I'm trying to catch up with my finished projects, so you get 2 blog posts this week! This time it's a house dress I made for myself with some 1930s repro quilting cotton and a 1950s pattern.

I haven't sewed for myself in a while, so it was fun to be back at the familiar tasks of sewing darts and matching skirt seams.

The print is small and busy, so I wanted something fairly simple and pulled from my stash a pattern I haven't made before. 

This straight-skirted 1950s pattern features inset pockets and a collar band. The cutaway pocket detail (which was pretty much the only pattern detail) got completely lost in the print, so after some thought I added a bit of trim.

The trim also pulls out the navy blue dots in the print, which I wanted to accentuate since the yellow-green flowers are not a good color for me. 

I hoped the trim wouldn't make it look too apron-like, but after it was finished I decided that it was the right call. 

I always enjoy making a pattern with sleeves cut with the bodice, since it's quicker and I don't have to set sleeves. They are also more comfortable to wear since they allow more range of motion – but I also don't like how they look as much, so it's kind of a love-hate relationship. :-) 

I know the buttons are spaced pretty close together for this style of dress, but when I do a button-front dress I'm always afraid of it gaping in spots, so this was my solution. 

Also I have to document that this is the very first time I've made buttonholes with just a regular foot on the machine, and it is very freeing to know it's possible, if slightly more complicated!

For some reason the print reminds me of my great-grandmother who lived with us for a time when I was a girl. I'm glad to have it off my shelf and in my closet.

Even if I don't make this pattern again, it was a fun sew to break through the long drought of no dressmaking and getting bored with the options that fit me in my closet, so I will enjoy pairing it with a cardigan this fall.