Christmas Party Dress

My husband and I attended a Christmas party for his work and I made a dress for the occasion.  I have very few dresses in my closet that fit--3 actually--and I don't like any of them very much, not even the 2 that I made.  I was very pleased at how it turned out (until I saw the side view pics.  Ugh, does anyone who has had children look good from the side?)

Yes, we coordinated :)

I used Simplicity 3503 and made the long view with a deep v-neck and back.  I raised the neckline a bit, though, as I don't think undergarments should be optional (and, now that I've seen myself from the side--pics I won't be sharing here, by the way--I can see that Spanx should not be optional either.  Santa, I hope you're reading this!)

It's the left-most evening dress

My fabric was not as formal as on the envelope, but I wanted to use it because I thought it was pretty and the colors seemed wintery to me.  Plus I like to wear grey, black and blue.  I have no clue what dresses look good on me, and the thought of trying on a bunch of clothes at the store makes me a bit discouraged, so I decided to try this one and learn as I go.  This pattern has been very popular and I especially love Eugenia's version, though I made a different view.

The back

I consider this project successful for several reasons.

1. I achieved a nice finish on the inside and out (not perfect, but I have far less practice on knits than I do on wovens and I was very satisfied with the progress I've made).
2. I achieved a decent fit.  I made a few adjustments before cutting the pattern out and made several adjustments during the sewing process as well.  You can read the technical details in my pattern review if you wish. 
3. I sewed myself something.  I don't sew for myself much, so it felt really nice to spend some time making something I could wear.
4. I feel like I conquered my fear of knits.  Sure, the fear may creep up again, but having to make adjustments and unpick and re-do seams taught me that knits are not as intimidating as I thought. 

The dress held up great during an evening of dancing, even though I neglected to finish the waist seam properly. (When you're finishing up a dress the day you're supposed to wear it, sometimes you accidentally baste and go.  I was so nervous when I realized this on the way to the party!).  This project has gotten me excited about sewing for myself more after Christmas.