture a 20-something in a dress meant for MOB?) I made my dresses for my two sons weddings, but making it this time was going to be a logistical nightmare. Have a wonderful time at your barn wedding.

As far as dress styles goes, the two don't have to be the same. No-one would expect a 16 month old to have the same style dress as a 9 year old, just as they wouldn't expect a 9 year old and an 18 year old to be identically dressed. There will be enough "match", if matching is important, if you use the same materials in both dresses. Yes, do the chiffon hem separately to the satin hem. Apart from that it will look better, you will have a hard row to hoe if you try to hem them together AND have both layers hang properly together. Joan has described the fishing line technique a little more clearly than I originally did- you lay the fishing line right on the edge of the chiffon (or a poofteenth in from the edge). I don't understand why you seem to be set on the idea of doubling the chiffon (you've mentioned it in both your posts now). As I said in my earlier post, more layers of chiffon will obscure the underneath fabric. So if you double the chiffon, the effect will be to make the dress look like it is made of chiffon, rather than chiffon over satin (as it would look with one layer of chiffon). In that case, you may as well save the expense of the satin and use something else for the underdress so as to feature the chiffon. (And if you do double the chiffon, hem each layer separately.) As the other Colleen mentioned, you should make the satin skirt and the chiffon skirt sections separately before slipping the satin skirt inside the chiffon skirt and then basting them together at the top and gathering as a unit. Then attach, treating the chiffon side as the "right side of the fabric" for the purposes of the pattern instructions. By doing this the side and back seams of each layer will be separate from each other- they should not be sewn together, except at the zipper, if there is one and it extends that far down. I would wait to hem until the dress is completed and the hem has had a chance to do any dropping it is going to.

I'm not sure that thrift shops are a good option for me--Not that many sewers in NYC, is my suspicion. And I've never seen any at the two stores I've been in--though I'll admit I haven't looked that hard for this category. We don't have AmVets (and something like this might be a store-by-store thing anyway). I could try Craig's List or Freecycle, I guess.

I heard on tv somewhere that her dress was silk cotton lace - that sounds soft and lovely to me. I can't get enough of the pictures of the entire wedding party and guests LOL, not sure why it has such a fascination to me. I also remember being entranced with Diana at her wedding and afterwards when her babies were born, I just never got tired of seeing them. I also fondly remember following Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Eisenhower when they were married, and I even took a day off from work to watch Tara and Phillip get married on All My Children (that was pre-vcr recording days)! I'm sure when I put my mind to it I'll remember some more weddings that fascinated me. Oh right, Jenna Bush Hager just popped into my head. And Katie Couric's second wedding looked lovely! I guess I could keep going!