Swing Dress: Final Update

It's over.  The Swing Dress Sew Along at Casey's Elegant-Musings has finally come to an end. 

Even though I made a mock-up, I did have one issue with the fit of this dress.  The skirt was extremely long...at least on my short (and slightly stocky) frame, the original mock-up skirt came down almost to my ankles.  I chopped three inches off of the mock up, which was made of cheap, heavy cotton, and it looked ok, hitting right at my knees.  I guess I should have taken into account the drape of the different types of fabrics, because once made up in the rayon, it sagged a good two to three inches below my knees.  How did this happen????  As you can see in this picture, the skirt part of the dress nearly swallows up my legs.  I plan on definitely going back and taking up the hem.  Sheesh....I really do not like re-doing things.

In the end, though, I am happy with the fabric choice, and I really like the fit of the top half of the dress.  It's a comfortable dress, and it could be worn daily and casually.   Right now, I will pair it with a sweater and heels, or boots.  In the summer, it will be a cool choice and look lovely with flats or sandals.  The pattern would also be sweet made up in an interlined, semi-sheer black voile.  This would dress it up quite a bit, and be a cute option for weddings or semi-formal events (not that I go to a lot of them, but one can always hope.)  If you are interested in making your own Swing Dress, check out the pattern at Sense-and-Sensibility.

Oh...and...um...in honor of the finished Swing Dress, I'm posting some pictures of my Grandma Louise from the 30's, 40's and 50's. 

1930's

1940's

1950's

(My grandpa was pretty handsome too, if I must say.)

She's lovely, isn't she!  She's gone through so much in her life time, and she's such a strong, beautiful woman.  She's an inspiration to me.  (I love you, Mammaw!)

Here's a slide show birthday tribute that my family made for her a few years ago.  I wanted to just show a few of the pictures as stills, but couldn't figure out how to do that.  So, enjoy the whole slide show instead.