Hey Peeps! Happy to see you again! Things have been ticking along at an easy pace these past few weeks. I have been sewing, but I’ve been slow sewing. ‘What is, and why?’ you ask. Well, most textile arts are thoughtful, calming, even meditative. Machine sewing however, has always held for me, an urgent nature. It’s been all about the finished garment. Speed is impressive, yes? ‘You made that in two days? Impressive!’ said the masses a few of my friends each time I paraded out a new outfit. Gradually, over the last year or so, I’ve been intentionally slowing things down. I’m taking time to learn new techniques. I tweak patterns and work on improving my hand stitching. I don’t rush the fabric selection, or the design, or the finishing details. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy sewing before…I’ve always loved it. I just wanted to consciously enjoy each step {okay, maybe not taping together PDF patterns…} of the garment making process. And, I’m doing just that! It’s funny…if I were to be logical….the older I get, the faster I should sew, LOL {not getting any younger and all, blah, blah, blah}. Okay, there is no wrong way….fast sew, slow sew…it’s all good…I’d love to hear what works for you. Today’s shirt dress, a bit of a hack on Simplicity 2339, keeps with my slow sew theme. The pattern is a classic fitted shirt with specific pattern pieces based not only on your bust size, but on your cup size too. Although I’ve been wanting a gingham shirt, I was antsy for a spring dress…I think my shirt dress is a happy compromise. I could have simplified my life by buying a shirt dress pattern, but I was up to the task for some minor pattern drafting. It wasn’t super difficult, but there was strategy involved. I cut out a size smaller than the pattern specs suggested {Simplicity tends to fit large on me}, and cut the shirt front and back pattern pieces to waist length. I added a waistband. I remembered {this is a big deal} to make the front band the full length of my dress, and I drafted front and back skirt pieces…well, I cut three rectangles {too easy to qualify as self drafted}. After gathering the skirt pieces at the waistline, and adding in-seam pockets, I attached the skirt pieces to the waistband/bodice … Continue reading 99 PINK BALLOONS DRESS : : SIMPLICITY 2339