A dress for Mrs Claus

Just before Christmas I made myself a new Staple dress. When I finished the dress I showed it to my husband. He said that if I added some fur I would have looked like Mrs Claus.

Please allow me to disagree!

The fabric is Lisette Cotton Sateen that I picked up from a clearance shelf at my local Spotlight. Red is my favourite colour. I also loved the floral print. I thought this fabric looked festive enough but not too Christmassy so I could wear my new dress any day. My selfish sewing confidence is still very low. I did not want to spend too much on fabric I could ruin. 

After sewing my first Staple dress I knew I wanted to make a few small changes. While making this dress I actually 'married' two sizes in one dress. I kept the bodice part of the dress size S but widened the skirt part to size M. The adjusted shape feels more comfortable to wear than my first attempt.

I thought that the neckline on my first dress was too wide so I played around a little and made it smaller. And yes, I still feel like an idiot posing for photos!

I have heard plenty of stories of shirring gone wrong so I must admit I was not in a hurry to try it. However this time I decided it was time. I was surprised how easy shirring was! Or maybe it was the case of "first time lucky".

My first Staple dress did not have pockets. This one does! I should have tried the dress on before sewing the pockets in. I think I placed them too high which did not leave enough room for a few more rows of shirring. 

After a remark from my husband I was really unsure about the dress so decided to wear it to work the following day and check what my co-workers though. They laughed at my husband's comment and reassured me I did not look like Mrs Claus in my new Staple dress. 

What do you think?