Learning what I have left to do - Lisa

I pinned all my darts, strapped on the corset and petticoat and tried on my hard work.  I had added to the front to allow room for my chest and I clearly added too much.  The front darts are not quite right, and strangely, the side seams that fit in the muslin are too loose.  The shoulders and arms seem fine (although I haven't pinned on the sleeves yet).  I'm going to pin the side seams where I think they should go, but wait for Robin to finalize.  She can correct my darts, and pin the sleeves.  She will also need to help me even out the bustle tapes and get the poufs right.  Then I sew it all together, add a front hem, trim, boning, and deal with the hook and eye closure along with decorative buttons.  And, yeah, I still need to crochet the neck trim and have to wait for a final measurement.

Things I learned about reading the directions!  When the pattern calls for 45 inch fabric, 44 inch is not the same.  Especially after it's shrunk.  Luckily I had extra and so was not too messed up when I had to re-fold for every cut.  The front has a 1.5 inch hem allowance.  I didn't read that and planned for a lined panel.  It's a little too long.  Luckily that's very easy to fix.  And a very novel concept for me (at 5'10').

So here I am, pinned together and pinching the baggy sides seams in place.  I'm really happy with it.  And with my petticoat.  While I wait for the next fitting day, I can make the brown skirt that goes over the petticoat.  It's the same color as the lining, but nicer fabric.  I think I'm going to make the bustle stick out a little more too.