Making your own clothes means you can experiment with shapes you might not have tried otherwise. Although wide dresses have been very much in fashion for a while now, I've never worn one yet and considered most to be quite unflattering. After making my coat I developed a taste for trying out wider shapes. So I made this dress (I made the pattern myself). It's got 8 small pleats at the front neckline, a smooth back (with a short blind zipper) and three quarter length sleeves gathered into cuffs. I made it fairly short to try and avoid a too dowdy look. I'm happy with the way it turned out, but I've yet to find out whether I'll feel good wearing it.

blue/grey cotton polyesther blend fabric (left over from a shirt I made for my boyfriend), blind zipper