Catching up - Beaded Collar Dress

I haven't posted in *forever*, largely because a home remodel project and a convention took over my free time for much of the last year.  However, I did make a dress:

It all started with a piece of fabric I didn't buy enough of on a trip to New York:

I only bought a yard and a half, although, it is very wide.  So to make that tiny bit of fabric into a dress that would fit me, I made a wide, beaded collar to take up some space.  I started with a mockup in muslin: 

Drew the pattern for the collar on paper, cut it out of complementary fabric, and attached fusible interfacing to the back side: 

I made good use of the temporary fabric pencils to draw the design onto the fabric, and beaded it.  This was the first bead embroidery I'd ever done.  I attended a workshop at Westercon given by Theresa Halbert, and was inspired:

Then it was just a question of sewing up the dress with the collar.  There is almost no scrap fabric on this dress - it's not particularly flattering, but it's very comfortable.