The Pocket Dress - Simplicity 1800

I’m back from a lovely vacation up the California coast refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to sew.  Before I left I was able to finish a new summer dress for the trip.  I saw this fabric last year at Mood in LA and took a photo of it but didn't buy it (why, I cannot tell you) but I was happy to find it was still there in February.  I originally I thought I would make a skirt but opted to use Simplicity 1800 , a pattern I've used before, and make a dress instead.
​
There was no need to make a muslin on this project since I've sewn it up before but I did make adjustments the first time I made it. On the front pattern piece, I took a tuck out of the neckline to eliminate the gaping in the front neck. I found the princess seams landed too far toward the outside so I made the center front panel 1" narrower.  This is an alteration I've never had to make but it was simple enough to fix.
  
Far and away the best part of this design are the inset pockets.  The construction on the pockets is a bit tricky but the instructions are good.  This is one of those instances where taking the construction one step at a time, just as written, really pays off.  And to save yourself lots of time in the end, take the time to transfer every marking from the pattern. 

---

Admittedly, I'm a pattern matching geek and I thoroughly enjoyed matching the pattern at the pockets.  It was challenging but I'm happy with the results.  Why does pattern matching thrill me so?

This dress was perfect for my vacation as the wine country, the first stop on our vacation, was 100 degrees!  So hot but so wonderful!  We took a bike ride through the vineyards (I was only slightly sore the next day) and sat in the river like lazy frogs.  Ahhh. Some gratuitous vacation photos:

More summer sewing lies ahead....what are you sewing?