I’ve been sick the last few days, so not doing much. I slept until 10 on Saturday, which is really late for me, but woke up finally feeling better, so I guess my body just needed it.

I worked a bit on the Hot Patterns Riviera Summer Breeze, which looks good pinned just so on the dressform right now, but not so much on me. I will continue to fuss with it, but needed a break from the the slippery, slithery charmeuse (definitely not my usual choice in fabric).

It’s still summer, and it’s still hot, so I decided to break out the seersucker I got a few weeks ago on sale for $5/yard. $5/yard makes this a pretty inexpensive dress – I only used about two yards of fabric – as long as my time isn’t counted, LOL. (But I enjoy it, and there are certainly worse ways to spend my free time.) This is definitely unlike the typical 50s dresses I make for swing dancing, which usually take closer to 5 yards!

Out of the “antinami cabinet” (Scruff purchased a beautiful Ikea file cabinet for me, to prevent my “drowning in a pattern tsunami”; hence the nickname for the cabinet) came Vogue 1236:

The pattern’s fabric suggestions even include seersucker, so I’m thinking match made in heaven.

I have to say I really enjoyed making this one. Two main pieces, plus pockets and facings, made it really straightforward to make. To make it even simpler, I didn’t even choose to use the facings – instead I used bias tape turned inside to finish the neckline and armholes. This looks good (if I do say so myself), and gives me an extra 1/2″ of coverage, since I don’t turn it in as wide as the seam allowance on the facings would be.

The pockets were inserted with an extra step or two than I’ve used before, and while at the time I considered it fussy, the pockets seem to want to be turned to the front, even though they are not tacked to the front, so there’s a benefit to the extra steps.

I also decided to finish the inside seams with the same binding as the neckline, so the dress would last longer as wash’n’wear – no raveling seams.

Final assessment: definitely worth making, possibly even multiples of. I can see this being worn a lot… (Pardon the poor photo; it’s dark & pouring out and I just finished it, so this is what I have).

I’ve been reading up on fitting, and actually adjusted the pattern for my sloping shoulders – no little “wing” sticking up, yet lingerie straps are covered. Considering it a success!