Back To School Alder Shirtdress

I never take back-to-school well. I love summer, I love my kids, I love being with my kids in the summer. Compounding the heartache, my youngest started kindergarten this year. I figure a new dress might make the whole experience less dreadful and buoy my spirits just a bit. If you’re gonna be the mom with her tear stained face squished up against the classroom window sobbing until the security guard asks you to leave (okay, that only happened in my head), you might as well do it in new clothes.

I entered into this project with the firmly held belief that I would never (never!) in a million years wear this style of dress. I am hopelessly pear shaped. My bust is two sizes smaller than my hips, and no RTW company will ever (ever!) make a shift dress that fits me. I’ve been in more than one dressing room with a dress I'd already fallen in love with half way over my head when I realize I can’t squeeze it over my butt. These experiences might lead a person to believe that the problem is with her own body. Even if that person is otherwise healthy, and has a reasonably robust sense of self confidence, one might be forgiven for thinking something was wrong with one’s body. Therefore, I assumed that this style of dress would never (never!) be flattering on me. I had crossed it right off my list of wearable garments (along with fanny packs and daisy dukes) in favor of the more forgiving fit and flare styles. It very sadly never occurred to me (until just now) that I could make it whatever size I wanted, if I made it myself. Which is exactly what I have done. The craziest part: I like it! It is a confident women indeed who can admit when she is wrong.

Late night buttonhole snafu, maybe you saw it on instagram. - Luckily, easily fixed.

PATTERN: Alder Shirtdress View A by Grainline Studio. This is my third Alder (first, heavily altered second), evidence of the fact that I like the pattern. If you are thinking of dipping you little toe in the waters of button down shirt construction, this pattern would be a great place to start. For the effort of a shirt, you get a whole dress. You can focus your energy on the collar and button band, and move on to sleeves and button cuffs later. As it is already September, I fully intend to transition this piece into fall and well beyond as suggested by Jen a few weeks ago.

Is it just me or has the Alder Shirtdress sew along gotten better? Crystal clear instruction for the burrito (my preferred) method of constructing the yoke, and instructions for attaching the collar that leave absolutely nothing (nothing!) to the imagination.

FABRIC: Robert Kaufman Chambray Union Indigo from Homemade. I’ve been eager to blog about this dress because I bought the fabric at one of my very favorite local fabric shops – Homemade in Swainton NJ. This shop isn’t local to me, but local to the beach where we spend a week with my husband’s extended family every year. We eat too much ice cream, spend way to much time in the sun, and visit every antique store and fabric shop for miles. Homemade is small-ish but the yarn and fabric selection is fantastic. There is nothing there I wouldn’t want to own. Luckily for all of us, Homemade recently expanded to an online shop.

SIZE/FIT: In my standard fashion I cut a 6 at the bust, an 8 at the waist, and a 10 at the hip. Now that I've worn this dress a few times, I think I would skip the 10 and cut an 8 at the hip next time. I also raised the arm opening 1/4" after noticing my View B reveals a bit more brassiere than I care to show. 

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Pertinent Info:
Pattern: Alder Shirtdress from Grainline Studio
Fabric: Robert Kaufman Chambray Union Indigo from Homemade
Shoes: Thea by Dansko

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Linking up with Straight Grain Sew & Show.