NYR #11, Pepper and Salt Dress

So, awhile ago, I told you that I had joined the American Sewing Guild (ASG). I did this for many reasons, but one main reason was to make myself eligible for the ASG Creativity Contest. Each year, ASG partners with Simplicity Pattern Company to put on a sewing contest. Together they select nine of Simplicity's patterns for you to pick from to create a one-of-a-kind outfit. While you can only use these patterns, they encourage you to "adjust, adapt, and embellish" as you please.

Although you are allowed to make multiple items or even mix and match different pieces from different patterns, I chose to just focus on making one great dress. I chose Pattern #2939, pictured above, but with all the adjusting, adapting and embellishing I did, I essentially created my own new pattern.
To maximize on the design of my fabric, I added a waistband and added length (for mommy-appropriate modesty) and width (to allow for some topstitched pleats and to get the stripes to line up nicely on the side seams) to the skirt. I also moved the bust dart so it wouldn't interfere with the stripes on the fabric.
I highly recommend the Readers Digest's Complete Guide to Sewing. It helped me conquer my fear of zippers (tried once before with disastrous results) and I even sewed a LINING in this dress (a completely new experience)!
In order to jazz up the fabric, I sewed reverse tucks that brought the stripes closer together and gave the graphic stitching a softer, almost lacy feel. Above is a photo where the fabric has been modified (see the shots below of the back of the dress to get a feel for the unmodified fabric). This was perhaps the single most time-consuming aspect of constructing this garment.
Here's the ruffle before I sewed it down. Please forgive my unfortunate looking ironing board, I plan to recover it sometime in the near future. Anyway...

Here's the end result! And please forgive my unfortunate bits of arm flab. Now that I don't have this dress to make, maybe I should do a few arm exercises.
It's a stylish frock I can dress up or down for any summer occasion!

A closer look at the front...

And the back.

See how the stripes are further apart? This is because I didn't tuck the back fabric.
Bring on Summer -- I've got a dress that's ready to go!!!
p.s. I'll let you know how the contest turns out if/when I hear from Simplicity. Best case scenario, I get some cold hard cash, a SERGER and five free patterns of my choice from Simplicity. Worst case scenario, I have a cool sundress and I'm an ASG member. It's a win-win situation!