Although this dress didn't turn out quite as expected, I am happy with the result.
First off, the pattern is very fitted. If I were to make another version, I would probably use a smaller seam allowance to give a bit more ease to the finished dress.
There is just something about negative ease that makes me nervous. And while I am getting more comfortable sewing with knit fabrics, I'm not sure I will ever get over that particular issue that is very common with patterns drafted for knit fabrics.
The other "issue" that I came across was rather unexpected.
I always remove a wedge of length in the back bodice for fitting purposes, but this dress makes me think that I should have taken even more length out of the back.
Or perhaps it's something else.
The collar of this dress is extremely tall. Really, really tall. I would say that I have a long neck, but this was almost too much for me.
And the reason why is that darn invisible zipper (at least, I am pretty sure it is). Anyone who has worked with an invisible zipper knows that they do not bend at all. So that zipper is working almost like a piece of plastic bonding that will not let the length of the back collar fold.
I would hazard a guess that if I hadn't inserted an invisible zipper at center back, the collar would just flatten out to fit any length of neck you might happen to have. What seems to be happening here is that the inches of zipper in the collar are very stiff, but further down the back, the invisible zipper is able to puff out around my mid-back.
So if you plan to insert the zipper, it's just something to think about - you may want to fold the collar so that it's a bit shorter unless you have a very long neck!
The other disappointment is that I do wish that I had a little more yardage and could have added a few inches to the overall length of the dress.
But really, I do love the overall look of the dress. And adding to my Halloween themed collection is always fun!