B4919 modeled

So here is the dress on me:

This reinforces the idea that a defined waist style is not the most flattering on my figure. Also, that I need to be more careful about not creating boob flowers (though they are much more prominent in the photo than IRL, for some reason). But making this was an interesting project.

I had 5 yards of this 50-inch wide cotton lawn, which wasn't enough to make this dress. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I did not use the skirt pieces in this pattern because I didn't have enough fabric for the circle skirt; instead I used a different 6-gore skirt pattern.  For the same reason, I cut the bodice facing (really a full lining) out of black broadcloth, and I pieced the ties, which take a lot of fabric because they are cut on the bias. Joining the skirt to the bodice was a little fiddly, and I ended up hand stitching the edges in place to cover raw edges. However, the attached ties cover the waist up completely anyway.

The pattern provides no alteration lines on the bodice, but I  made many: an FBA, added side darts, added several inches in length. I made no adjustments to the back except that I didn't sew the waist darts. I added about 6 inches to the waist. I also sewed the center front seam a bit higher, and I curved it in so that it wouldn't gape open.

I don't know if I'll ever wear this dress, but it might be appealing on a hot summer day. The fabric feels very nice.

 Envelope art: