My machine is back and works like a dream. I am glad I made the decision to get it fixed, although I am still looking to upgrade sometime in the future.
I took the advice of many of you and decided to add a ribbon to the front of the dress to break up the fabric. I believe it did the trick because I just love the dress now!
Here is the before picture.
Here is the finished product, modeled today by my favorite two year old.
The ribbon makes all the difference. Thanks ladies for all the tips!