Just a few hours left…

…maybe another 3 hours work of work on the dress, and it will be DONE!!!

Sharon didn’t quite finish the dress over the weekend, so I took it home to complete it while she worked on the coat.  I’m actually somewhat relieved; I’ve put so much into the dress that I wanted the pleasure of putting in the last few stitches myself!

But we pinned up the lining hem while I was there.  Yesterday and this morning I finished hemming the lining, and now I’m applying the lace to the bottom of the lining:

Once the lace is all done, I need to fix one small section of lace on the front (it’s coming loose), sew on the ribbons for hanging the dress, and sew in the label.  And that, my friends, is IT!!  Maybe another two or three hours of work.  The culmination of nearly a year’s labor.

Hmm, perhaps I had better go buy a small bottle of champagne…!

Sharon is working on the coat right now, trying to either finish it or get it to the point where I can finish it.  However, as I have both labels, I get to do the ceremonial sewing-in of the label myself.  (More champagne!)

I forgot to mention earlier, but on Sunday the dress goes to Melissa Leventon, former curator of textiles for the DeYoung Museum and the California Academy of Sciences, for appraisal.  It will be very interesting to find out the actual value…! and a relief to get it insured.  (It is of course priceless…but if (heaven forbid) something happens to it while it’s being exhibited, at least I’ll get something…!)