The Dress - Part I

I knew going in that I would have to redo the bodice at least once, maybe more.  The sizing goes up to a 42 but there are no provisions for anything larger than a "B cup.  This is a problem my 30 year old self could never have imagined.  Here's me wearing the first draft.

As you can see the bodice stops mid-bust whereas the pattern has more of an empire line.  The straps are also too far apart.  I didn't complete the lace detail above the bust in this one, but I will in the final.  

To add length I'll work row 1 for 3 1/2" before I move onto row 2.  Ideally it should be short rows, but I'm not going to take the time to figure it out now.  I'll widen the shaping for the armhole to shorten the width between the straps.

Except for the width between the straps, the back looks good.  I'll be wearing a strapless bra and Spanx so the straps won't show and neither will the bulges.  

I did swatch and got stitch gauge using an "E" hook.  The row gauge was slightly off but nothing to account for the shortage of length.

It took me about a week to get this far.  So I'm estimating another week to make the changes.  Most people that have made this dress have had to redo the bodice more than once.  Some 3 or 4 times so I'm in good company.  The good news is that the body of the dress itself goes lickety split!

TTYL,
Melodye