After all that, I decided to go with waist tucks. Don't ask me why because I don't have a good reason; I just looked at the pattern and my capricious little mind whispered, " . . . tucks!" and I didn't argue.
Test muslin. Ignore the ugly cats (I swear I will run out of this fabric pretty soon and you'll never have to see it again):
And it fit pretty well. It did pull a bit across the bust, though. You can't tell here but it's neutral-taut when my arms are relaxed, and had pronounced pull-lines when my arms were in any other position. So, too tight. And it was tight across the upper back. I'd say this meant I needed a bigger size except that the high bust was fine, and I've run into the tight-back problem before.
So I did a full-bust adjustment of 3/4 inch per side (1 1/2 inches total) and then rotated out the resultant bust dart. Doing this creates a completely wonky-looking pattern piece that will now require a whole lot more waist tucks. A whole lot more. Sorry about the terrible Instagram pic:
I also added 1/2 inch width per side to the back, and then another waist tuck and a shoulder dart to make up for it:
and the front looks like this:
I was going to do the neckline binding and seam finishes today at lunch but I forgot it at home. Doh! Oh, well.
So . . . this is going to look nothing like the original dress.
Later:
It occurred to me as I was emailing Amber Jean about what a complete wacko I am and how likely this dress is to fail miserably that I've sort of created . . . almost a neo-Aesthetic bit.
Blousy dress tucked (smocked, actually) at the waist.
Another one.
And another, from Liberty of London. This similar dress is in cream.
Mine will have a placket at the front neck, and be a lot plainer, and be cotton, etc., but the pleated waist and blousy dress element is still there. I'm not sure where I'm going with the skirt. I have to see how much fabric is left, and I assume I'll have to match the pleats, but other than that the options are still open.
So . . . this is going to look nothing like the original dress.
Later:
It occurred to me as I was emailing Amber Jean about what a complete wacko I am and how likely this dress is to fail miserably that I've sort of created . . . almost a neo-Aesthetic bit.
Blousy dress tucked (smocked, actually) at the waist.
Another one.
And another, from Liberty of London. This similar dress is in cream.
Mine will have a placket at the front neck, and be a lot plainer, and be cotton, etc., but the pleated waist and blousy dress element is still there. I'm not sure where I'm going with the skirt. I have to see how much fabric is left, and I assume I'll have to match the pleats, but other than that the options are still open.
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