Reality Check

I spent all of yesterday meticulously hand basting the dress together. That was a LOT of basting. My fingers are sore. Here it is. Keep in mind that the dress is basted with huge seams and has not been pressed. It is ready for another fitting. I am concerned the shoulder seams may need taking in. I may also have to adjust the elbow dart.

At this point I am not sure I am loving this dress. The herringbone is way too subtle. From a distance the dress appears to be gray, not gray and white herringbone. I was hoping the bias herringbone design would add visual interest to the otherwise bland, neutral color. Now my plan is to use the decorative top stitching, shown on the pattern cover, to accent the bodice and midriff. The plain dress will really show off the statement necklace I plan to wear, though. I am now accepting the fact that there is a good chance this dress will not be finished in time. I do have a back up dress, just in case. Today I will begin machine sewing the seams, pressing them, trimming them down and catch stitching them to the underlining. The dress will look much better once that is accomplished.