So this dress that I am making for the Ren faire is the first ever dress that I have sewn.  So I am uncertain on a lot of things and keep redoing a couple of things.  But I am getting better with it as I go.  When I was packing the important things and things that meant a lot to me, I made the decision not to pack my dress.  I didnt think we had room in our suburban for it among the kids and million other things I wanted to bring.  But Hubby told me "No I was bringing because I had waited over 10 years to either make the dress or have someone make it for me.  And I wasnt about to loose it in the storm."  So I packed it up and brought it, along with all the things I bought to go with it and stuff to finish sewing it.  Althought the sewing machine stayed at home.  So while we were staying at my in-laws waiting for a sign that we could come back home, either we got electric or a generator of our own, I decided to bring my dress out and start hand sewing it.  Which I forgot how slow it can be.  So my mother-in-law asked me what I was sewing.  Hubby got a lot more excited about her asking than me.  She has been sewing for about 60 yrs, if I had to guess.  So I have it set in my mind she can sew a lot better than me.  So I show her what I have completed already on the dress and she thinks it is just wonderful.  And even tells me that I can out sew her.  So over the next couple of days my sister-in-law comes over, she also has been sewing longer than I have been here on Earth.  So my Mother-in-law gets really excited and has me bring out the dress.  And my sister-in-law, who does sew some garb for her son, starts looking at it.  And she starts telling me how wonderful it looks, how good of a job I'm doing, and that she thinks I can even out sew her.  Those two comments just made me feel over 100 ft tall.  I lack confidence in things that I do.  So to be told that I was doing a wonderful job and that these two women who have been sewing longer than I have been alive tell me I can out sew them made me feel wonderful.  Now I just need to figure out how exactly this stupid zipper goes and I will be almost finished with the dress.  I will put more pics of it up soon.  But I just had to share the warm praises that I got.