I’ve made three shirtdresses/shirtwaists so far and I have to tell you: it’s NOT ENOUGH. I have three more patterns lined up and just bought this one, too (from The Sisters five on eBay).
A few things: making a shirtdress takes roughly twice as long as it takes me to make a dress that doesn’t have thirteen buttons and buttonholes. It’s not a four-hour task to make a dress any more; it’s a lot like eight. Or possibly ten. And, no matter how many buttons I buy when they’re on sale, I either don’t have the right color, or, if I have the right color, they’re not the right size, OR, if I have the right color & size, I am short THREE. (One or two, I could fake, but three is really impossible.) but despite all this, I am committed (or is that, I should be committed? different “committed”) to doing more of them. like this one, which caught my eye with that fabulous color green, but kept it for the stripes (with that jaunty half-turned-up collar). I seem to have purchased quite a bit of striped fabric lately and the thought of matching them all … is not a good thought. thus the raglan sleeves, yay!
Oh, and for interfacing, especially of light cottons, I’ve been using silk organza, instead of any fusible stuff. You can buy it cheap at Dharma Trading, and it really works well. nice and crisp without being crisp-y; sewing it in isn’t too onerous, and it never bubbles the way cheap fusible can. I bought some Shirt-Tailor interfacing but it was just way too stiff for me. I only use the organza to interface the collar and the front buttonhole/button facings; I baste it in just inside the foldlines of the front facings and then zigzag over both the fabric and the organza to finish the raw edge — and it’s worked out nicely, so far!
Eventually I will have pictures of the three I’ve made, I promise.
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Shirtdress #3February 28, 2008
