DuBarry 5986 (1944) Part II

I won't get this done in time, either.

The plan was to make DuBarry 5986 (1944):


Out of Saint Patricks' Day fabric (yes, also cheap-ass, but the damage was already done):


This one will definitely need a fitting muslin made.  The dress itself is not that complex but I had two small problems:

1) It was missing the back bodice piece.  I borrowed one from DuBarry 2477b (1940) because it was very similar--plain, with two waist darts and neck darts--and made by the same pattern company but I assume that I'll still have to tweak it to make sure everything lines up.  Cut changed a little between 1940 and 1944 but not as drastically as it would have after the war so this should be pretty close.

2) Both patterns have to be graded.  2477b needs to come down a size and 5986 needs to go up a size.  Grading is not really that big a deal except that, because of bust gathering and neck bow, the front bodice to 5986 looks like this:


Everybody say it together: "WTF?"

Here it is with commentary so it makes more sense:


Just so you know, the cuts you usually make to grade a bodice pattern look like this (this is a full shift dress, not just a bodice.  The point is that it's all straight).


The horizontal cuts were OK--one across the shoulder, one below the bust.  No problem.  The vertical one under the armscye was totally cool, too.  The ones down the front . . . not so much.

After some head-scratching, I decided there was no point in overthinking it and I should just dive in and try something, so I cut and spread along the curve of the bust gathers:


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