If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you may recall that last February I posted a photo of the kit I got from Alabama Chanin in order to hand-sew the Spiral Applique & Beaded Camisole Dress from Alabama Studio Style.

The dress is finished. Back in February and March I sewed together the front and back pieces, cut out all of the spirals and pinned them on, stitched one spiral to the back, and then . . . nothing. Everything sat neatly arranged on my ironing board--for a long time. I just wasn't making time to work on the dress, though I desperately wanted to wear it. And that's when inspiration struck.

In the age-old tradition of daughters everywhere, in July I packed the materials in a bag and gave them to my mother, who is the most industrious person I know. True to form, she worked diligently and a couple of weeks ago, she brought the completed dress to me.

I've worn the dress twice already and love it. Thanks, Mom!

I love the way the beaded parallel whipstich looks at the neckline! I'm thinking about making a dress in this style without any other embellishment except this neckline treatment.

Mom improvised a bit on the placement of the circle appliques. They're a little further apart than the ones shown on the dress in Alabama Studio Style. She also added extra beads around some of the sprials; I may add a few more.

Just so you know: I wasn't a total sloth while my mother worked on this dress. I completed an Inked and Quilted Camisole Top from Alabama Studio Style as well as a Subway Hat from Modern Top-Down Knitting (photos to come soon), and the sweater for my son that I posted about below. And in the best news yet: My mom said she liked making the dress and would be willing to make another one with different embellishment.

(My photos are in black and white since my color photos made the dress look purple for some reason--the colors on the real dress actually look pretty close to what you see here.)