Literary Sewing Circle Project: a Penny

Reminder -- Today is the last day to share your projects for the Literary Sewing Circle round featuring The Excitements by CJ Wray. Please add a link to our wrap up post or tag me on Instagram or Patternreview so I see your projects!

So onto my own project! I decided to go with my first impulse & chose to make a Penny shirtdress by Sew Over It.

I already owned this pattern & so I also went through my fabric stash to see if I could match it up with something. I found a rayon that I thrifted a while back & thought it had a suitably vintage feel. 

And then I used some tiny emerald buttons that I harvested from a thrifted cardigan to top it off! 

My inspiration was the character of Penny -- her name & her propensity for jewel thievery ;) My buttons are referencing the notorious emerald ring that plays quite a role in the story. And I like that the style harks back to past decades.

I made some changes to this pattern. The original has a full circle skirt but I didn't have enough fabric for that. I decided to use the skirt from an 80s dress I have made before -- it seemed to be the right style. I really like how it turned out. 

The one thing I didn't like as much about this pattern was the bodice placket. I found it confusing -- I actually stalled on the project for a couple of days because I couldn't visualize the process. I have never seen this technique, in which the facing is sewn to the front edges & then folded to make the placket. It worked but not a new way to do it that I'd likely try again.

Otherwise it's comfy, I like the pretty print & it suits me! I can carry it over into this cooler weather with tights & a sweater or blazer. What a fun Penny!