How can an armpit be so tricky?

In order to chill out after school I like to do a bit of crafting with a favourite DVD playing and a cup of tea. The current project is not quite as easy as it first looked. 

 I'm working on the muslin for the bodice of my dress. I couldn't figure out how on Earth the reinforcing in the front and back of the armpits worked where the bodice side panels fit in. You know what I did? I looked up the pattern on the internet, and found a review, which said it was really tricky. No surprise there! Trust me to choose a deceptively simple looking hard pattern for Project One. Obviously other dressmakers had come across the same problem as me, and one review referred me to none other than the lovely Gertie's blog, where I found she had tackled the same problem with another pattern. So this is what I ended up with once I had followed Gertie's instructions.

 Not sure if her version ended up with the folded back bits on the seams, but I couldn't see how to make it neat any other way. I ironed the reinforcing patch in place, and got my fabric glue stick onto it to make sure it stayed put.

 Here's the third side panel inserted. I am supposed to pivot at the corner, but I had to stop, remove the fabric from under the needle, then re-position. You can see the contrasting fabric of the patch where I haven't gone high enough with my seams into the pivot point. The fourth panel went in better. Practise makes perfect.

Meanwhile, Season Two of Downton Abbey played. I LOVE the costumes. Here are some evening dresses from Season Two. The lavish fabrics are so fascinating and divine, and the dress cuts are so flattering. Of course the three sisters are all slender. No hormonal munchies downstairs in the kitchen for these ladies. 

Lady Cora wears the most beautiful gowns too. I wonder what ladies of the Downton Abbey era with a generous bosom wore? A corset to squash everything down probably.

I should be able to do a bodice fitting before long.