Ruffled Maxi-dress - Simplicity 1873

Hello all!

Gosh, it's been a long time since I've posted.  I've made a whole new wardrobe since then!  Moved, transferred to a new university, got married a cat, and generally begun a new phase in my life.

First of all, the most important bit:

Little Mills (full name Millicent Sabrina Frampton) is just pushing four months.  She's an evil little shit but sometimes she dials it back and does some adorable ninja nonsense like you see above.  Evil, though.  The worst bitey monster I've ever willingly shared my bed with.

Here, have a few more:

 She used to be so tiny.

Getting a bit bigger

Millie came to live with me when she was just about 3 weeks old, because she and her siblings were abandoned in a friend's yard, no mama in sight.  I picked her up and she bit me, which for some reason I took as a good sign.  Since then she's become a traveling cat.

 Stuffed in a bag on the train.  She doesn't particularly like this.

She loves to ride in the car, though!  She climbs all over that handsome man.

So, that's Millie. Onward to the dress!

I used Simplicity 1873, a Cynthia Rowley pattern for dress and jacket.  I only used the bodice pieces, though, and rectangles for the skirt.  The skirt has four deep inverted pleats, two in front and two in the back.  It's simple, pretty, and breezy.

See? Breezy!

I made a 2-inch FBA in the bodice, but could have used a little more coverage in the armscyes.  They show a little bra, but it's not something I mind too much.  

The fabric is a very lightweight polyester double georgette with a geometric design reminiscent of bows.  I'm not rabidly anti-synthetics, and this is a nice one.  It's got a dry, not too slick feel that I appreciate.

 This is a slightly older picture, hence the different haircut.  In this photo, you can see the ruffle a bit better.  It was a very simple job!  I just traced around an LP, then traced around a bowl inside that circle to get a ring.  I then sandwiched the ruffle between fashion fabric and lining and here we are.  An effective way to trim a dress, embarrassingly easily!  The ruffle is baby-hemmed which was definitely the most difficult part of the process.
Does anyone else have the worst luck trying to press down baby hems?  I should get one of those silicone gloves you're supposed to use with curling irons...

Here's a shot of the inside:

The dress is lined in a sheer silk crepe de chine.  I just zig-zagged around the waist seam.  The skirt seams are done all French-like.

I love this dress.  It's something easy to wear, comfortable, and I don't have to worry about flashing someone if I have to struggle out of a seated position on the ground!  All around, it's a winner!