Not-So-Last-Minute Dress Progress

First off, I want to thank everyone for sharing their thoughts on dresses from my previous post. Like many of you commented, my first choice was the first dress as well -- the lines are so pretty and because I made the skirt version, I know that it is relatively easy to sew (despite all of the curved seams).

Unfortunately, I had a couple of problems with this pattern. It is drafted for knits, and I don't think a knit dress would be the most appropriate choice for the occasion. Also, for some strange reason, I had my heart set on making a silk dupioni dress (hence the trip to Thai Silks) -- regardless of the pattern. So I decided to make a go of it and try to convert the pattern into one for wovens. After spending the last few days working out a muslin, adding ease, figuring out where to put a zipper, etc. -- I realized this isn't really much of a last-minute dress anymore!

Here's the muslin, made up without any alterations to the original pattern. The curved seams on the skirt are puckering --- I think I must have stretched the bias as I sewed, which is why it is pouf-ing in all the wrong places. As expected, the dress is tight in most places, so I added ease all around.

I've been unsure about this dress for days now, and while I'm really not sure how this will turn out, I've decided to move forward. I have a ready-made back-up dress in case things don't turn out with this one, but I'm determined to at least see this through!