All right, almost done! Lining inserted and hem pinned up. Alas, all this hand sewing is actually the slowest part. Here is the front:

And the lining:

And the back:

Remember those pearl appliques? Here they are, sewn at the center back just above the pleat. This helps to secure the weight of the pleat in place between my shoulder blades. Ordinarily one simply sews across with the sewing machine to secure the layers of fabric, but what’s the decorative value of that?

And here are some more pearl things at the cuff:

And the fastenings. All those buttons, and the attendant labor in making button loops for them, was too much. Chinese frog fasteners are shamefully cheap on Ebay. So I ordered these, for the cost of a large vanilla latte at Starbucks. Aren’t they perfect? They will be centered on each scallop, front and center. They are in fact too small for the garment, only about an inch long on each side. It would be better if they were more assertive!  If some day I get my hands on some more black cording I could add curlicues to each frog on each side.

The other major final finishing task is hemming the garment evenly all around. The trick for a long garment like this is to hang it up for a few days, on a hanger, so that the fabric can adjust itself to its new role in life. If it wants to stretch out a little I want it to happen before I laboriously sew up the hem.