Maxi Shirt Dress

I didn't think a shirt dress was really my thing but when the Wellington Sewing Bloggers Network (WSBN) started throwing ideas around about a shirt dress challenge, some of the patterns really got me inspired.  I did look at a few patterns, but kept coming back to one already in my stash.

Butterick B5920

However this pattern needed some modifications to replicate my vision....

I really like the neckline on this pattern and the front gathers that don't extend around the hips - uh-hm I don't need to make them any bigger than they are! I wanted the front placket to extend the full length of the skirt so I could wear it unbuttoned to just above the knee. I also wanted the back of the skirt to replicated the front by having gathers that didn't extend to the side seam, rather than the full skirt the pattern provides.

I'm pretty happy with the final look ... that neckline is just so pretty!

Summer is for Maxi Dresses

It's no secret that I'm a sucker for a maxi dress ... so when Named Clothing released their latest collection 'Ritual' the Ama Cowl Neck Frock was immediately on my MUST HAVE list.

I'm not a fan of an elastic waist band but the back of the dress bodice is 'killer'!  I've not seen this before in any other pattern, so the uniqueness of the design was also a big attraction for me.

Ignore the bra straps that poke out from the top - they are not part of the frock!

Bring on a maxi summer!

Before the Christmas holiday season hit I'd been rabbiting on about the maxi dress being a must have this summer and I'd brought more than a little bit of fabric with a maxi dress in mind.  I'd been doing a lot of thinking and stashing and NO actual doie ... well that was until the Jamie Christina patterns went on sale.

I started by sewing up a muslin in some very cheap crinkle stretch cotton I picked up at the Fabric Warehouse summer sale for just $3 p/m.  I traced the pattern off starting with a size 8 in the bust and grading out to a size 12 at the waist and hips.  I made version A, adding 1.5" to the length.  The only change I made to the muslin was to pull the hips back to a size 10 so they weren't like wings!