Fall 2019 left me swooning over the concept of flannel shirtdresses. I popped up to Joanns one weekend to grab some things I needed and left with something I hadn't intended to buy - 6.5 yards of a brown/black herringbone cotton flannel. In my defense, it was steeply discounted. I started looking for a suitable shirtdress pattern in December and found McCall's 7470 (also on sale!).
I chose view B, but with the belt and breast pockets from view C. I also added pockets at the side seam and gave the skirt just a bit more flare. Unfortunately, my fabric was only 44" wide so I couldn't make the skirt as wide as I wanted. I used 1/2" buttons from my stash and only used one on each cuff, instead of the two the pattern called for.
I started cutting and sewing just after the new year and the pattern worked up quickly. I managed to finish all the machine sewing in the two weeks before I went back to campus. I ran into a few issues with the cuffs and collar band, but I suspect those were due to cutting and seam allowance mistakes, not any pattern issues.
Once on campus, I quickly tacked down the inside of the cuffs, collar, and button bands. Then I taught myself how to sew buttonholes by hand, did a few practice runs on some scraps I brought along, and then did all 12 buttonholes. That did not go quickly, but I'm proud of how they turned out! All that was left was to attach the buttons and it was done!
... Or at least it was wearable. The bottom of the button bands tried to pull apart from each other (either a cutting issue or a grainline issue, I'm not sure) and the raw edges frayed like nobody's business when I washed it.
I knew I would be going home for spring break soon enough, so I made some plans and put the project aside.
Since I've been at home (spring break ended weeks ago, but I'm home permanently, thanks to the virus), I've added a snap to the bottom of the button band and finished most of the raw edges! The top-stitched princess seams at the front and back were covered with black bias tape. The sleeve seams were flat-felled.
I'm leaving the side seams for Future Me to deal with, because the pockets are set slightly lower than I'd like, but it doesn't bother me enough to fix it right away. Once I do fix those, the side seams will also be flat-felled and the armscyes and the pockets will be bound in black bias tape.
Ultimately, though, I'm very happy with how the dress turned out! It's really comfortable, the yoke is structured without being stiff, and it isn't restrictive in the shoulders (which is something I struggle with because my shoulders are slightly hunched). I learned how to hand-sew buttonholes too, which is a useful skill.
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