Finis

Both coat and dress are done now.  Woven, cut, sewn, hemmed, lined – DONE, DONE, DONE!!!  Sharon and I broke out a bottle of champagne to celebrate last night, and then (for the last time) I took the garments home.  They are carefully folded, stowed safely in garment bags, awaiting their appraisal this weekend and their Big Moment in June.

Some words  of thanks seem in order:

• First, to Sharon.  Her help has been invaluable, both in fitting and in  sewing the dress.  The perfect fit, the flow, and more complicated sewing are her work, and she provided the guidance to me as I did the bulk of the work.  Without it, I could never have completed either coat or dress a tenth as well.
• Second, to the handweaving community for helping me through many technical issues as I sampled, studied, and eventually learned how to weave the fabric for the dress.  Without you, the fabric would have been much poorer, and the path at least twice as difficult.
• Third, to my mother, for teaching me fiber arts as a child.  If not for you, I might never have gotten into fiber arts, and none of this would have been possible.
• And, finally, to YOU, my blog readers, for cheering me on through the difficult parts, and celebrating my successes with me.  Your support meant a lot to me, especially in the days when I wondered whether I’d EVER finish this thing, or if it would be a tenth as beautiful as the dress of my dreams.  It is, and I’m grateful for your support along the way.

I realized today that you’d never seen Sharon, despite all her invaluable work, and so I leave you with a photo of my co-conspirator and sewing mentor, and the two finished garments:

Now, on to the next adventure!