A very girly dress

I came across some bright (loud)  floral linen fabric in Joann's a few weeks ago. I have a hard time resisting linen, and thought it would make a cute top to go with white pants.  

Then I came across this dress pattern at the $1.99 pattern sale. Since I'm in need of a summer dress for a wedding brunch, and a floral linen dress seems brunchy, and I had 2 yards of floral linen in my closet, there was little need for debate.

I don't usually go for frills, or big florals, so this is way out of my comfort zone, but I'm happy with the way it turned out.

The neckline flounce is a big bias circle with a rolled hem edge. This is also out of my comfort zone, but I looked up a few tutorials online, attached the rolled hem foot, said a prayer and went for it. Here is a close up of the rolled hem.

 I adjusted the pattern for my narrow back, and took out about 1/2 in on each front neckline edge to keep it from gapping. I probably won't make this pattern again, but if I did, I would add a little length to the bodice pieces as it seems short. This is unusual for me since I need to adjust most patterns the other way. 

There was SO much going on in the top that the skirt felt like it needed a little punctuation. I decided on a band of grosgrain ribbon , which looks neon in these pictures, but is really almost exactly the same as the darkest orange in the fabric. 

I got the belt recently at Talbots and think it finishes the dress much better than the pattern's self belt, and it helps to hide the slightly too short waistband. I don't think this dress needs much accessorizing, but I do have a perfect pair of enamel flower earrings and a gold bracelet that will be just enough.

Verdict-Keeper.