Simplicity 8014 Shirtdress

Sometimes when you love a fabric, you want to make “just the right thing” with it. I chose Simplicity 8014 shirtdress as the perfect pattern to match with this blue and white floral fabric.

Why This Pattern

One of the main reasons I chose this particular pattern is because I like that it has a waist seam. I think that gives more definition to my waist (which I don’t really have). The belt that’s included with the pattern will also cinch in the waist a bit.

woman wearing Simplicity 8014 front view

I made View B with some elements of View A. A full bust adjustment was made and there’s a YouTube video about that process. I use “The Complete Photo Guide To Perfect Fitting” by Sarah Veblen as my go to book for this.

At this point I checked the fit, just to make sure things were going as planned. Something that I did not do that this pattern calls for is the pocket flaps on the chest pockets. With the print of the fabric, they wouldn’t be needed or missed since they are purely decorative.

woman wearing floral dress making Simplicity 8014 shirtdress — *Checking the fit of the bodice on Simplicity 8014*

Making The Dress

Previous shirtdresses I’ve made have had a slightly different process. Those patterns did not have a defined waist seam as this one does. So for Simplicity 8014, first the bodice is constructed, then the skirt. Because the skirt panels are a bit wide, I found having extra fabric essential to being able to cut them out as the pattern instructs. My fabric was only 44″ wide, so I would use 50″ wide or above if possible. I think that will make things much easier.

Other than that, the process for sewing the dress was pretty straightforward.

Back view of woman wearing blue floral dress

Conclusion

This is a terrific, versatile pattern. I think it could be made for wearing during most seasons of the year. Luckily, this pattern is still available. I always love a classically styled dress and sewing pattern. If you haven’t made this one yet, I highly recommend it!

Summer Dress With McCall’s 7889

I made a summer dress with McCall’s 7889 because I wanted something that would be quick and easy. This pattern did not disappoint. It’s described as being a very loose-fitting top and dress with button front closure.

The Pattern

I made a version that combines both Views D and B. I rarely make something that is strictly the way the pattern is designed! The suggested fabrics are all lightweight and flowy, so that will give you some idea of how this is intended to fit and look.

The Dress

I got this fabric from my mother-in-law who used to sew quite a bit. I’m sure it’s from the 1970’s or 1980’s since she’s held on to it a long time. It’s 100% polyester, but it’s very lightweight, breezy and thin. The fabric was in perfect condition and was perfect for this dress.

While the fabric is easy to sew and the pattern is rated easy, I did have a bit of a struggle with the pleats. There are three pleats on each side of the front and on each side of the back. Although they are easy to make, pleats are one of those things that sometimes throws me off. I think it’s because I really need to slow down and sew more carefully to get them placed correctly. There was a similar issue when I made this skirt years ago. Here’s that pattern; unfortunately, this one isn’t available.

woman wearing summer dress with McCall's 7889

I would dispute the pattern description that the dress is very loose. Because the pleats in the front and back gently cinch in the waist, the dress does have some shaping.

The pattern also includes a belt as you can see in the photos. That also helps to bring the waist in. Please be aware that there are no pockets in the dress. So that’s something you’d have to add if you are so inclined.

front view of woman wearing summer dress with mccall's 7889

Now, I will admit this dress is shorter than what I’m normally used to. If I was to make this again, I would probably add a few inches to the length. I debated with myself about doing that and decided against it. But next time, I will add a bit more fabric to the bottom of the dress.

Conclusion

I’m not sure I would sew this dress again, but I do think it would make a cute top (that’s View A in the pattern).

But, if you’re looking for a cute summer dress, this could be the one!

For those of you who would like to see the video review I made of the dress, that’s here below.

I Used Two Patterns To Make One Dress

For my latest Minerva project, I used two patterns to make one dress. I took the dress portion from one and added the sleeves from the other.

Pattern envelopes — Vogue 8847 & Butterick 6446

The Fabric

For this project, I was gifted this very nice, lightweight fabric. It’s called John Kaldor soft crepe and it’s 100% polyester. The fabric has a gorgeous drape and is very soft like the name says.

This fabric washes and dries really well. I love the vibrant print of it as well. It’s perfect for summer!

The Patterns

I’ve had both of these patterns since around 2012 and 2015. I l For this particular look, I wanted a bell-shaped, flowy sleeve. As the heat and humidity rises when we get into summer, there was no way I was going to make a long-sleeve dress.

The Dress

The Very Easy Vogue pattern is quite easy and quick to sew. While it wasn’t really necessary, I did pay attention to the direction of the fabric when I laid out the pattern. It’s a very loose fitting dress with gathers in the back and front yokes. There are no buttons or zippers, so you can simply pull it over your head.

The dress has inseam pockets too!

woman wearing yellow floral dress with her hands in pockets

Because the dress is very loose, the belt really helps to cinch in the waist. By the way, there were no issues with adding sleeves in from a different patten. The sleeves from the Butterick pattern fit perfectly into the Vogue dress.

Conclusion

While I am a little bit concerned about how comfortable the dress will be when the weather gets hot, I think it will be fine to wear. I am always cold in the summer when I’m indoors and the air conditioning is blasting!

I am so glad I used two patterns to make one dress. The end result is just what I had in mind.

If you’d like te see the video of this project, you can view that here.