If there is an upside to staying in, for me it is the opportunity to crush some restoration projects I thought I might never finish. What originally appeared to be a slam-dunk restoration, this 1928 flapper dress fought me every step of the way. Though it was missing about 500 jet beads to start, once I began restoring it the original thread literally disintegrated, meaning ALL the beads fell off and the whole thing needed to be re-beaded and the pattern re-created. I did them all by hand, one by one. In total it took me 14 months to finish, and my client could only afford for me to do the front...but it's magnificent, and my most ambitious restoration to date. Feeling pretty proud! (Sadly, because the "before" pictures were taken before the thread completely powderized, you can't appreciate the scope of the work involved to achieve the "after" image. But imagine the dress completely bald before, then look at the "after"!)
