The fabric is bought and the embroidery has begun. Below are a couple pictures of the beginning stages. The design will be the same layout as the 2003 costume.

Here is a close up picture of the underskirt. The picture seems to have a more yellow undertone. The actual color of the lighter areas is closer to a DMC 738. The beads are Mill Hill Beads 221 Bronze color. The leaves are done in a satin stitch with DMC Rayon Floss 30434 which is almost a perfect match to the overskirt. The pearls down the center are cream colored with a 6mm at the top, 4mm next, three 3mm and a drop pearl at the bottom. Scott doesn't like the circle with the line dropping down. I think it needs to be there to balance the color. He agrees but thinks it needs something more, so I'll have to keep working on that a bit. I'm also thinking of adding some pearls over the circles in the lighter area of the fabric and making them look a little like vines and berries.

1/25/2004 -- I have been working on the skirts. I spent this weekend cartridge pleating the overskirt. There are a few problems. It catches on the underskirt and won't fall prettily. I hope when I add the fur to the bottom it will act as a weight and will keep the overskirt fine. The waistband is a little tight, so there will be no gaining weight for me. Also, the front panels are not hanging quite right in the "V". I'm not entirely sure how to fix this, but I'm sure I will come up with something. It seems to be a little long, but I think that with shoes on and a little widening of the hoops, it will be okay. The color in these pictures is a little better although still not great. Next weekend, I hope to have some of the bodice completed.

3/11/2004 -- I know it's been awhile since I posted progress. I've been slowly muddling along. It looks better on me than the dress form, but here is a picture anyway. I've finished one side of trim on the overskirt. And I've pinned a stip of fur on the bottom to give you an idea of how that will look. The trim will also be on the neckline of the bodice. I've replaced the Underskirt photo above with a more recent shot where you can also see the detail of the trim. I am hand sewing all the cream pearls and the topaz crystals. It is amazing how the same pattern in different fabric can respond differently to the sewing. The sleeves in fur are a lot stiffer than the sleeves in velvet were.

4/08/2004 -- This picture is of the dress almost complete. It looked really nice in the setting sun outside, and it shows how sparkly the trim is in the sunlight. I also added the jewelry that was made by Rhonda at Sapphire and Sage. I still have a long way to go and it looks like some long nights ahead of me.