I am back - My first shirt dress!!!

Happy NEW YEAR All!

Blogging has been a challenge for me over the past year or more. In 2022, one of my personal commitments to myself is to share the love of sewing through blogging and reels at least 3-4 times a month. When I first started blogging with Fabric Mart, I felt more empowered to blog on my personal page at least once a month. Overtime, I lost the desire to write detailed blogpost because technology has evolved, and more people are focused on quick social media reels and videos. I do want to get back into writing and want to share more of that passion and desire.

I finally took photos of the very first button-down shirt dress and I am excited to share. I have had this pattern in my stash for the longest (over 3 years) and my fear of doing more than 5 buttonholes got the best of me. Little did I know how easy it is to create a buttonhole on the Husqvarna Viking sewing machine and after watching 2 videos on YouTube, I gave it a try. I have always had a desire to create a shirtdress and decided to use Simplicity 8014 after doing a few google searches. This dress is quite popular in the sewing community and for the most part, it was flattering on all body types.

I did not make any fit modifications or adjustments to the pattern except for the sleeves. I opted to just hem it instead of doing the fold-over. I measured the bodice pieces and compared them to a recent make (NL6698) and knew it was perfect based on my body measurements. For the most part, my bust area measurements are standard to most bodices except occasionally I may have to lengthen it.

For the buttonholes, I decided to start the first button in the center of my chest and measure 2.5 inches apart for each. Next time, I will add a snap-in between the buttons in the bust area to avoid any peekaboo issues.

I am truly proud of this make and the fabric purchased from Afriqueclothingstore available in other colorways here and here .

This fabric truly highlighted the beauty of this pattern and matching and cutting it wasn’t as challenging. I plan to make another version soon and will share more video tips via Instagram. I am excited to venture into more challenging projects this year and have already selected a few tops with buttons. Thank you for staying the course and following my journey. I am excited to return to blogging with Fabric Mart and shared my first blog here. I plan to commit to sharing more of my personal story and love for sewing so don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t!

One Love,

Marica