DJ, thank you for telling us everything about saying goodbye to your grandaddy -- so incredibly sad, but so full of love. What a thoroughly good, amazing man. I'm so sorry for your loss, and please don't apologize for going on about it. Every single story about him and everyone who adored him is very much of the good.

I'm not sure they were called rally girls in Louisiana, but I recognize the type. I'm trying to 'splain the rivalry, but can't come up with a good analogy that doesn't make women sound like bitches or bimbos or both.

She says you've done very well, especially for your first dress, but you should have stuck with you original plan and gotten her involved sooner (though she confesses that she might not have caught you making the improper cut until it was too late, either).

hangs head

(In my defense, in central PA, most dance teams are known as rally teams. Drill teams were affiliated with the band.)

We had no drill team, no flag corps, no dance squad, no rally girls. We just had cheerleaders - 2 squads: football & basketball (for both girls & boys teams), and hockey. The hockey squad was looked down upon by the football/basketball squad, because they didn't get to dance (well, they did cheers on the ice between the periods, but most of those girls couldn't skate to save their lives).

I was doing fairly well until as we passed by the casket, my cousin and I who'd spent so many summers, holidays, weekends- told me, "Ask him to come back. He'd do it for you."

Aww, jeez. t sniff

Aimee, that's a very impressive first dress. Gorgeous colors and nicely designed. I do think Sean's right that it'd look better if it were more fitted to your va-va-va-voom. Besides getting fitted by an expert seamstress will be a valuable learning experience if you want to continue sewing. I'm sure she'll have a lot of tips for you. Well done!

What a lovely memorial to a lovely man, Daisy. Thank you for sharing him with us.

Aimee's dress = pretty. Aimee's dress on Aimee = fantastic! Well done, girl - that was an ambitious first project. I will not reveal how very long it would have taken me to finish that, but suffice it to say that I still have a dress I made as a Halloween costume in 2000 that isn't really finished.

Thanks for all of the comliments on the dress. I really am quite proud of it, even if it is a bit ... how I say? Very first-timey.

Like juliana said, though...must get rid of the perfectionist. SCAT perfectionist!

Besides getting fitted by an expert seamstress will be a valuable learning experience if you want to continue sewing.

I really do want to continue. So yes, this will be valuable advice and S is my friend and won't tell me I suck and that my dress is horrible. To my face anyway.

"God's Sakes alive Sean. I've never seen such a horribly sewn dress!" *wink*

{{{DJ}}} Your grandfather sounds like an amazing man. Thank you for sharing your story.

Also? Please to be taking your weather back!

What's in it for me? Did you check prices to visit here?

STOP THAT!

Mistakes were made, but even S said you did a fantastic job for your first dress.

Also, the seam mistake is one of those mistakes you have to make, so you'll never make it again.

Also, I keep spacing and forgetting to say:

Aimée, that dress is amazing, mistakes and all! Slippy slidey fabric is a right bastard for even an experienced seamstress, and as the base material for a floor-length gown that's your first ever? Damn, girl! Great job!

Everyone's first dress is mistakey and unsatisfying (unless you're me, in which case your first dress is an unrecognizable wodge of chiffon scrunched up in the bottom of a trunk somewhere because it wasn't just unsatisfying, it was unsalvageable). If that's your first dress, your second and third are going to be fierce.