A Banana Exploded On Me // McCalls 6279 Sewing Pattern

Not everything works out as planned. I never had a clear vision for this pattern but I thought it would make a great work dress. I am always in need of chic, easy pieces that are comfortable to sit in all day but can also be appropriate for meetings with clients or suppliers. I bought this stretch cotton because I loved the colour and it was on sale. When I did my planning for the spring I thought it might be a good match with this sewing pattern.

Otherwise, it was kind of a pain in the butt to assemble since there are a lot of pieces and I had to go buy extra interfacing since the front panels are entirely interfaced. LOTS of topstitching but it was good practice and I can definitely see an improvement in my ability to sew a straight line.

And also... FIRST BUTTONHOLES EVER! I was super nervous since I thought they were really difficult to sew but my sewing machine makes it SO easy. Next time I'm going to buy some starch to prevent the fabric from fraying. The buttons were lucky finds in a giant tin of buttons I scored in a big Kijiji haul.

What do you think guys? Should I lose the sleeves or is it okay as is??

Lessons learned: 
1. Button holes! Use starch to prevent fraying next time.
2. Topstitching got straighter.
3. Still figuring out what interfacing works best with different fabric weights. Is there a guide or how to somewhere on this issue I'm missing? I used a slightly thicker interfacing than I should of on the sleeve cuffs and they are quite stiff.
4. My hand-sewing is getting faster and prettier but it sometimes feels like that takes longer than anything else.
5. Might be a good idea to start tracing the pattern on a croquis so I can test out colours and better visualize what the final product is going to look like. No more banana explosion surprises.

Banana dress:
Pattern: McCalls 6279
Total Cost (including notions): fabric= $18, interfacing = $6, total = $24
Time to Make: 18 hours-ish (the hand-sewing inside this dress took forever)