see&sew B5632 - finished, with photos

I've finally gotten around to finishing my dress. This pattern gave me some trouble but overall it's OK.
Here are some photos:

Some tips for those of you that plan to use this pattern:

1. When choosing the dress size, consider only the bust and waist measurements. Obviously, the hip size is meaningless with so many gathers. No need to adjust anything for that.
2. The dress is not close-fitted. If you prefer a closer fit, you may need to go down a size or even two. Measure the bodice meticulously. Maybe even make a muslin of just the bodice (top). 
3. This dress has a sort of childish look to it. Decide if that's what you want, as a grown woman :-) Personally I think it's cute but I might feel sort of awkward actually wearing it. I need to get some feedback from friends first to be sure :-)
4. Careful with the amount of fabric you get - My fabric was 145 cm width instead of 150 and I was not able to fit the pattern pieces as instructed. I think I would've been OK with it anyway, but just take care here. I used a different fabric for the lining so I am not sure.
5. If you're making the short version, do add length to the hem (10-20 cm). You'll probably want to remove some of it later, but this dress is rather short, especially in the back sitting down.
6. Consider using a plain fabric for the lining. As you can see the fabric I used has a black and white print. Had I used it for the bodice lining, I think the pattern would have shown through the white and spoiled it. So I used plain white fabric for the lining.
7. Try on the bodice as early on in the process as you can. Even baste it together and make sure the fit is right. Check it standing up and sitting down, because sitting down it will be tighter on you. Do this before attaching the lining and edgestitching it! I like a close fit, but I think I made it too snug and sitting down it's a bit hard to breathe :-(
8. Wear a bra when trying on the bodice and make sure it is covered well. Otherwise this will be impossible to fix later on.
9. Remove as much excess fabric as you can from the seam allowances in the place where the bodice is attached to the skirt, on the side where the zipper is installed. Otherwise you will have a hard time closing the zipper.
10. Remove as much excess as you can from the front as well, where the bodice parts overlap. Otherwise you won't get a nice straight line. 
11. When it's done, iron down the gathers a bit. Otherwise it'll puff out and you'll look like a balloon / pregnant woman / child.
12. Check that the hem is parallel to the floor before hemming - it may be higher up on the front or the back. If it's significantly off, fix it.

For more tips and talk about this dress, see my previous blog entry about it.

As usual I'd love to hear your comments and questions!