My son Karl just graduated from Preschool and I wanted something special to wear as well as something to wear with the Twin Peaks collar necklace I made last year. I found this lovely geometric fabric at Joanne’s in the quilting section. I washed it a couple of times and it got very soft, which is pretty standard for most quilting cottons I’ve gotten there. It’s thin enough to be breathable in summer, but thick enough that I didn’t have to line it or wear a slip. Here it is on the morning before we left for the ceremony. 
And here we are after. I’m so proud of him! Yes, I’m a little wrinkled post sitting and socializing. Plus with a belt it has a tendency to creep upward, but all in all it’s very comfortable and easy to wear.
I added cuffs and a sleeve pleat from a Burda Easy pattern. I wanted an early 80s look with the shoulders which I think worked out nicely. I’m one of those broad shouldered women with even broader hips (Hello Joan Crawford!) so a strong shoulder balances me out nicely and makes me look less pear and more hourglass shaped.
I used the Built By Wendy Shift pattern from her Dresses book and swapped in the sleeve head from Burda Easy Spring/Summer 2013 (one of Burda’s best issues in my opinion).
Given that I’m 35″ bust and 41″ hip post baby, with a few more pounds and LOTS of toning to go, I should have cut a Small bust and a Large hip, but I like my clothes slightly more fitted & in my experience most modern patterns have loads of ease. Loooooooaaaaaaads of it. I used the Xtra Small through the bust and graded out to a Medium in the hips, which ended up being totally unnecessary and I ended up with a Small through the hips ( which is bonkers).
As for the sleeves, I used the Built By Wendy sleeve and added the Burda Easy sleeve cap. It turned out perfectly!
I added an invisible zipper, which took forever for me to remember how to put one in, but eventually it worked out. The insides are just pinked so there’s no fancy finishing to show off and instead of a facing I used bias tape for the neckline, which reduced bulk.
Now I’m off to the store and hopefully I’ll be able to get some drawing done this afternoon~
nouvellegamine 
I want to try Built by Wendy, I have yet to because I’m sure sizing won’t accommodate me. But I resize every pattern I’ve ever used so not critical. I adore your collar too. I remember watching you working on it via Instagram! And I plan on seeing your sketchbook tour at LACMA. So exciting! ❤
To be more specific with the sizing, I currently have a 35″ bust. In the BBW Dresses book her size Small is 34″-35″ but I ended up cutting an XS 32″-33″, so there’s maybe 2″ of extra ease on top of what I would consider wearable ease. So, if you look at my photos you can see the ease on an XS even though I should be in the next size up.
The Dresses book goes up to 40″-41″ bust so I’m betting that if you like your clothes more fitted, like I do, a 43″ bust could probably wear an XL. The patterns are pretty much just slopers that don’t contain seam allowances so they are super easy to manipulate 😀
Omgosh! I’m so excited you’re going to see “Princess Witch”! I hope you like it 😀