Early Edwardian Style Dress for Summer

well I finally got around to finishing a dress I started last Fall ... well almost . I thought a lightweight sheer 1902-ish dress for October in AZ.  would be nice to have , but , well you know how sewing goes . So here it is now , just in time for Wyatt Earp Days in Tombstone over Memorial Day wekend .

Here are a couple inspiration pics :

OK , great dress with the big lace yoke & ruffles galore , cute on that young thing but not so much on this grandmother of six , so we need to tone down the fluff ....

OK , better , I think with a more mature palette and less lace this can work .

Now for a pattern . Being horribly cheap I like to make do with what is on hand , and this seemed close ...

Not my best idea , but too late now .

I had ordered a large amount of tiny cotton net edging lace , here I am attempting to use the narrow rolled hem foot while edge stitching the lace on in one operation . Miles of it . On bias cut ruffles . This is why the dress was abandoned for a while I think .

Then there was that yoke & collar ... pin tucked with rows of the edging lace applied with hemstitching ...

Only to try it on & hate the fit . Ugh .

So 3 more times through the machine altering the shoulder seams to get it acceptable .

BUT - now I don't like the front , the lower edge of the yoke looks too straight across & not as round as I had wanted . Double UGH .

                                                                                   
   So ... I hand stitched a sparse old lace collar over the yoke to try & give it a more rounded line .....

                                                                                 

Horrible photo , but you get the idea .

Someday I will make the ruched , pointed girdle for it out of cream silk , but for now , an antique ebroidered silk sash works fine .

Now , if someone can just help me do something with that HAIR !  I can't do anything but grow the stuff ...

Any help or suggestions will be appreciated !

Feel free to comment ...