I’ve been trying, really I have, but I will never match the sewing productivity of Sarah or Katherine, the later of whom even makes progress whilst on vacation in Europe.
But I finally put the sleeves into the bodice and sewed the rest of the hooks (once I bought more) into the stomacher sides. That area gapes horribly because of the hook-eyelet placement, as I feared it would. Really not sure what else I could have done. It looks great when I pin it, so I may do that as reinforcement. And, of course, I will do what I always do to cover up problems — trim the crap out of it! Wide ruffly ruching should both camouflage the area and hide the pinning. Plus look froufy, bonus.