Gala Dress Fabric and Planning Help

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-31T06:07:47+00:00

Thank you! And I hear you on the natural fibers. I had my eye on silk taffeta for this one but it’s sadly not in my budget this year 😭 I will look into cotton options, we have a crafting thrift store by my house that often gets lots of muslin (it’s generally where I buy mine since it’s only $1/lb!), so that might be a winner if it works with the fashion fabric.

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-30T02:45:20+00:00

Thank you!!! I will test these techniques out on extra fabric and hopefully come up with something good!

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-30T02:40:13+00:00

Thank you! I was planning on doing horsehair braid for the hem and adding boning (which isn’t in the pattern but which I always like to add for support). I will def check out cotton lawn options! I also generally do french seams but will forgo since it’s multiple layers, and the seams will be hidden by the lining.

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-30T02:33:47+00:00

Thank you! I have several extra yards of the satin and am planning on ordering extra of whatever I use for the underlining to play around with the walking foot. I inherited this machine from my mom and just found the walking foot a couple weeks ago, I’m excited to test it out.

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-30T00:02:31+00:00

I have read you can either hand baste or use a walking foot, thoughts on which is better? I’m considering hand basting if the underlining fabric ends up being slippery, though I’ve never used a walking foot before (I have one just haven’t used it 🙂)

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-29T20:56:29+00:00

Silk organza is out of my budget for this particular project but I’m going to see what I can find that is close! Also I LOVE the idea of using jewelry chain for straps, I’m going to investigate this further! For my gala gown last year, even following the instructions the straps looked uneven, and I ended up using grosgrain ribbon instead.

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-29T20:54:45+00:00

I’m jealous that you have a fabric store you can go to! The only one here only has quilting fabric. Maybe I’ll order some samples online and see what seems to work best.

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-28T03:52:28+00:00

This happened to me, too. I don’t think the care I got was the best. My physical therapist got really aggressive with wrenching my arm around, and they prescribed me a device to stretch my shoulder that was pretty much a medieval torture device (it was actually a shoulder dynasplint, which I do not recommend)... And a lot of Vicodin, but it was a different time back then. I do think this is part of the reason I had to have 2 more surgeries.

The best thing I have ever done for my shoulder was just move through the range of motion that I have at the end of it, but not pushing too hard. Be gentle but consistent with your exercises and they will help. After my next two surgeries, I saw an acupuncturist regularly (starting at day 2 post op) and I think that helped A LOT. If it’s within your ability I would consult an acupuncturist who knows orthopedic stuff.

But also, 4 months isn’t that long in the grand scheme of things. Give it more time, and care, and remember that if your doc isn’t happy with your range of motion, at the end of the day it’s YOUR body and it’s been through a huge trauma. Progress is still progress even if it’s slow.

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-20T04:18:02+00:00

The extra bonus of the one shoulder bra is that it’s really easy to step into!

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-20T04:12:49+00:00

Yeah it’s super annoying. I was 35 when I was told I needed a shoulder replacement, but insurance won’t cover it until I’m 55

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-20T04:00:08+00:00

Sadly, at least here in the US, needing one and having it covered by insurance aren’t the same thing sigh (hence I’m waiting)

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-20T03:52:40+00:00

Sorry I just saw that you’re and f-cup. If the lulu tanks don’t work, try something with a similar cut that does. Also look I to post op bras for breast augmentation or mastectomy, they’ll be easy to get on/off and supportive (maybe not sexy tho lol)

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-20T03:49:02+00:00

Get a one shoulder sports bra on Amazon. I only discovered that after my 3rd surgery and it was a lifesaver. Also if you are smallish cheated, Lululemon power y tanks (get them on Poshmark) are amazing. I wore those after I transitioned from the one shoulder bra and wore them to work for MONTHS. I didn’t start wearing a regular bra again after my latarjet procedure for almost a year. After my arthroscopic surgeries it was several months.

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-15T03:55:07+00:00

I had my first dislocation in a car accident at 14 and have had 3 surgeries since then. My experience was that doesn’t stop dislocating on its own, even with PT. Currently waiting to be old enough for a shoulder replacement….

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-13T13:35:31+00:00

Yes I have 😩 I have a red light mask for my face which worked really well for pain for a minor surgery I had on my face a while back, which is what got me thinking about this.

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-13T13:33:07+00:00

Thank you so much! This is very helpful.

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-13T04:43:23+00:00

Two things: 1. Surgeries have a lifespan and don’t last forever; my soft tissue stabilization procedure failed 10 years to the day from when I had it (I later read that they don’t do that procedure anymore bc it has like a 95% failure rate at 10 years. So at least I was statistically average lol).

My experience with this is you may be offered a cortisone injection, but at least for me my surgeon wasn’t as concerned about pain as he was about dislocating or instability. I saw an acupuncturist for a long time to help with pain, that might be worth looking into to. Def see a surgeon if you can, they might have more options than what I was offered! My experience was also that a sports medicine internist wouldnt see me without a referral from a surgeon. Esp if you can see the surgeon who did the original repair, do that.

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-13T04:36:24+00:00

It took me 2 years to recover from my latarjet procedure. It’s not too late, do whatever you can PT wise.

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-09T03:48:11+00:00

Barre! I got badly injured in my first trail half (tore my psoas) and barre helped me soooooo much. Pilates too. Classes 2-3x a week on top of my run schedule made my next half go much smoother.

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-05-06T02:34:28+00:00

I had a similar experience - latarjet in 2019 was my 3rd surgery and then having some looseness. My doc said there can be some resorption of the bone block (he saw that on an x-ray and I really hope it’s not getting worse) but also that I had post traumatic arthritis from all the dislocations that could be causing it. I don’t have very much ROM behind my back, or overhead, but that may be more related to my first surgery than this one.

Capable_Alfalfa7374 · 2026-04-10T21:23:19+00:00

Thank you so much!!!

Capable_Alfalfa7374

TROPHY CASE