Apparently, I underestimated how difficult it would be to get a dress made up in four days. I took a new batch of measurements, which fit three separate sizes. I always start with a size 10 for my shoulders and do a three quarter-inch FBA. This usually works out to a reasonable approximation of a size 14 from the waist down. From the finished measurements, it would fit around my body, but I wasn’t sure if it would look good. Short answer, it didn’t. Fortunately, the second muslin was much improved.
Trudy does a good job right now of matching my upper body, but she’s adjusted way too small from the waist down right now.
The first muslin was ridiculously tight though the hips, so I added a half-inch to the side seams through the waist and then another quarter-inch at the hips. Additionally, I ended up taking an inch out of the bodice, which in the first muslin seemed to resolve all of the issues with the neckline. So I was a bit taken aback when the neckline was standing away from my torso so badly with this version. I tinkered with pinning out more length just below the shoulder, but it didn’t work. I finally decided that the neckline itself had too much length, so I took a tuck on each side, which fixed a lot of wonkiness that was showing up in the lower bodice. From the side view, the hem is even, but the waist seam is not, with it too low in the back and excess fabric in the small of my back. I’m thinking of just moving the seam line so that the extra fabric from the bodice is given to the skirt section, but not changing the overall length.
The cut edge of the arm includes the seam allowance, so the armhole is way too big. I’m going to be raising it almost an inch.
I also ended up taking up some neckline darts so the bodice doesn’t stand away from my back at the top. It worked out really nicely, but I don’t want darts there in the final version, so I’m thinking of removing that excess length at the shoulder seam.
Not so fabulous of a double from the backside right now. That excess fabric in center isn’t there when I am wearing this.
You would think after multiple pattern adjustments and two muslins, I would be annoyed to have missed my self-imposed deadline, but I’m really excited with the progress I have made on fitting myself with this project. I just hope that it all pays off when it’s time to cut into the fashion fabric because this is the most fitted dress in a woven material I have worked on in quite a while.
Seams Like Work 
Wow you have more patience than me. But it looks like the dress will come out nicely because of all the work you put in! Can’t wait to see it.
I am not a fan of making muslins, and making two has me putting the project on hold until next week. I will say that I hope to use the knowledge learned in the fitting for this dress in the future, so in that sense, the work pays off. On the other hand, I really wanted to have a new dress by now and that’s not happened yet.