Sewing: My Very First Burda Dress!

So it is summer and so I'm taking the Step Beyond Beginner sewing class at Vogue Fabric in Evanston  again.  This time, I'm making a dress and it's lined.  I'm excited because I picked the pattern out of Burda magazine.  I subscribed, even though I've never made one of their patterns, mostly because I enjoy looking at the clothes and imagining that I could make such a thing...one day...one day...

dress-with-a-line-skirt

So...the challenges for this beginning sewist.  Burda prints shloads of patterns in their various sizes onto the same massive sheet of paper, so you have to trace the pattern (in your correct size)--meaning you have to somehow find the correct line to trace amidst all the other lines that are just screaming to be traced.  Then, what I like about the class, is that the instructor adjusts the pattern so that it will fit properly.  So we adjust, then you have to add in the seam allowances (because Burda doesn't add them in like most commercial patterns do).  I'm not complaining.  It was good, in that I think I'm starting to understand how the shapes work.  I'm not so good with 3d imaginings based off of a 2d paper pattern.  But having to trace it out, and then go back and add in seam allowances and hemlines, is prepping me to see it (I think).