Going sleeveless…help.

We live in AZ. It is hot here...already in the 90's and here I am sewing a Library dress for Easter. I pretty much leave the sleeves off of most patterns. For this one I planned on just using double fold bias tape in place of the sleeves but things are not lining up correctly when I pin the sides. Do the sleeves need to be on the dress to make the skirt line up correctly? It looks like I'm off by about a half inch. Has anyone else made this pattern without the sleeves?