Is it spring yet?

After the coldest week in decades in much of eastern Australia I'm sure I'm not the only one looking forward to spring. I was thrilled to receive in the post tonight from Helene at Stitch 56 my very own copy of a certain brand new shirtdress pattern that will be just perfect to start building my spring and summer wardrobe.......

Which brings me to her competition - the Alder Dress Competition - guys this is the easiest competition ever - either post your finished Alder or a mood-board summary of styling ideas for your future Alder over on the Flickr page before the end of August for a chance to win some awesome prizes.

Of course I'm not allowed to enter, but to show how easy it is to win your own copy of this pattern I whipped up some ideas in my Fashionary. Because I've never made a Grainline pattern before (an outrage, I know) I will be making a toile, and I thought making up a shorter shirt version would be pretty quick and easy and a good way to test the fit through my upper body. I'll be recycling some basic printed polkadot cotton I rediscovered on weekend (it used to be a circle skirt that I wore to my 50's themed 30th birthday just a few years ago!). Hopefully it will still look nice and 50's (rather than Minnie Mouse!). Once I'm happy with my fit I'll be making view A in a lovely mid blue lightweight denim and pearl buttons that I know will look great with a tan belt and my pard flats. And finally I've been hoarding a gorgeous navy seersucker printed with apples for well over 18 months - it's always been destined for a shirt dress, and I've never quite found the right pattern. I thought I might try extending the shoulders slightly for a more vintage feel, and it will look perfect with a red buttons, and a red belt and sandals.

What's your favourite shirt dress pattern?