dotty alder shirtdress


I am definitely a Grainline Studio fan girl! I actually own every one of Jen's great patterns & am slowly working my way through actually sewing them. I was lucky enough to win the (paper-version!) Alder Shirtdress pattern through the lovely (Australian) online store Stitch 56. Thanks Helene!! The shirtdress is a lovely pattern, it really is the perfect summer dress, and easy to feed the baby in... Oh yeah, my second little boy T made an arrival in early December and we couldn't be happier! 
The best-ever accessory: a baby! :)


If this make looks a bit familiar, it's because it's almost identical to the lovely one that Sew Busy Lizzy made it up here. I did wonder whether I could/should post this make, but I guess even though I used the same pattern & fabric, I still did the sewing & made my individual fitting changes. 

I already had the same polka dot rayon (from Spotlight) but was a bit unsure if the polka dots were a bit too loud for me? When I saw her version I was undecided no more - her dress looks so great on her! What do they say? Imitation is the highest form of flattery?!! I did make a few minor fitting changes to my dress, as per the following notes.


  • View A, size 12, with a pretty hefty FBA. I traced the pattern & did the FBA & cut the fabric while pregnant, knowing my sewing time would be limited when the baby came. So i (over) guess-timated the FBA and as such it's a bit more blousy than I would like. I will reduce the FBA for subsequent makes.
  • I prefer the mandarin collar, and that's a very easy change (just leave off the upper collar as outlined in Jen's sewalong)
  • I used 11 buttons, making them 2.5inches apart instead of 3.5in (again, personal preference). I omitted the button on the collar stand (too lazy?)
  • I shaved about 1.5cm from the shoulder, tapering to nothing at the side seams.
  • The mandarin collar weighs down a bit, maybe my interfacing is too heavy for the placket?  
Things I love about this make: it's effortless style, it's curved hemline & the cool-to-wear rayon (these pics were taken in the 36degree celcius Australian summer heat!! and about 1576% humidity). It really is a timeless pattern & one I will be making many more of... when the baby gives me time :)








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