Jessica Shirtdress by Sew Sew Def magazine
My latest make is a shirtdress - Jessica pattern by Sew Sew Def magazine. It is actually a FREE pattern if you sign up for the newsletter. Once you sign up, the pattern is emailed to you. Click here to sign up.
I am not affiliated with the magazine but I love this design so much! I entered it in the Shirtdress Contest 2018 at Pattern Review!
The bodice has princess seams and sweetheart shape which is such a cute design.
Sizing & Fitting:
I used a size L for the top and extended the side seams a little bit. I first made a muslin of straight size L bodice and initially thought the size was too big at the top edge, and it wouldn't close at the waist. I have a rectangle shaped body and the waist was outside the size I muslined but I tend to leave this adjustment until I know how much I need to extend. For the rest, I asked in Designer Stitch FB group if and how I should take it in at the top. Since it has princess seams, I wasn't sure how to proceed. The designer, Ann Grose, suggested that I should put the straps and facing on before deciding on fitting further. Lo and behold, it fit almost perfectly after putting the straps on. I did need to shorten the straps a bit and took the bodice side seams in a 3/8" at the top. Made the same change to the facing. Then I transferred the top change to the pattern piece, shortened the bodice by 1.5" and also extended the waist at the side seams by 1/2" on each pattern piece thus extending it by 2" total. Now I have a perfect fitting bodice pattern!
I also shortened the skirt by 3" and took 1" out of pocket height and width. The pockets on this are HUGE! It works with the skirt but be aware of your height when making this.
Fabric
I cut my final in a black & white shirting fabric. It looks like chambray in the photos but it is actually a check. Close up shows the fabric and the bodice details.
This is actually a very quick sew. The most time consuming part is probably the gathers. Buttonholes are quick once you get in a flow. I did have a bit of trouble with the buttonhole at the waist because my foot stopped moving due to the thickness. I took it out and graded the seam and had no trouble after that.
The back of this pattern is a simple princess seam. I have seen someone else's version where they doubled the back bodice width and shirred the entire back. It will be so cute and will fit like a glove. For my dress, however, I stuck with the original plan. Fit is quite good I think!
This is a perfect example of why I love sewing my own clothes. I get the perfect fit, length, fabric choice, and POCKETS! What more could I ask from a sundress?
Now I'm dreaming of my next version. It would be so nice in a border print, or in stripes going different directions! I must decide soon and make it. This one is definitely going to be used a lot this summer :-)
My latest make is a shirtdress - Jessica pattern by Sew Sew Def magazine. It is actually a FREE pattern if you sign up for the newsletter. Once you sign up, the pattern is emailed to you. Click here to sign up.
I am not affiliated with the magazine but I love this design so much! I entered it in the Shirtdress Contest 2018 at Pattern Review!
The bodice has princess seams and sweetheart shape which is such a cute design.
Sizing & Fitting:
I used a size L for the top and extended the side seams a little bit. I first made a muslin of straight size L bodice and initially thought the size was too big at the top edge, and it wouldn't close at the waist. I have a rectangle shaped body and the waist was outside the size I muslined but I tend to leave this adjustment until I know how much I need to extend. For the rest, I asked in Designer Stitch FB group if and how I should take it in at the top. Since it has princess seams, I wasn't sure how to proceed. The designer, Ann Grose, suggested that I should put the straps and facing on before deciding on fitting further. Lo and behold, it fit almost perfectly after putting the straps on. I did need to shorten the straps a bit and took the bodice side seams in a 3/8" at the top. Made the same change to the facing. Then I transferred the top change to the pattern piece, shortened the bodice by 1.5" and also extended the waist at the side seams by 1/2" on each pattern piece thus extending it by 2" total. Now I have a perfect fitting bodice pattern!
I also shortened the skirt by 3" and took 1" out of pocket height and width. The pockets on this are HUGE! It works with the skirt but be aware of your height when making this.
Fabric
I cut my final in a black & white shirting fabric. It looks like chambray in the photos but it is actually a check. Close up shows the fabric and the bodice details.
This is actually a very quick sew. The most time consuming part is probably the gathers. Buttonholes are quick once you get in a flow. I did have a bit of trouble with the buttonhole at the waist because my foot stopped moving due to the thickness. I took it out and graded the seam and had no trouble after that.
The back of this pattern is a simple princess seam. I have seen someone else's version where they doubled the back bodice width and shirred the entire back. It will be so cute and will fit like a glove. For my dress, however, I stuck with the original plan. Fit is quite good I think!
This is a perfect example of why I love sewing my own clothes. I get the perfect fit, length, fabric choice, and POCKETS! What more could I ask from a sundress?
Now I'm dreaming of my next version. It would be so nice in a border print, or in stripes going different directions! I must decide soon and make it. This one is definitely going to be used a lot this summer :-)
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