The Shirtdress Project...

I've been wanting to make a shirtdress for far longer than I care to admit (basically since I began sewing) but somehow never got around to it. At first it was because I lacked the skill to tailor it to my standards and then later something always got in the way- too many buttons, no pattern, no fabric, other projects, etc. Finally I went fabric shopping and hunkered down to sew this thing.




Shirtdress beginnings... I started with the Simplicity 2447 pattern to get the base for the shirt but found it vastly insufficient and did a lot of modification. The fabric was a pretty heavy polyester suiting.


I ended up making a muslin for the bodice to get a really good fit. Here it is almost completed.
Originally the dress started with long sleeves but since I didn't want to look like a burgundy Elfaba, I shortened them. I almost made it a coat because the fabric was heavy enough but I decided not to since it would have been unlined.


The finishing touches- pocket, buttons and a detachable belt. I also made a matching headband.


Since I didn't have a gold belt buckle I just used a vintage button to close it.


Overall, I am very pleased with the result. Yay!