I made a dress

I downloaded this pdf from the V & A website sometime last year. I am not what you call highly skilled at sewing. As long as it's square and uses a straight stitch, I'm your girl. I wanted to improve. But I don't want to make ordinary clothes that you can get in the shops, don't see the point. I've always fancied the idea of a 40's or 50's dress and this fit the bill.
I did the smart thing of using an old duvet cover and two pillow cases to create this toile. Why spend £25 + on fabric without a run through? I printed the pdf, stuck it together and cut it out. That took an hour and a half. I then pinned and cut out the fabric (another hour and a half). I realised then that I would have to pace myself, this wasn't a one night project.
Most of the instructions are straight forward, except (and mind, this is a novice talking) for sewing up the arm holes, which I did wrong, and the pocket instructions which manages to avoid mentioning panel 16 at all. I need to buy a seam ripper. I also enlarged the pattern to fit my thick waist, but it still doesn't fit.
But, you know, it's o.k. I'm over it now. I learned soooo much. I'm going to make a version for The Girl (with proper fabric, not the colourful cats duvet :). And I know that I'm not willing to buy a corset to make this dress work for me. I'm too much practical for that.