Ceil Chapman Cocktail Dress, Part 6

To make sure that the bodice of this dress fits properly, I mocked up a muslin version.  I went ahead and added ¾” to the torso length because I figured it would be necessary (and I was right).

Attaching the sleeves to the bodice turned out to be the most frustrating part of the process so far.  But I am glad that I went through the irritation with muslin first, and did not shred my dupioni with each new attempt to make the darn thing fit together properly.

The reproduction pattern (from The Vintage Fashion Library) is missing quite a few markings.  This was originally an unprinted pattern full of different sized perforations and notches that are used to help match up all of the pieces.  Unfortunately, about 70% of the perforations are missing from the reproduction.  Not all of them are completely necessary, but there are some fold-lines and match ups that I am having to guess, and have added quite a bit of difficulty.  This is especially problematic on the sleeve insertion.  The only thing that I can figure is that a step is missing in the instructions that would gather the front section of the upper sleeve with the dart.  The more I fiddle with it, the more I am convinced that something was drafted incorrectly, most likely the sleeve.

I did not end up with any pictures of my muslin - not sure how that happened.  It is now in pieces, having used one entire half of it to cut out my silk.

A big thank you goes out to my mom for helping me fix the fit on the back of the bodice.  Patterns are not drafted for people with good posture!

Here’s hoping that in a couple of days, I have a finished product that looks something like this.