(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.

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

And the seam mistake REALLY sucks when you are a) supposed to be a professional and b) are cutting really expensive fabric from out of town that it is hard to get more of.

I think it looks good to, and I bet S will show you how to press and trim your seams and make the wonkyness that you are seeing go away. So much of the sewing is in the pressing!

{{Daisy Jane}}

Aimee, you're awesome. I've never made a dress, though I have worn one.

It really is an amazing first effort Aimee. It has inspired me to try to finish my outfit in the next couple of weeks.

Two of my favorite stories this weekend. Daddy said that grandaddy would give him rides to school in his car(this caused much light hearted grumbling from his siblings about how they never got rides to school). One day some car in front of them ran, Dad says, 6 stop signs. Grandaddy followed him, stopping at each sign the guy ran. When grandaddy finally caught up with him to ticket him, the guy only saw my high school aged dad, who he proceeded to curse- until daddy leaned back to reveal my uniformed grandfather. Dad says he believes to this day, that even though grandaddy could've run each of those signs, he didn't because my dad was in the car.

There was also a guy Grandaddy went to high school with who talked about Grandaddy getting free lunches because he was on the football team and how he'd been on Mimi and Grandaddy's first date. He said that afterwards Grandaddy said, "I'm pretty fond of that girl. I think I'm going to marry her."

Thanks for letting me talk about him. Makes me feel a little better.