A Modern Take On A Vintage Shirt Dress
The Sew Over It Nicole Dress is a charming vintage shirt dress with a full button placket, midi a line skirt, and traditional shirt cuffs in both of the two sleeve styles. Offering a feminine silhouette, this classic shirt dress comes in a flat fronted skirt or a gathered skirt style.
I recently reviewed and sewed the Nicole Dress for Threads Magazine’s Summer 2023 (Number 222) Pattern Review section.
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The Pattern
Nicole Dress Pattern from Sew Over It
The Nicole Dress is available at Sew Over It in a PDF pattern only. It comes in sizes 6-30 as a PDF pattern or a PDF & Printed Pattern. Which means you will get the digital pattern right away and the Printed Pattern on large sheets in the mail.
It is a lovely pattern that goes together beautifully. The notches and points matched up perfectly. Also, with the gathered skirt, there is a little forgiveness when attaching the skirt to the bodice.
Pro Tip: You can check out my Assembling A PDF Pattern for some quick pdf pattern tips and tricks.
The Fabric
Nicole Dress For Threads Magazine
The Nicole Dress sewing pattern lends itself to a wide variety of lightweight fabrics. A solid, an overall print, or even a panel print would be great. The pattern recomments cotton poplin, cotton lawn, crepe, viscose, and tencel. Any shirt weight fabric will work. You will also need interfacing. I recommend a lightweight tricot — it’s pretty much the only interfacing I use.
The dress I sewed for Threads was a cotton shirting from Farmhouse Fabrics. I thought the “stripe” was an odd choice for a pattern that would show all the horizontal lines. I managed to line up the button placket and the sleeves. However, lining up stripes on a skirt that is partially gathered is nearly impossible. So the dress looks like it dips down on each side. Not a bad look, but something that would drive me crazy when I look in the mirror.
Cotton Shirting And Cotton Lawn
Liberty London Capel Tana Cotton Lawn Fabric In Indigo
I do, however, like the idea of a cotton shirting, cotton lawn, or any stable cotton fabric for this shirt dress. It would be super sweet in a Liberty London cotton. A small ditsy print would bring out the retro style for this timeless shirt dress.
Viscose Or Crepe Fabric
Viscose Challis Fabric In Black And Cream
A soft and floaty viscose or crepe fabric would be great for the Nicole Dress. This dotted Viscose Challis would be amazing made up into this shirt dress.
A Ready To Wear Option
Diane Von Furstenberg has a classic floral shirt dress with a modern gathered skirt. Super cute, a lovely inspiration to make your own and save several hundred dollars.
The Nicole Dress Sewing Pattern
A classic shirt dress is not for the beginner sewist. A confident advanced beginner or intermediate should be successful with this pattern. Tricky bits like the collar and pockets can be small stumbling blocks. Also there are a lot of buttons and buttonholes. You will want to have a sewing machine that can produce beautiful buttonholes. I had to sent this Sew Over It Nicole Dress into the magazine, I don’t know if I’ll actually make one for myself — it’s a little too buttoned up for my goto style.
Happy Sewing,
Sandi
PS:
I love my Bernette 38 Sewing Machine. It is perfect for sewing beautiful garments.
Make your garments better with my 21 Tips To Take Your DIY Garment From Homemade To High End
Do you love Sew Alongs and Sewing Tips and Tricks? My Youtube channel Barrett’s Custom Design is filled with great sewing techniques served up with a few laughs.
My Sewing With Sandi Etsy Shop has over 500 hard to find women’s, men’s, and children’s patterns. You will find little girls’ bows, a few sewing notions, sewing kits, but mostly lots and lots of patterns. You will find little girls’ bows, a few sewing notions, sewing kits, but mostly lots and lots of patterns.