Mortmain dress

This dress was a serious disappointment, largely because it didn't fit.  I love this fabric - it's the fourth dress I've made from this print (the others are here and here) and the colour is just gorgeous. Going by the measurements on the pattern envelope I cut a size 10, and really I should have taken notice of the fact that the instructions say it is close-fitting.

Whilst I didn't find it uncomfortable it could do with a bit more ease (or me being a bit slimmer); the bust darts are also too high, although it doesn't notice with the allover print and it doesn't adversely affect the line of the dress.  The worst problem though was that the armholes are too high cut at the front.  So... having completely finished this apart from sewing down the bodice lining, I tried it on and discovered all these fit issues.  I unpicked the bodice side seams and armholes, created alternative bodice front and back pattern pieces (basically by looking at myself in the mirror wearing this dress and memorising where and how much fabric to remove around the armholes), and recut and resewed the bodice.  This was fiddly and didn't really make much of an improvement so I've decided to get rid of the bodice and turn this into a skirt - I've got enough fabric left to make a waistband, I just need to buy a skirt zip.

As I said at the beginning - a disappointment.