Simplicity 1105 Trapeze Dress

I haven't sewn in MONTHS. I've not had the energy, and I've not had the inspiration. Sitting down to the machine felt like a chore on my to-do list, and I was feeling guilty for not posting more often. I had to actively remind myself that the reason I started sewing was to slow down my fashion, to be more sustainable. Forcing myself to churn out lots of new clothes is not the point.

Anyways, I was packing for my dreamy Hawaii vacation and wanted to have something a little nicer than the sundresses I already owned for going to a luau with my lovely host, my college roommate. I'm not a big dress person generally, so the sundresses I have are more beach cover up or picnic in the park level of casual. While I really really love them, they just weren't right for that particular occasion.

Lucky for me, a dear friend got me this gorgeous fabric (content unknown) when she was traveling in Colombia last year. I've been saving it for something special, and a floaty sundress is exactly what it deserved to be. I had this pattern, Simplicity 1105 by Cynthia Rowley, in my stash for probably 4 or 5 years and never gotten around to making it. Truly serendipitous.

This dress turned out better than I could have imagined. I didn't have interfacing (or time to wait to grab some), so I skipped that step, and decided to also skip the bindings and just use the facing. I took this as a learning opportunity and challenged myself to use the burrito method for the first time and I think it turned out really nicely! I have a couple spots where the I have little itty-bitty folds and bumps in the seamline, but I'm sure no one will notice that but me. I whipped this baby together in about 4 hours, including tracing the pattern and cutting fabric. I did about 3.5 hours one day, and then top stitched the facing and hemmed the bottom the next day. I wish I had thought to get a picture of the back, which has a lovely open back and precious tie.

Things I would do differently next time:

• Zig zag all the edges of the front and back pieces OR add seam allowance for french seams. I basically never use woven fabrics, and I'm worried about the seams falling apart here. I might go back and zig zag the edges before wearing it again, but it would've looked nicer to have done that from the beginning. Question for the pros: if I were to sew the sides up with french seams first, would I be able to use burrito method? Or would I have to add a little extra for seam allowance to the facings, too, and do that after sewing the neckline and armscyes? 
• Make it a couple inches shorter. I have a short torso and the trapeze shape would make my legs look a million miles long if I went a little higher.
• Grade the bottom smaller. I have a large bust relative to my waist, and while I love the floaty-ness of this dress, I think it makes me look a little enormous sized by my chest. Next time, I'll grade under the bust to the size for my waist and hip measurements (a size or two down).
• Lately, I've been exploring more color and play in my wardrobe, and I do think I'd like to make another of these in brighter fabrics like this amazing version by @do.it.fern.