Some spring dress sewing: Simplicity 8551

I need some new spring dresses and I am still smitten with statement sleeves.  This Simplicity pattern caught my attention!  

Did I mention too that I love using hardware on my makes?  I choose view D.

When I took these photos, we were in the midst of a blizzard and it was COLD outside.  Those aren't good combinations for taking photos outdoors.

I used this fun shirting fabric from Fabric Mart.  This is a Tori Richard shirting fabric in 100% cotton.  If you can find this fabric, it is lovely to sew with.  

This is an uneven plaid.  It was fun playing with the placement.  As you can see, I cut the front band on the bias as well as the lower half of the sleeves.  I also cut the ties on the bias.  

Too install the grommets, I folded the placket/yoke in half and used a leather punch (set on the appropriate sized setting) to punch the holes.  That way, they were perfectly matched up on both sides.  Can you tell I like precision?  

I did work hard to make sure the center back and front seams were on a prominent part of the plaid.  I chose the intersection of the blocks.  

I found this pattern runs really large in the mid-section.  I took it in a least 4 inches at the waist.  Since that never happens, I've dubbed this a 'must-use-again' pattern.  

Thanks for reading!

Sue