So, anything new in the pipeline for Dress Shop? With summer approaching (too!) quickly, it'll mean more time to sew and experiment with patterns.

I've been working on migrating the Dress Shop Web site to a different technology stack, which is just techno-babble for "making the Web site easier to deal with" and it's taking longer than I had expected. It's a bit like making a wedding dress: it's always going to take longer than one thinks it might!

I'm hoping to finish that work soon, and be able to turn my attention to freshening up the Dress Shop site, which even by the most charitable assessment, looks... dated.

One all that is in place, I will get to do the "fun" part, which is putting out new collections. I'm guessing at an ETA for that late this year, unfortunately.

Hi Anna, I am wondering if there is a pattern that can make the gathered halter top where the back meets at the neck as well. But instead of the gathering it exactly has a band that goes around the neck and connects that way with a zipper up the back. I will send a help report just so you can get some idea of where I am going with this question. Thanks

[Also replying here so others would know as well...]

Barbara,

I don't think there is a pattern of a top or dress that has a halter neckline and a full back. I looked through all available halter patterns and did not find one. Sorry about that. This is something for me to keep in mind when designing new collections in the future.

I, too, would use a pattern draft of that type. Barbara, perhaps you can graft a well-fitted bodice back onto the back neck strap, and then hand-draw where you would want it cut out.