Hawthorn Dress: Wearable or Wearable Muslin?

If you follow the indie sewing pattern world at all, I'm sure you were part of the mania this week when Colette Patterns released their new pattern, the Hawthorn dress.  A classic shirtdress with a few variations, it seems extremely wearable, and I was so excited to see it debut!  The Laurel left me longing for a bit more, and I wasn't disappointed at all!

I quickly bought the pattern and it was delivered Friday.  I cut it out and sewed up the bodice last night, and today, finished the dress!

I used red and white seersucker my mom bought in spring 2005--I originally had plans to make a Laura Ashley halter dress (I can't seem to find the pattern now, so I'm sure it's long out-of-print) and it never happened because I was in high school.  My mom hung onto the fabric and gave it to me, along with piles of other apparel fabrics, this past March.

My biggest complaint?  The bust.  I always cut an 8 bodice and 10 skirt in Colette.  And everything always fits close to perfectly.  This time?  Not so much.  Anyone else had this problem?  I have another planned and I'll adjust the seam allowances at least 1/4" on either side.  I used French seams and didn't try on my dress as I made it, so I guess I deserve the complaint.

Awesome part of this pattern?  The semi-circle skirt.  I love circle skirts, but hate how they use ridiculous amounts of fabric.  With this pattern, I get a decent twirl and minimal amounts of yardage...even though I had seven yards of that seersucker available.  Yeah.  Seven.

So overall I'm really happy with this pattern, but the bust bums me out.  I can wear a camisole under it to flatten out my boobs a little, or wear some Spanx, I guess.  It is a cute dress, though, and is a good stand-in for a muslin, considering I learned about the fit AND didn't pay a dime for the fabric.  Yay!  Future Fourth of July dress?  I think so.