Happy New Year! - McCall's 7051

Ever since I was a child, I have spent New Year's Eve night in a church. I didn't even know that it was called Watch Night Service until I got older. It was just what my family did. Long story shorty, when I went off to college, a got exposure to the parties and got a taste of freedom that I had never experienced before. So on the breaks, when NYE would be around the corner, I started considering ideas of going out to the club or going to parties at peoples' houses to drink..... but I never did. Even though really I wanted to, and sometimes made plans to, I would decide against it at the last minute and go to church and spend time with my family after. 

My desire to do something "different" for NYE was always trumped by my fear I would do something or be somewhere/in a situation that I would truly regret. My decision to go to church instead and stay in with my family always brought me peace and I never regretted it. But, if I'm honest, I always wanted to know what it felt like on the "other" side. 

Fast forward a bit... remember last year when I talked about the new friends that I'd made? Yea, a few of these friends run a group called Culture-New Norm. One of the things that the group does is throw Christian parties every month. I know, I know. Every time I tell people they look at me like "Huh?!" lol Well yea, they play music by different Christian Rappers and singers that get you just as hype as music that plays on the regular radio, the messages are just different. It's a "Party without Compromise". Wellll they were throwing one for NYE! Right in the heart of DC nightlife.

I wasn't just going to NOT go to church though. I do serve and am usually part of the service in one way or another. Plus, I would feel like something was missing if I didn't go. Conveniently, they set the time of the party at midnight so that people would be able to attend Watch Night services at their churches and come to the party after! So perfect. I had such a fun time at the party and I definitely satisfied my wanting to have MORE fun bringing in the New Year. I got to enjoy myself in an environment that wouldn't have my mom worried, I got to dance and party along to music that points back to Christ, and I didn't have to pretend to be someone I'm not. That may be my favorite part.

Once I knew that I was going to the party, I knew that I wanted to make something to wear. At first I considered different dresses but I realized I wouldn't have enough time to dedicate to a full dress. After combing through my fabric options, I found a couple more yards of  "Black Corded Light Weight Suiting" from Fabric Mart that I used to make one of my favorite skirts from earlier in 2015. I figured I would just make a top out of the same fabric that I could tuck in and have an outfit that LOOKED like a dress.

I knew that I wanted some type of shiny see-through something as a part of the shirt. After going through all of my patterns 3 times, I decided on McCall's 7051 View D. I'd never worn bishop sleeves and I wanted to see if they would work for my style. I also thought the shirt would be perfect to tuck in. For the contrast back, I found a remnant of silk organza that I got from JoAnn's with a swirly gold glitter design on it. AND LET ME TELL YOU, that glitter gets EVERYWHERE. All I have to do is shake the shirt and an a river of glitter falls off it. I actually still have glitter in my hair TODAY from pulling the shirt over my head.

I cut a size 12 but I should have cut a 14. It's too tight across the bust. I overlooked the "loose-fitting" description on the envelope lol Some adjustments/changes I made are that I added 1.5 inches to the sleeve length and I left the bias tape visible on the contrast back.

The top definitely served it's purpose for the evening but I probably won't wear it again. That glitter is kind of annoying and the tightness across the bust is a little restricting. I am proud of it though. Even though I sewed it up in one night, the construction is solid!

How did you celebrate NYE?! I hope that if you're a believer in the DMV area, I could encourage you to live and enjoy yourself without compromise. The next Culture party is Jan.29th!