I was at Hallmark earlier this month for a pop-up shop event, and one of the girls that works there remarked on May being the busiest month of the year. Y’all, she was right! Besides Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day celebrations, we have been invited to birthdays, graduations, and various other events throughout the month!
When Lo and I received an invitation to a tea party/royal wedding viewing party, I knew Simplicity 1419 would be the perfect dress. I made a wearable muslin years ago (when it was still in print), but I couldn’t recall what size I originally made. Based on my current measurements, I decided to make the size 10 with a broad back adjustment and shortened the waist about an inch, which created a great fit through the front bodice, back, and shoulders. Unfortunately, I’m not sure what happened, but my bodice has more ease than my muslin. Measure twice, cut once, y’all!
I omitted the collar from View B and considered making a coordinating sash, but eventually decided to keep it simple. It’s a great pattern with darts in both the front and back bodice pieces, which provides a great fit for those of us who generally need a swayback adjustment. I also omitted the pockets since I added a skirt lining and wanted to avoid extra fullness at the sides.
I love the full skirt with pleats in both the front and back. The pattern provides facings, but I decided to fully line the bodice and skirt pieces which gave me a nice clean finish. The fabric is designed by Erin McMorris for Free Spirit Fabrics and is no longer made. I unfortunately bought 2 1/2 yards, which was enough to line up the stripes, but I didn’t take into account the polka dots, and I needed closer to 3 yards. I did the best I could without making another trip to my local fabric shop.
I wore a different dress to the tea party and decided to wait to wear this dress for our family photo session later that afternoon. There are so many talented people in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and I was thrilled to work with Felicity Suzanne last weekend as she captured some beautiful photos of my family. The wind made things a little challenging, but she still captured some of my favorite expressions from Lo during our session. If you’re in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, you should consider booking a session with Felicity!
So, what’s your busiest time of year?

Earrings: Loft, Bracelet: Lucky Brand previous season, but this is from the current season, Shoes: sold out, but these Ted Baker’s are similar

***All opinions are mine. I was not sponsored by or affiliated with any links used in this post.