Pink Austen Dress - Part 2

I find when I'm creating a costume that I spend most of my time either sewing it or thinking about it. Perhaps that's not entirely true, but it does seem to invade my thoughts quite a bit. With this gown I did a lot of pondering over how exactly to fit the sleeves on properly, and whether I needed to install some sort of straps as support systems. I think I finally came up with a workable solution, as you'll see in the photo chronicles below.

The back of the dress! Same procedure as for the front, only I didn't need darts.
The straps for the dress. Originally I was just going to use the lining fabric, but then I realized that the straps were going to end up showing, so I had to make another tube of the overfabric to slip on top of the originals.
I pinned the seam on the shoulder line of my dress form, to make sure that the straps got stitched in evenly!
Pinning the straps in place. It's a fussy job and has to be done just right or they'll slip off the shoulder or pinch.
Stitched and trimmed and awaiting a skirt and sleeves!
Cutting out the slip. The triangle on the right is for a godot in the back, to ensure plenty of room for a spirited contra dance!
Slip sewn and pinned in place, so you can get an idea of the final lines. I realized I'm going to have to sew some darts in the waistline of the slip. It has to be quite fitted in that area or the wearer is not going to be flattered by this style. Empire waists are not impossible to construct in a flattering manner, but one does have to be quite particular about those darts!

Read Part 3