Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Plaid Summer Shirtdresses



It's summertime here in Illinois!  Even though I love to be outside and spend time in my garden, I also am quite concerned about preventing sun damage to my skin and covering up as much as is reasonably comfortable.  For that reason, I decided to make some shirtdresses that would be lightweight, breezy, yet, tightly woven fabric that would offer some degree of SPF protection, and cover at least my upper arms and shoulders.  In the photo on the left, it looks like I'm wearing a camisole- I'm not, that's just the line where the sun protection from my hat ends-guess I need to button up a little further!  The two fabrics that I used just sold out, so maybe you even bought some! But if not, Fabric Mart has a great selection of other shirtings in stock.




For my first dress, I used a 100% cotton plaid shirting  in a strawberry red, off white and blue.  When I originally got it, I thought it looked like a tablecloth and wasn't too excited.  But after playing around with the plaid placement, I love it!  It is so comfortable. For the pattern, I used a woven shirt pattern- Butterick 6635 and lengthened it 6 inches.   


I can wear this one as an overshirt as well.   I think that working with plaids can be really fun.  You do need to make sure that you order extra fabric, because the larger the plaid, the more likely it is that you will have to move your pattern pieces away from each other so that you can match the side seams, sleeve seams, or whatever else you would like to match!  For a small plaid, I would order at least 1/2 yard extra.  For a plaid like this, I would order a full yard more.  Let me tell you about my plaid placement. So, there were thick horizontal red stripes, and they were 18 inches apart.  I decided to place one thick horizontal red stripe at the bust line, and the next thick red stripe would fall near the hem.  Then, on the back, I matched the horizontal stripes, and used the vertical thick red stripe down the center.  I turned the yoke piece to lay crosswise so that I could get one more large red stripe on the back.


I chose this pattern because I wanted a straight dress with no waist seam, and I was also curious about the hidden placket.  For some reason, I've never been able to wrap my head around the concept of a hidden placket.  After making two of these, I think I've got it!  Here's what the hidden placket looks like when it is pulled back.



I also added a couple of pockets, cut on the bias, and made a sash, using the thick red stripe.  I'll probably wear the dress without the sash at home, but if I go out, it will be a nice option to have.  I think this will be a great farmer's market dress.  The tote that I'm holding is one that my daughter brought back from Madagascar!  It's great for shopping.


For my second dress, I used a cotton/lycra shirting in blue and white.  I thought that I would like having the added lycra, but honestly, I preferred working with the 100% cotton.  The lycra adds quite a bit of weight, and this one doesn't drape as nicely as the first dress.  The fabric would probably have been better made into a fitted shirtdress.  If I make this pattern again, I'll stick with 100% cotton shirtings.  But, I do love the colors on this one, and I'm sure that I will wear it- it is just when comparing the two fabrics, this style works better with the 100% cotton.


For this dress, I put the yoke on the bias, and tried to center one of the dark stripes down the center front and back.  Here is the hidden placket on this one:




Over to you- have you worked with plaids before?  Do you enjoy the challenge of matching them?  Do you have any tips on sewing clothing for sun protection?

Happy Sewing!

Ann

Comments

  1. Wow. I found your blog from a side post on another. Returning to sewing after decades. Love the idea of a loose shirt dress. Think I will try one to have for our trip to Illinois this summer. Such cute dresses. Looking forward to reading more of your postings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Janine! We have very humid summers, so loose fitting is the way to go!

      Delete
  2. those are so cute - perfect for a summer day of any thing...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love these Ann! So cool and comfortable looking!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great looks. I love cottons as well but the blue dress is my favorite and the most flattering.

    ReplyDelete
  5. oh what wonderful dresses! You included lots of great tips, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I try to pass on any info that I think might be useful- especially when it comes to plaids!

      Delete
  6. Your dresses are awesome! And I love your shoes!!!!!

    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...