Ruching a beaded gown, Feral Jane is my Hero, Everlasting torment

Feral Jane is my hero this week.    I have this show I will be doing on Friday night that requires a very pretty very formal gown.  I found a beautiful piece of beaded frosting at Nordstroms rack.  Just like every dress I have ever bought.......its too long.   It was suggested by the director of the show that I ruch it instead of hem it.  Genius idea and truly the best option.....But.....oh my God.........  This is a beaded gown that was almost $500  before all the discounts you get  at the rack and I was terrified of ruining it. It looks like something from the movie Titanic.  After walking wide circles around it for 2 days and treating it like a spider in the middle of the floor ....Feral Jane took one of her precious  2 days off and came over to help. We circled it some more.... drank some coffee , threw around ideas, drank more coffee and ate tuna fish sandwiches.  During the coffee part...... Feral Jane referenced her long dead great Aunt who was a cranky manipulative fashionista who had obviously sold her soul to the devil for the talent she had with sewing.  Jane recalled  a moment from her childhood,watching her aunt  ruch a garment and marveled "of all  the things I saw her do....why this one stuck in my memory...I'll never know".  So, using the knowledge of a woman who is in everlasting torment, as we speak,  Jane and I began working around noon and finished right before dinner.

Here is the finished product.  When we started.... the bodice was  a long straight  thing and now is fitted and flattering.  We took off 4 inches.