Tartan Dress

 I bought this gorgeous tartan cotton in Stone Fabrics, online. The design is mine, and I used this book to get the shirt pattern: 

The idea of the book is great. It presents a bunch of bodice patterns, another of skirt patterns, some necks and sleeves, and the possibility to combine them all to get a huge number of possibilities. 

This was the first time I tried a pattern from this book and it proved sadly wrong.
I took the shirt pattern and  combined it with a sleeve and a collar with a stand.

Bodice Pattern

The sleeve had a good match to the bodice, but the neck cut was too deep for a shirt collar, and the stand was far too long for the collar. I don't like the result at all. I will wear it, because all in all, it is a very nice and comfortable dress, but the shirt collar is not beautiful.

I also had to arrange the seams at the sides, they were too curved for my taste and figure, but that was an easy change to make. When I realized the collar was all wrong, it was too late, and nothing could be done to repair it. What a pity. I'll try another pattern, because the book is full of good designs and ideas, but I have to remember to bevery careful and true the paper pattern on the dress form before cutting anything.

Apart form that small flaw, the dress is cute, the fabric pattern gorgeous. It does not wrinkle too much for being cotton, and it is very comfortable to wear. 

Inspiration

 

I now realize there should be more gathering in the skirt. I have some more fabric left, and I can repair it easily, adding another seam, which would be unconspicious in this fabric. But I am lazy to undo and redo things, so maybe I'll leave it for next season!