So Why Do I Never Remember to Take Pictures? Part 2.

You would never know it from this picture - because I forgot to take a new one yesterday when she tried it on and it fit!!!  I finally got the courage to cut off the excess and sew it back together, and when she tried it on, it was perfect!  One step down, several more to go, but still...  progress.

I nearly wimped out after she tried it on last Friday, and I called two alterations people to see if they could do it.  The first, my friend, gave me some wonderful hints, but said she just couldn't do it at this time in her life.  I do understand, and I appreciate her honesty.  The second was a "professional" and boy was that adventure a little mistake.  She hemmed and hawed and drew little pictures, and MADE AN INK MARK ON THE DRESS,that I have to figure out how to remove without leaving a spot.  And finally, she said she couldn't do it.  The good part about this adventure is that it made me so mad I came home, sat down, and made it fit.  Even the corset fits (thanks for the hints, Gloria).  And to top it off, I even have a pretty good pattern for the top.

So now, the next puzzle.  I have just one piece of fabric - a matte satin .  It has lovely weight on its own, but I don't want to mark the embroidery design on it, and I'm afraid to just be random.  So do I leave it whole and embroider it?  Cut it out and embroider it?  Or do I add the pieces to the dress and embroider it?  What is the best stabilizer to use?  Is there a stabilizer that I can mark the embroidery lines on that can be removed cleanly without leaving residue or little tufts of paper on the fabric? Anyone have expertise in this area they can share?