Dress is 95% Complete

Dress is 95% complete. It is all together now, fits great. I need to add hook and eye above the zipper. I need to topstitch the darts in the skirt portion to match up with topstitching of princess seams on the bodice. I may add shoulder pads or just use foam ones when wearing. I also want to stitch down the cross over portion on the bodice. It comes open a little and I prefer that it stay closed.

The photos do not do this dress justice. I just did not feel like getting all dress up for a self portrait shot. Hanging here it looks like a sack. I could not get the dress on Alma Marie, as her shoulders are just to wide. It really does not fit like a sack after taking up the darts in the front and back skirt portion. Also tapered the dress from the hip down. In the drawing on the pattern envelope it is tapered. The pattern is not! I wanted the look of the pattern drawing. As you can see from that drawing it is a more fitted look. I had to work the dress to get it to look like that.

The pattern calls for cotton twill, linen and lightweight denim. The fabric I used was from Gorgeous Fabrics. It was a cotton fabric with some stretch. Which I think I will truly appreciate as I wear this dress all day. And perhaps is part of the reason for so many adjustments. But then I used a 18 for waist and hips. Needed the 18 for the "bum" but 16 worked best for waist to hip and then from hip to bottom of the skirt.

I am really pleased with results. I will take a photo of me wearing the dress soon.