Butterick 5218 makes a great shirt dress

Spring is in the air, and soon enough cool and breezy cotton dresses will replace sweaters and warm pants. My DD requested this tailored shirt dress ages ago, and it has even been finished for quite some time. Why has it been hanging in my sewing studio closet instead of her clothes closet?

See that look? It is the “I can’t believe it took you so long, Mom” look. I get it a lot. My reputation for lots of promises and late delivery precedes me. It is the sewist’s equivalent of having eyes bigger than one’s stomach at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Whatever. How many dresses has she made ME? 😉

We bought the blue chambray shirting and red & white babycord fabric in Portland, I think at Mill Direct fabrics, tho I can’t swear to that. She wanted a classic shirt dress with side slits, a few buttons down the front, and roll-up sleeves. I already had Butterick 5218, so we just extended it to dress-length and I cut it narrower to suit her preference for a slimmer silhouette.

I had to do a fair bit of fiddling with the front facing piece to get the red & white baby cord visible as the facing. The original pattern was one gigunda pattern piece that folded to the underside, so I had to cut that whole thing apart, add seam allowances, blah, blah. But I love the red accents! And of course I couldn’t stop with just the facing. A little trim on the pockets. Tabs on the sleeves. Accents on the belt.

The belt! It was made by Pat’s Custom Buttons and Belts—a fantastically talented woman in Lodi, California. You send her a bit of fabric, and she sends you back a fabulous belt, exactly to your specifications. No, she doesn’t have a web site or email. You can call her at (209) 369-5410 to get a catalogue. Did I mention she might be in her 80’s?

Ooops! My favorite little photo-bomber wanted to get in on the fun, but refused to model the skirt I actually DID make her. Maybe I can encourage her to play dress up for Nana soon. It’s always dicey whether you will get photo-cooperation from a toddler. At least Mommy has a new spring dress she actually wants to wear!

Happy sewing!

Maris