Fixer-upper

 I have had this dress on my to-do list for quite some time now. I saw it at the Salvation Army a couple of years ago and bought it because I like shirt-dresses and I liked the turquoise-y blue color of the fabric. In its original state it needed some help though. I looked towards my pattern collection for some inspiration on this one.

Simplicity 5752

Simplicity 2222

I started by cutting apart all the basic parts of the dress; the sleeves, skirt, and bodice. On the bodice, I took in several inches from the side seams and then added darts in the front and in the back for some shaping. I cut the elastic off the skirt and added pleats along the waistline. I created the loose, cuffed sleeves using Simplicity 2222.

 The only thing I don't like about the dress is the collar. It looks a bit large to me, probably just due to the original size of the dress. That won't stop me from wearing it though! I look forward to wearing dresses like this one as a teacher because it is comfortable and I don't have to fret too much if I get paint or clay on it. The dress was cheap and I didn't spend too much time and effort fixing it up!