Simplicity 2584: The "I'm Dreaming of a Plaid Christmas" Dress

When we went to Washington DC for a month to be with my husband at a conference there, I brought two bags of patterns and fabric so I could get a bunch of stuff cut out.  By golly, if I wasn't going to be able to sew, I was still going to do something to further the cause.  So cut, I did.
I brought this plaid suiting and a Vogue pants pattern, but had a sudden inspiration in our small apartment one night and cut out this Cynthia Rowley design instead.
I am sometimes very influenced by the envelope design and originally pictured this in white or something summery, but when inspiration hits, I'm more than willing to change plans.

We got back from DC mid-October and our Christmas photo shoot was scheduled for November, so I finished this dress and dresses for my two daughters before I started anything else.

My biggest concerns going into sewing this up were matching the plaid (careful cutting, lots of pinning and slow sewing helped with that), the yoke, which turned out to be no problem at all, and the fit around the waist and hips. 

I did have to widen it around the lower hip area and take it in at the middle seam for the curve of my low back.  I still prefer it belted.  I just don't like any pooling on top of my bottom and a belt keeps everything in place.

There was meant to be a zipper in the back, but I honestly just totally forgot until after I'd sewn the seam all the way to the neck and then I realized I might not have to unpick it after all because of the big ol' slit in the front.  I tried it on.  No problem at all going over my head.  Yes!  I outsmarted the zipper without even trying.

Here is the finished product in the picture we chose for our Christmas card.  We were very red and green last year, and I really like how the plaid gave this year's outfits a totally different feel.

I used what I had leftover to accent my 3-year-old's dress and try to tie the outfits together.

I'm already pinning and planning for our "look" for 2012 and I'm getting really excited.  This sewing stuff is way too much fun. :D