Simplicity 3784 - a break from the wedding dress

I wanted a break from making my wedding dress so I decided to have a go at making Simplicity 3784 which I've wanted to make for a while! 

I bought some satin bedding for £5 about a year ago because I loved the pattern. It's made of 100% cotton but it's soooo smooth (but not as slippery to work with as I had feared). When I saw this pattern, I knew exactly it would be perfect for the fabric! 

I made a view D size 6 petite and thought it turned out well. I made a couple of minor modifications:

• I added a waist stay;
• Instead of the bow at the waistline I used a cream coloured ribbon instead; and
• I didn't line the skirt - only lined the bodice and I think it worked fine. 

I thought the pattern was well designed and really easy to follow. This project didn't take me long, even with the boning and inserting the horsehair braid into the hem (I decided to hand sew the hem this time based on my previous experience with machine sewing the braid). The effect of the braid is much more obvious on this dress - I'm really glad I used it. 

I used Rigiline boning this time as it's easier to buy and quite a lot cheaper than spiral steel. and I was happy with the structure it gave the bodice. 

The sizing was fine if not a little bit smaller than I expected. Usually a size 6 Simplicity gives me a little bit more ease - although perhaps it's a sign that I should exercise more now!

The best bit is, I only used half of the bedding so still have plenty left for a project another time!