So I keep looking a new indie sewing patterns to buy and one that I like a lot is the Sew Over It vintage shirt dress and Alder dress from Grainline Studios. Oh the number of times I’ve put those in my online shopping basket!

And then I remember I already have one that almost the same! It’s one of those reissued vintage style patterns from Burda which I got a year or so ago. I’ve even used it before and just kind of forgot all about it…  

The fact that kept going back again and again to the same look gave me a little push to make myself a new one!

This is the second time I’ve used this Burda style vintage pattern. You can see my first attempt here.

I rummaged through my fabric stash and found a black and white polka dot cotton that I got last year in France. It’s lightweight and has a lovely sheen to it. Perfect for a summer dress!

With this pattern I took out the sleeves – frankly I just didn’t have enough fabric for them and I think that much polka dot might be a little too much… I also shorted the hem by a lot and took in the shoulder width a little.

Here’s my new shirt dress!

  
 I love the design the feel of the dress. It’s flattering and fun to wear! The bodice on has a bust dart and both the bodice and skirt have pleats into the waist so it’s easy to hard any lumps and bumps you don’t want seen! The collar is wide and is definitely a bit more vintage than the Sew Over It and Grainline Studio versions.

Stitching wise, the only hard bit to do is the collar itself. It has this under collar thing and the bit where is it dips in at the side which are super tricky to sew. Even with it being the second time I’d done it, it didn’t seem any easier!

Now I just need to decide whether I want to add some patch pockets or not…

(That’ll probably be a yes if you’re wondering. Life is better with pockets!)