V.1.2

Isn't it supposed to be easier the second time around? The "real" Easter dress took at least 3 times as long to finish as the first version. Oh well. I learned some lessons and that's always a positive.

Verson 1 went a little quicker because I used my very handy pinking shears.

Trying to be fancy, I went with a french seam the second time around.

At one point, I thought, "Hmm...wonder what happens if I ever need to alter a garment that has french seams? Is there enough room to let it out?"
FORESHADOWING!! It gets me every time.
You see, in the practice version, I felt pretty confident about the bust area. I just wasn't sure what size I actually needed to cut out for my hips or how much to gradate between the two. So I just cut the biggest size for the hip and didn't alter anything until the very end and took it all out of the back seam where the zipper goes.
Feeling confident with my experimentation and measurements, I calculated how much I cut out and what size I should use for the second version. As the second dress came together I noticed it was a little snug on Ms. Dolly. But I figured once the zipper was in, it would all work out. And it did. Snugly. I prayed that Dolly's hips were bigger than mine. They are not. Because that's the point of having a Dolly. Duh.
So guess who had to rip out those neat little french seams and do them again, but smaller this time. Thankfully, there are 7 seams in the dress. I ripped four and it produced enough ease that I don't look like I'm from Jersey Shore. (never seen this show actually, but I imagine anyone named Snooki likes her dresses to be a tad hippy)
And now I'm ready to tackle the girls' dresses. Thankfully, they are not curvy in the least.