I am going to line this dress and do without the facings for the neck and armholes. The lining will be added throughout rather than just the bodice area. This is because there is a back slit which makes it impossible to wear a slip (petticoat) underneath. I do think that clothes which are lined do lie better when worn.

29th June - just have the facings for the armholes to hand stitch in place. Yes, I did eventually decide to use the facings. The lining is held in place by the facings, and is hand stitched down the length of the zip too. Next time I shall make a size smaller since it feels a little on the large side. The neckline is also very much lower than I had realised. This will not be a problem since I intend to wear this as a pinafore dress.