shirtdresses: so hot right now

Date: Author: Category: Sew Hot Right Now, Uncategorised

 

Or at least they were last year, right? I feel like the last sewing blogger on Earth to sew up McCall’s 6696.

& this is McCall’s 6696. I made a lot of changes. I wanted a half-shirtdress (buttons only on the bodice), so I cut 5/8″ off the skirt front piece & cut it on the fold. I also wanted a fuller skirt with side-front pockets & no pleats. M6696 offers two skirt options: a straight skirt with waist darts & side-front pockets, & a full pleated skirt with side-seam pockets. I rotated the waist darts into the hem on the straight skirt version, resulting in a nice A-line shape with the pockets I wanted.

Pocket detail.

The changes I made enabled me to eke the largest size out of only three yards of fabric, & the only piece I didn’t cut from this blue strawberry print are the pocket bags. Because I always prefer my pocket bags to be a fun contrast!

This is the interior placket & waistband. This dress is designed for almost all the interior seams to be enclosed, which gives it such a nice finish. I added French seams throughout & flat-felled the sleeves, just for fun.

I am particularly thrilled with the collar! Collars have been my nemesis in the past. Part of the reason I started sewing was because I wanted to learn how to sew button-down shirts & shirtdresses that would fit properly (I have a real problem with buttons gaping in RTW), & I’m proud that my skills have developed to this point. I am already planning to sew about a hundred more of these dresses (only a slight exaggeration), so I will have a lot of practice in perfecting all my finishes.

Also, strawberries? That’s kind of hot right now, isn’t it? Or did the strawberry ship sail in 2013?

You can read more over at my blog!

17 thoughts on “shirtdresses: so hot right now”

    • Thanks! The fabric is from the Vintage Market line by Tasha Noel. It’s actually just quilting cotton, which is a pretty good fabric match for this pattern, though I do plan to try it in some other textiles. I have some gingham seersucker just dying to be made into a sleeveless version!

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  3. No you’re not last, I am!! And I’ve not even bought the pattern but I’m about to! Love you’re version, it’s great.
    Have you seen sewmanju ‘s version?? She’s just made it in denim – it was the last post I read, must be an omen that I should make it!! 😃

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    • Yes, I have obsessively looked at every version of M6696 I could find online! There are so many good ones. This pattern is so great, & it wasn’t nearly as complicated as I’d expected it to be.

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    • Thank you! I already have another shirtdress cut out & ready to be sewn, implementing some of the fit changes I want to make based on this one. I wonder if I can sew a different shirtdress to fit every Monthly Stitch challenge? Probably, haha!

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    • Thanks! I am so stoked about the collar. I feel like Big 4 directions never give enough detail about things like collar construction & you really have to go your own way on it to get it right. Cutting the undercollar to be a tiny bit smaller & understitching so it turns under nicely are both crucial steps.

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        • Yeah, just trim about 1/8″ off all the sides of the undercollar except the side that is sewn to the shirt. It will stretch to fit the upper collar, but naturally turn under because it’s a little smaller. Makes all the difference! It’s also crucial to trim down your seams so you can get the collar edges nice & flat & well-defined. (Not that I am an expert, by any means! Just passing along what worked for me here.)

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