A Finish - the yellow dress

I find it difficult to be completely satisfied with garment making but I refuse to make a muslin because of the extra time and money; maybe I need to decide which is most important! So this dress is finished, not without issue, though I finally understood how vents work and I learned to make a lapped zip from a video tutorial. I struggled to understand the pattern and bodged the zip twice until I finally looked into it, then got it right straight away! It has been a project where I have learned a lot for future garments, that's for sure.At the very start (and possibly the reason I put it off for so long) I used interfacing that was too heavy for the neckband. I'm hoping it will soften in the wash.... but the crinkly edges really annoy me! I may add some topstitching to try and smooth it out once it's out of the washer.The armhole facing was fixed by ripping it out, shortening it and actually reading the instructions properly. With a touch of trimming like it says to do, this actually looks good now. I also adjusted the princess seams a bit because the armholes were a bit gap-y. I think that works.Lastly, the body is a bit long, so the zip bulges a little bit, and I only did the usual three measurements, so I hadn't considered I'd have to shorten the bodice. Not sure what I'm going to do about that yet, maybe I'll just always wear a cardigan over the top so I don't have to take the zip out and undo the hand sewing I did on the waistband lining....So they're all the flaws but the positives are - I managed a straight hem, I learned about zippers, I now know that my body - which is usually way too long for tops to stop revealing my belly - is actually short on dress patterns and can plan accordingly, the waistband is nice, the hip measurement is good, the fabric is cute!An unofficial finish along entry!