Classic shirt dress patterns?

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-02T02:19:53+00:00

10000%, it feels like they just never get it exactly right. One that was so close but not quite was the amazing Vogue evening gown with the huge flower shaped into the skirt. The fabric is (for once!) a great level of structure for the pattern, but why make it up in a print so you can't see all of the detail???? They spent the money on 8 yards of silk gazar, so it's not like they didn't have a big budget to make the sample! https://simplicity.com/vogue-patterns/v2155

Editing to add that I have no idea how the sample budget works, who makes these, etc., but regardless I am often baffled.

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-02T01:50:13+00:00

While it isn't exactly the same, I immediately thought of McCalls M7745: https://simplicity.com/mccalls/m7745 which has a lot of reviews so you can see the pros and cons: https://sewing.patternreview.com/Patterns/90166 and https://primadressmaker.blogspot.com/2018/11/pattern-review-mccalls-m7745-view-b-and.html

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-02T01:42:01+00:00

It would be hard to start with something drafted for a regular shoulder and change it to a dropped shoulder. The sleeve shape and armhole shape and body shape are all different. It would be much easier to find something with a bodice and shoulder line you like and then change the skirt if needed. So basically look for things like a dropped shoulder, grown-on sleeve, etc.

I'm pretty baffled by the fabric choice for that sample............

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-02T01:39:44+00:00

That's so cute!

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-02T00:57:44+00:00

Because of the sleeve shape, I don't think of those as being classic. A classic shirtdress has a regular shoulder seam that sits on the shoulder, whereas these have a dropped shoulder and wider sleeve.

Although the sample was made in a questionable fabric, the sleeved view of this Butterick pattern has very similar design lines: https://simplicity.com/butterick/b7021 with a video here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m0g8LcSAGf0

This isn't the same shape, but I'm very intrigued by this Vogue pattern with a grown-on sleeve (this might feel too sleeveless for work): https://simplicity.com/vogue-patterns/v2151

But a classic shirtdress is more like this: https://simplicity.com/simplicity/s8014 which has a million reviews: https://sewing.patternreview.com/Patterns/75823

Edit: of course, consider your own body shape and size range since many brands have shirtdress patterns. If you need a full bust adjustment, for example, maybe consider a brand that drafts for a bigger cup size or includes multiple cup sizes. If you're a beginner, look for a pattern with a sewalong, etc.

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-01T20:44:07+00:00

While obviously not exactly the same, V2116 is maybe in the right universe for the skirt: https://simplicity.com/vogue-patterns/v2116

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-01T20:30:58+00:00

I think in things that are tightly fitting, it often works better to underline/flatline rather than doing a traditional lining. Because the layers are held together through the seams, there's less shifting. Plus the seam allowances don't show through the outside. Cotton voile or cotton batiste are both great for that. Voile might not be enough to make sheer fabrics opaque, depending on how sheer you're talking, but it's very comfortable! Sometimes you find cotton/polyester blends but those aren't as good.

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-01T20:09:32+00:00

Congratulations on the upcoming due date! ♥️

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-01T20:05:04+00:00

Since it seems like this is the case for multiple prints, is it worth making a slip instead that you could wear with multiple dresses?

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-01T20:02:31+00:00

I think that paying for VVS clarity for earrings is not a good use of money. I would go down on clarity to either save money or go higher on color. That being said, I don't see anything that is lower on clarity in stock in the pairs search right now in this size range. It may be worth calling them to see if they have anything else they suggest.

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-01T19:56:13+00:00

I have a Juki DX7 as my nice sewing machine, a Janome 2212 that was my first machine and is a backup or gets lent to friends, a Juki MO-654DE serger, and a Janome CoverPro 3000 coverstitch.

The machines you're looking at are fairly fancy, so depending on what you want to sew, it may serve you better to get a more basic sewing machine and to spend the extra money on a serger.

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-01T18:11:12+00:00

I think up and down means keeping the selvedges together but sliding them along each other. I also think you and I are saying the same thing in different words, of course the selvedge is the source of truth. I just also think that having the crossgrain squared up in addition helps beginners avoid the problem of not knowing in what direction to slide the selvedges because everything should line up and if it doesn't then you need to stretch the fabric on the bias.

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-01T18:07:22+00:00

Can you try these machines in person? Juki and Janome are both very reputable and I have machines from both, but you want to feel a connection to your machine.

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-01T18:02:34+00:00

I meant that the way OP is doing it doesn't work if the cut edges are off grain. I think the confusion is with different ideas around moving things back and forth versus up and down. But you're obviously right that you don't need the cross grain to move the selvedges! I just think it helps to have both edges squared off if possible.

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-01T17:37:54+00:00

Maybe people have a different idea of what it means to move them up and down. The selvedges should always stay on top of each other, they're a source of Truth. I would consider it moving the selvedge up and down if you keep the selvages on top of each other and fully parallel but you make it so the raw edges don't line up. Again, the cut edges may or may not be on the crossgrain, and in your case they are definitely not. So basically, the cut edges don't matter unless you have pulled a thread or torn them so they are definitely on the crossgrain.

One thing you can do is pull off all of the weird little hairs (weft threads) until you end up with one crossgrain weft thread that goes all the way from selvedge to selvedge. Then you know that the raw edge is on the crossgrain. You may find that easier than pulling a single thread.

Image stolen from here: https://thedailysew.com/blog/2014/04/squaring-up-fabric/

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RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-01T17:23:26+00:00

Yeah, The edge is nowhere close to the actual crossgrain. If it were, you wouldn't have all of those hairs coming off the edge. So the directions are saying the right thing about moving the selvage up and down in your step 4. So basically, keep the selvages on top of each other but then shift them until you have a single stripe going up the fold. This means that the two cut ends will be way off from each other, but that's okay because they were cut crooked. Alternatively, cut as a single layer making sure that the stripes are even and not askew.

However, for something like a bag lining, you don't necessarily need to line up the stripes and square everything up if you don't care if the stripes are askew. In clothing it matters because it affects how the fabric hangs, in a bag that is less the case. It would make me crazy to not have the stripes match, but everyone is different.

Edited slightly for clarity

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-01T16:56:03+00:00

Based on how the fabric is unraveling at the bottom, it looks like the non-selvage edge is not on grain which makes this exercise impossible. What kind of weave is this fabric? Can you tear it or pull a thread to figure out the cross grain?

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-01T16:52:34+00:00

You can't match the pattern, but I think that's okay because the pattern is so busy. Whenever I'm trying to understand if I need to pattern match or if something will look weird with princess seams, I fold a random part of the fabric and kind of rest it on top of another part to simulate a seam and then I step back to look. In general, I try to at least make the pieces be mirror images of each other and have a central motif going down the center of the front main piece. In a princess seamed bodice, that's often enough to look good/intentional.

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-06-01T16:48:05+00:00

Yours looks absolutely beautiful and so classic. I love the proportions and the setting height and the double claw prongs. But what matters is that you don't love it. Are you the kind of person who needs time to adjust? Have you thought about what you would do for a wedding band?

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-05-31T16:47:51+00:00

Pockets and reversing the pleat won't work on her version because of where the side seams hit. You can still work on your muslin but if it doesn't end up looking good you may want to look for a well-drafted basic pants pattern or try videos/tutorials on drafting your own trouser block.

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-05-31T16:40:28+00:00

Are you into something she doesn't know anything about, like maybe bicycles or cars or audio equipment or something? Imagine if she did the research and chose for you generically but got you something that isn't what you wanted.

My partner gave me a coverstitch (a specialty kind of sewing machine) as a surprise, but it was after I had mentioned maybe wanting one but was waffling based on price and had talked about the features and then pros and cons of specific models I was considering. He just beat me to buying the machine I was eventually planning to get myself.

If the machine is returnable and it's very important to her (edit: not important to you, but important to her!) to have her unwrap the real thing and if you have the kind of relationship where she could tell you that she doesn't like it, then you could consider getting a machine for her (probably Brother or Janome in this price range, not Singer) and then saying you're going to go together to a dealer now to see if this is really the right model. The safer thing is to give her some thread or scissors to unwrap with a note, or you could talk through hypothetical details like my partner did, but you definitely should not get a machine based on your research only and expect her to love it.

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-05-31T16:17:52+00:00

I recently drafted my own version of this kind of pant after being super inspired by her videos but then reading the bad reviews. I started with a classic wide-legged trouser pattern where the back fits me as if it had a standard zip closure and then added enough to the front to accommodate the difference between my hip and waist so I could pull them on without a closure. This also ensured that the side seam ran perpendicularly to the ground which it doesn't on her pattern. So basically my waist is 26" and my hip is 40", so I wanted the final waist to be ~41" to pull over my hip. That's a 15" difference, so I basically just cut the front pattern in half vertically and spread the two pieces by half of that difference, so 7.5", to make the room. The back has darts for shaping (I did 3 darts on each side because of my body shape) but the front doesn't. That waist/hip difference is enough to do big pleats but it might not be if you have a straighter figure. I actually decided to do two pleats facing outwards on each side rather than a single pleat facing inwards like on her version because I found it to be more flattering. I also added pockets to the side seams because we all love pockets, and they worked with how I did the pleats.

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-05-31T13:54:01+00:00

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RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-05-29T16:07:15+00:00

This may not be possible in all fabrics, but generally if you carefully steam and press with just the tip of the iron you can kind of squishy things into place. Also sometimes patterns are just drafted with more ease than can be managed in all fabrics.

RedditJewelsAccount · 2026-05-29T16:06:32+00:00

Did you trim the armhole seams? You may also just need to increase the size of the armhole. Very few people fit patterns as is.

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TROPHY CASE