About a month ago I posted my practice dress for this "auction dress".
I used 2 or 3 commercial patterns and changed them around to achieve the design I wanted:


After a month, on the eve of the auction I finally made myself cut into the 100% silk fabric I bought at Hancock's, in the decorator's section. After that it was one f#$# up after another. I sure learned a LOT about silk: frays like crazy unless serged very densely, has no stretch at all (unlike my cotton mock up    )
BUT,now that it's finished.... I love my dress  

May I introduce you to "the ultimate red dress"...


in action:


The skirt does not poof out because I decided I had no time for the underskirt, but people loved the dress anyway!

I also made this fabric flower "Kanzashi flower" - the Japanese art of fabric folding and glued it on a hair-clip and put it in my hair. I felt a little bit silly but got tons of compliments on that, too.
http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q47/sewCZgal/?action=view&current=009.jpg

It was a great night, I felt great wearing the dress, even though it was a bit snug - very fitted    

I decided to wear a red dress for my our school's annual auction. I bought a lovely red dress but then realized that I actually wanted to make one And a little more modest so that parents don't think their kids' teacher is inappropriate  
So, I bought this awesome decorator's silk fabric:


and started messing around with patterns to get the look I wanted. This red dress was my inspiration (what I want mine to look like):


While adapting the pattern pieces I made a mock-up, that actually ended up wearable



I want to move the pleats a little more towards the center of the skirt, and not rip the fabric when pulling it through the shoulder straps (will make them wider next time). But all in all, I am pretty happy about the final (or, rather, semi-final    product).

It was a lot of fun adapting the bodice piece from standard neckline to this oval shaped cut-out (there is a clear snap sewn onto the lining). I did it all on paper first and then cut the fabric. The drawing (and re-drawing and re-drawing), to get the exact shape of the oval, was fun.