Six days! Woot! (Which made me go search out this half-remembered novel, which I think now I will have to re-read.)

I had high hopes for this pattern:

 

It just seemed so … head of the PTA, if you know what I mean. No-nonsense yet somehow soft.

This is what it turned out like:

It might have been my fabric choice … this is a little less “head of the PTA” and a little more “candy striper in the depression ward.” The fabric is nicer closer up:

 

 
I even made covered buttons!

And because I knew I couldn’t get the pockets to match stripes perfectly, I tried a little embroidered distraction:

And I carefully put in a waist hook, a detail I usually gloss over by promising myself that I’ll just wear a belt:

Here’s the back view:

And a closeup of the back collar, which I’m not happy with — I didn’t turn & press it quite right:

Even with the slightly institutional air and the wonky collar, I would probably wear this a bit more often if the skirt were a bit fuller. It looked plenty full in the illustration, but it’s just narrow enough that I think I’m going to tear that front placket fold if I wear it riding my bike, and when I sit down it pulls, too (not fun).

So the search for the perfect shirtdress continues …