I LOVE shirt dresses if you haven’t figured that out yet… I’ve got tons of patterns for them, vintage, modern, indie, self drafted and hacked – I just can’t help myself!
My latest hankering was for a loose fitting full length casual shirt dress. I wanted it to be something that would flow and would perhaps be a cross between a beach coverup or sundress.
The Mélilot shirt from Deer and Doe instantly appealed to me. I liked their option for the hidden button placket and the dropped shoulder. I could see exactly how I would be able to hack the pattern into the dress I wanted!
I opted to make version B – the sleeveless one with a normal button placket and a mandarin collar.
The pattern I pretty much kept the same, just extending the front and back bodice pieces to reach floor length on me. I tried to keep the skirt quite straight towards the hem. I wasn’t looking to make a full skirt for this one.
I got this gorgeous cobalt blue floral printed fabric to make it in. It’s really light and flowy and I figure would work perfectly for that summery vibe!
Sewing was pretty straightforward. I pretty much kept to the instructions except where I opted to not put interfacing in the button placket. Naughty, I know. But I just couldn’t face having to cut out the strips and fuss with ironing everything on straight… So lazy! I figured the fabric was stiff enough to hold a buttonhole for now but it’ll probably reduce the lifespan of the garment as it’ll wear more easily. Compromises!
I kept a side split in the seam on both sides and the buttons go down to about mid thigh on the front.
The collar seemed a bit fussy going in and it ended up being a lot narrower than I anticipated when looking at the pattern piece – a 5/8″ seam allowance is quite a lot!
Apart from that, everything came together nice and quick. No complaints here! I haven’t yet added the pockets to the shirt front. I’m not sure if I want them or not yet… I’ve got plenty of fabric left over to add some later if I wished though!
Here’s the final result!
The print came out a lot more Hawaiian than intended… It really didn’t give me that vibe at all until I tried it on. Very weird! It definitely needs a belt to bring in the waist otherwise it’s a little on the shapeless side but I like the overall silhouette. Plus the material is great – it doesn’t wrinkle a bit so it’s the perfect holiday dress!
1 Comment
Wow! It’s gorgeous and you look amazing. Love the fabric.
LOVE it!
Thanks! 🙂
Thanks! 😀
Looking fantastic there Emily! I love blue fabrics and the dress is a nice shape to wear. I am imagining you frolicking in an exotic location wearing this gorgeous dress 🙂
Haha, thanks! I really want to frolic in the sun in this one!
This is a great shirtdress, I love the flowyness with the side and front split. It looks amazing on you.
Thank you!
It’s beautiful, Emily. And what a fantastic fabric choice!
Thank you! 🙂
Love it! How about moving the buttons so they are in ‘pairs’ say an inch apart with a 3in gap to the next pair? I think that would look pretty good with this style. Love the fabric colour too 🙂
p.s. Spotting the phone always in your hand now when I never did before lol 😉
That’s a good idea! Will def need to try that button placement for the next one.
Haha, I definitely need to get a more discreet phone cover to help hide it!
This is GORGEOUS! One of my favorite makes I have seen in quite a while. Great work.
Thanks! 🙂
Very nice! It almost reminds me of those traditional Chinese dresses (a cheongsam???)…. same kind of, sort of silhouette, just different openings and more flowy…. maybe I’m reaching?
I kinda see where you’re getting at. The skirt definitely has that silhouette – long and narrow with the side splits! The mandarin collar definitely adds to it too!
Love! Love! Love! The color is beautiful, the fit is great and love the slit. I want to make a shirt dress but there’s so many variations, I can’t decide what style I would want.
Thanks! 😀
Just do what I do and make all of them… I think I own a pattern for every style of shirt dress I could ever want!
That’s lovely and really suits you. No need for pockets.
Thanks! Yeah I think I’m going to forgo the pockets. It’ll be too fussy with pattern being quite busy already!
I blooming (*sorry*) love this. It’s gorgeous! So many ways to wear it, too.
Lol. Thanks! I’m loving this pattern too. Definitely going to be making more of them!
This is a really cool idea – and the colour really suits you!
Thank you!
This is gorgeous, you’ve done a great job!
Thanks! 🙂
That looks great on you! I’d be making a whole stash if I were you.
Thanks, I’m planning to! 🙂
Wow, so cute!
Thank you!
Just… Wow! Can’t wait to become a strong enough seamstress to tackle this!
This is beautiful!!!
Thank you!