It's not a t-shirt!

Last weekend I attended a wedding in California... this is impressive because I pretty much never make it to weddings. Even local ones. But this one I would not have missed for the world. It involved two of my favorite people on the planet - one I've known since June of 2005 and the other who has been a delightful pen-pal since May of 2010 - and I may have heckled them mercilessly until they started dating each other. Not that the heckling stopped there, but you get the idea.


































Anyway, since moving to Marathon, there has really been no need for formal things. Shoes, clothing, or otherwise. But I'd hate to be the Texan in jeans-and-boots (with cowboy hat!) among otherwise civilized northern Californians... even if I did take a shower first.



Insert pile of creativity:

* Silk "scarf skirt" from thrift store
(gift from neighbor!) in sewing pile

* tank top with matching straps
hours of frustration, then defeat

* random bra (last worn in 2003, saved
for the occasional formal situation!)

* safety pins. seven of them.

* oh, and a necklace made from a
beer bottle and ribbon scrap

(*pair of shorts to keep chapstick handy)


Here's the front of the "dress" ...which is really the side of the skirt. The skirt sash is ruched (sp?) a bit and is supposed to wrap around the waist, to tie at the side zipper. On the dress, the zipper is at the back.

















Thankfully the sash was SUPER long on both sides, so instead of one bow in the back with an awkward gather (because ruch / ruched is a spelling quandry) in the front, everything wrapped all the way around to tie in the front. A bow was kind of ridiculous, but a plain double knot worked.

















Scandalous.

One pin above each bra cup - attached securely to the skirt, NOT the bra - ideally to minimize breakage/snappage/damage to the non-stretchy skirt, so the bra could move a little bit... and one safety pin above the back strap on each shoulder strap (same idea - 'floating' pin).

















Add a pin to keep the skirt's sash-loop-thing from slipping out of the back of the dress... and one more to keep the bra strap on that side from slipping out of that loop while trying to put it on (not utilitarian so much as a convenience), and one in the front of the bra to keep the skirt from trying to slide down and put excess strain on the pins holding it up at the top of the bra cups... for a total of seven pins.

I only sneezed once, but the dress did not self-destruct! Success!

And if you remove the pins, you've got a skirt. And a lovely, autographed, purple bra that probably won't be worn for another many years.

Oh, and the wedding? Also a success.  <3