The Birthday Dress

It's been nearly a week since my birthday and I'm finally getting around to showing off the birthday dress, which I mentioned in the previous post.

The pattern... well, I did use the bodice from a retro Vogue pattern because I'm too cowardly to draft my own patterns but I changed it so much it's not really that anymore. The original had center front and back seams and a back V-neck. I made it without the front and back seams because I wanted as few seams as possible so as not to break up this big, fun paisley print more than necessary. And I changed the back neckline, just because. The skirt is a half circle, with pockets of course. Here's that back neckline.

It has a side zipper and it's one of the best I've ever sewed.

See the zipper? No, you don't! Sorry, anytime I manage to not mess up the zipper I'm ridiculously proud of myself for it.

The fabric has a nice stiffness, which I like. It feels sturdy so even though I sewed it as a "birthday dress" it feels like an everyday dress and that's good because I have a lot more every days than I have special occasions.

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The birthday was one of those big, round scary ones - 60! - which doesn't seem right at all. I haven't even gotten over being freaked out about turning 50 yet. One of the things I hate about it is that when you get past a certain age people start judging you by your age. Everyone thinks they know what 60 is but they don't, but they will continue to be absolutely sure they do know no matter what you say to them.

On the other hand, when you reach 60 you suddenly have an automatic excuse for, well, senior moments. I have a good memory. Really! Unfortunately most of what I can remember is useless stuff like Kochel numbers, dialog from Star Trek, Firefly, and The Big Bang Theory, and the names and faces of actors that I haven't seen in anything for over 30 years, and if it's not completely useless it's mainly good for pissing people off, like which one of "there, they're," or "their" to use. But you know... it's always been that way. Everyone of every age is occasionally absent minded, but the older you get the more important it is to remember the right things and not screw up so people won't think you're losing your mind.

Well, anyway, the day of my birthday was nice. Nobody made a big deal out of it, which was okay. I got to eat out for both lunch and dinner and I got a small birthday cake. Small is good. And the weather was perfect and I wore the birthday dress all day. Other than being 30 again I couldn't wish for anything more.