Out with a fizzle and in with a sizzle! First project of 2012: a dress

My sewing output towards the end of 2011 pretty much fizzled.  But I did have lots of fun doing non-sewing things:  House tours!  Holiday parties!  Movies!  Shopping!  Mother-daughter bonding!  Cheesy-but-fun holiday lights tours!  Stand-up comedians!  Uh, wait.  I didn't actually "do" a stand-up comedian--but I did see Paula Poundstone (Wait, wait, don't tell me) at the Palace of Fine Arts.  Oh, yeah--I also worked.  

But now that it's January, I'm ready to get back to it!  So, to start the year with a little sizzle, I made my daughter a new dress!  She's headed back east, and needed something to throw on (Oh, this old thing?) with black tights and boots for a little late-night grad school partying.  She wanted something stylish and comfortable.  Going through the stash, this OOP Simplicity 3800 seemed like a possibility.  I would've had time to make a muslin had I not honed my procrastination skills so well.  (Nuts.  Everyone needs a special talent.)  Luckily, the dress fit perfectly straight from the envelope!  I used a recent Joann's knit that I purchased on sale; DD loves the print.  She also loves the way the dress fits--with the exception of the length.  So, at her request, I chopped off seven inches!  Clearly, this dress will not be worn to work!

 

Who needs a pair of shoes?

I wish I'd had gotten a photo of her with the boots and tights on (and the dress).  She looked fabulous!  I settled for these not-too-sharp iPhone photos, but made her promise to take photos when she wears it at the party.  (And I really need to remember to charge my camera's battery!)

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Except for the length, I made no alterations to the pattern.  I did use the sleeve from the top pattern.  All seams were serged, and the hems were done on my coverstitch. 

A fun pattern--I think I'll make another one for her!

Happy sewing! ~ Peggy