Birthday Dress

Over the last week I made the Simplicity 2444 pattern to wear on my birthday. I used "It's a Hoot" by Moda quilting cotton that I bought a year or two ago at our local quilt shop, Among Friends Quilt Shop. After using this fabric print in quite a few patch work projects I only had 1 and 7/8 yards left. The original pattern calls for about 3 and 3/8 yards of fabric. I had to strategically cut out the top pieces and then made a gathered skirt using every bit of the yardage I had left.

Despite the generous gather and because of the grain line, it was still a bit short for me to wear comfortably, so I bought a similar colored broadcloth at my local chain store, Joann's  the next day to make the border/hem. Because the background color is off white, it is lined with an off white lining I had in my stash. The zipper is done as a hand picked zipper, my first ever, which I learned via my Craftsy course I just watched this summer,  "The Couture Dress, with Susan Khalje".