Self Assembly Required

DIY dressmaking + crafts with Emily

White shirt dress pattern hack

I love shirt dresses. I think they’re perfectly between formal and casual and very smart looking. I usually end up making quite vintage looking ones like here but I wanted to try something a bit more fitted this time. 

I already had this shirt pattern from Burda which I got a while back. I’d only used it once to make this which to be honest didn’t really work out…  

This time I tried to keep my changes simpler! I just extended the shirt body downwards to get it to skirt length. As the pattern already flared slightly at the hip, I figured that it would be enough to follow those lines down and it should increase enough to sit over my bum!

The shirt itself was pretty easy to put together. Nothing particularly fancy needed. I wasn’t super pleased with the fabric I ended up with. I wanted a lightweight cotton shirting, something quite fine and a bit drapey and I ended up with a former cotton with a slight stretch. (I was totally tricked into buying it from the salesgirl!).

   
   
Not the end of the world anyway but I do think it would’ve looked nicer with a softer fabric. Must remember to specifically ask for a cotton voile or lawn! 

I do like the fit of it and I feel very smart. Unfortunately I also look like I’m wearing a white lab coat so I’m planning some machine embroidery to brighten it up a bit so people don’t think I’ve just left my laboratory…

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    1. Thanks! 🙂 I was pretty apprehensive about making shirts but once you get your head around a collar stand it actually becomes quite easy. Plus the kind of fabric you normally use for shirts are so easy to handle…

  1. It’s a cute shirt dress and I like the shape. The white would worry me because I’m klutzy and accident prone. Do you ever have problems with gaping in between the buttons?

    1. If I have good posture the button thing is fine! I strategically positioned them for as little gape as possible but it’s too fitted and the fabric too stiff to eliminate it entirely.

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