Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: A Chambray Shirtdress for Spring

I'm a little late to the chambray shirtdress party. Last spring, it seemed like every sewing blogger on the planet sewed a chambray shirtdress at some point. I had every intention of doing so at that time, but it seemed like most of the chambrays that I'd felt either didn't feel beefy enough for a dress or were a little stiff, and I was worried about the lack of drape in a dress.

McCall's 7084 in chambray
 
A few weeks ago, Fabric Mart posted a lovely indigo blue chambray, and I snapped up the chance to obtain a few yards, thinking that I might have finally found my perfect chambray. As of this posting, they're nearly sold out, but knowing Fabric Mart, they'll get something similar in. I feel like I lucked out this time around; it's the perfect weight and hand for a shirtdress--a substantial enough weight for a dress without feeling like blue jean denim.

Chambray for a shirtdress
Now that I finally had my perfect chambray fabric, I had to select a pattern. I hoard shirtdress patterns like they're in danger of disappearing from the face of the earth, so I had quite a few in my stash to select from. Given that my fabric wasn't super drapey, I wanted to avoid gathers or shirring (several of my shirtdress patterns have shirring at the shoulders to add shaping and design details). I also prefer a skirt that's at least A-line in fullness over a straight or pencil skirt.

I ended up choosing McCall's 7084, which was released about a year and a half ago and has been sitting in my pattern stash for nearly as long. I chose this pattern for the shoulder princess seams (easier to adjust for a very large bust) and gored A-line skirt (easier to fit when you have a tummy and a large bum).

M7084 technical drawing (from McCall's website)
If you like a dress with a really swishy skirt, this patterns also has views with godets inserted between the skirt gores. As you can see, and as to be expected, there isn't a lot of twirl factor with an A-line skirt:


The twirl test
M7084 also has several sleeve options and the option of either a traditional or band collar. I prefer to keep my necklines as open as possible, so I went with the band collar. I also chose the rolled-up, tabbed sleeves just because I liked the style/detail.

Overall, the pattern fits as expected. I started with my usual Big 4 size 22 and altered from there. I made my typical Big 4 adjustments: Full Bust Adjustment (FBA), lowering the bust point, full arm adjustment, and a broad back adjustment. I went with the shorter view of the skirt (I'm 5'2"), and the skirt hits just below my knee--my favorite skirt length.

M7084
Just to add a bit more detail to a solid blue dress, I used white contrast top-stitching on the collar, sleeve tabs, button placket, button holes, and hem.  Amazingly, I did not need to do a "large booty adjustment" (for my ample behind) on the back of the skirt, and it still hangs level.

M7084 - rear view
Overall, I think that this is a great basic dress for spring. The fabric is a nice weight, and given that I used sleeves, I'll be able to wear it to work without freezing under my office's air conditioning. The neutral dress color also means that I can throw any color jacket or cardigan over the dress on days where I need to layer. And now that I've made all of the fitting alterations for this pattern, I am looking forward to making quite a few more shirtdresses while the weather is warm!

~ Michelle from Happily Caffeinated

Comments

  1. Great review and great dress. Fit looks fab.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love this dress & the fit is perfect! This looks like a classic that you'll get lots of wear from, either layered or by itself.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love it--looks great on you too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Really great review. You did a really professional job on your dress, which looks great on you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wonderful dress! Looks very nice on you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. You made a lovely dress that fits very well ! I am planning my shirtdress make so I enjoyed your post.
    Best Wihes,
    Gail

    ReplyDelete
  7. ACK!!! I love this dress! It looks great on you. This is next up on my sewing list.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow, looks great. Nice job!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Revisiting a Pattern After Five Years

Have you ever used a sewing pattern and then immediately vowed never to sew it again? Well, I have. It all began in the spring of 2020 at the start of the pandemic lockdown. I tackled sewing projects that were more challenging to help me grow as a seamstress. There was one pattern in particular that almost did me in, the Seamwork Penny shirt dress. The Penny dress pattern has a classic button-up dress shirt style bodice with a gathered skirt and pockets. It is a beautiful take on a shirt dress, and my sister and I loved it. The only downside is that it was recommended for intermediate-level sewists and I was only an adventurous beginner back then.  I think I had only ever made one button-up shirt before attempting this Penny Dress and it didn’t even have a collar! Despite all of this, I thought “Why not try it, what’s the worst that can happen?”  Thankfully the worst didn’t happen, and the dress turned out surprisingly wearable, but I had some intense frustration at the end. I...

Made By A Fabricista: A Simple Frock for Spring

Hello friends! I’m really into sewing and wearing tent dresses at the moment. A tent dress is basically a wide A-line style gown. For this month’s project, I’ve opted to try out The Assembly Line’s Square Neck Dress. This style is a little avant-garde in its enormity and shape, and boasts the squared neckline it’s named after, plus some cute hem side slits.  All that volume is fun to move around in, plus there’s loads of air circulation which is cooling. This dress’s main feature–its wide and high squared neckline–really piqued my interest recently, and I added it to my Make Nine plans for 2025. I find it so satisfying to check off those boxes as I sew!  This beautiful shirtweight linen is a color I simply adore; a muted medium blue. Stormy skies, worn-in denim, and ocean waves all come to mind, and that is exactly what I want to be all wrapped up in. While I think a wild or large print would be amazingly on display in this big canvas of a dress, I also thought that a subtle ...

Made By A Fabricista: Bold Aspen Dress for Spring

 As I write this in mid-April, central New Jersey weather is showing small signs of spring. My neighbor’s daffodils are blooming and our magnolia tree is trying to unfold its vibrant magenta petals. I am in the midst of preparing my wardrobe for the warmer months, even if we are still huddling against windy 30 degree days. For me, warm weather means linen. I love breathable, floaty linen sundresses and drapey, loose linen wide-leg pants. My vision for a spring piece was something bold and bright, inspired by the natural colors of blooming flowers, but also something that could transition well between the warmer and cooler months. When I saw Fabric Godmother’s Apsen Dress, I knew that it had the sensible transitional opportunities I was looking for while also providing a blank canvas for fun prints, patterns and colors. With the pattern in mind, I then turned to the stunning linen collection that Fabric Mart always has on hand to see what colors or patterns would best suit my visio...