Self Assembly Required

DIY dressmaking + crafts with Emily

The Sarah Shirtdress // By Hand London

I’m that person that hangs on to my favourite fabrics, waiting and hoping for the perfect project to come along for it.

One of these was a viscose print I got from Stoff &Stil (when it was still Stoff & Stil!) several years ago! the dark green print featured a delicate floral pattern and the cutest little bunnies over it. It was instantly special to me!

I finally decided I wanted a shirtdress from the fabric and opted to use the By Hand London Sarah shirtdress which I thought was sweet and simple and what the fabric needed.

The Sarah shirt/ shirtdress pattern has had a recent overhaul and re-release with their new wider size range. It’s a loose fit dress with pleats at the yoke for shaping. The new look includes a longer length with a gathered tier, two options for sleeves (long and billowy or short and cuffed) and either a simple angled collar or a pussy bow. Lots of options to suit!

I wanted to make a short shirtdress so I took the longer pattern piece and cut it to length. I opted for the long sleeves with the cuff finish and opted for a normal collar. I changed the collar shape slightly to get a rounded edge instead of the pointed one. I also did a 1” big bicep adjustment. I have chunky arms and there’s no use in pretending otherwise!

I kept it minidress length as I’ve been making so many long dresses recently I felt like a change!

(Ignore that bit of my collar that’s sticking up that I didn’t notice until too late!)

I like the swing shape of the dress though I wonder if it could’ve been even more exaggerated. It feels like it’s in an in between place on me as it is.

I finished the dress with these tacky faux pearl plastic buttons from the stash that I’ve had for absolutely forever. It really works on this dress for some reason!

It’s a weirdly appropriate dress for the season as it’s Easter and full on bunny season (at least it is here in the U.K.!). I didn’t do it on purpose but it’s really kinda cute!

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