Sew Americana Tour: Patriotic Shirt Dress

Hey Sewcialists!  I am pleased to be back this week as a part of the Sew Americana Tour hosted by Katy of Wild and Wonderful.  We are celebrating the 4th of July this week. Oh my gosh, it is July!  I can hardly believe that the year is half over already!  It seems like yesterday I was planning out my Jungle January makes and now here I am sharing my 4th of July outfit.  Time needs to slow down a bit for me to catch my breath.

Anyways I have a fantastic new make that I have been dying to share. I made my very first shirt dress using McCall’s 6742, an OOP but definitely a must make if you have it.  Yeah, I said my very first shirt dress.  I don’t know why it has taken me so long to get on this train, but now that I am on it I am not getting off anytime soon.  Shirt dresses are super flattering and easy to wear and this pattern is fantastic!  It was super easy to put together.  I love the high low hem. It is what originally drew me to the pattern.  The longer one part sleeve and sleeve band are a surprising favorite part of the design for me.  I definitely want to make another version of this dress and I want to make a peplum top version.

Lets talk about the major stashbusting points I  achieved with this!  I used 3.25 yards of white eyelet that has a slight silver shimmer to it.  About 3 yards is pretty standard usage for a dress for me.  The major part is that this piece has been in my stash for over 10 years!  A whole freaking decade it has been sitting there unused.  Geez, why did it take me so long to find the right pattern for the fabric? I don’t really know the answer to that but I am glad I did find the right pattern.  With this piece being that old I have no idea how much I paid for it, since it was before I started keeping track of that.  I know that it definitely would have come from Jo-Ann’s though.

I also made the short little slip that goes under the dress and used 1 yard of newly purchased white peachskin fabric from Jo-Ann’s as well. Total cost for that one yard was $4.99. The pattern calls for placing it on the bias, but I chose to place each front and back on the fold.  Bias garments have never really been great for me.  They make me feel very self conscience since they tend to be a bit more clingy.  I also used 3 yards of white fold over elastic to trim out the neckline and create the straps.  I like this look much better because it gives a little more of a professional finish.  Too bad no one will ever see any of this as the fabric is super sheer and I will not wear it by itself.  You can see the outline of it in the back shot above and that is all I am going to show of it.

My style is not one that I am going to wear red, white, and blue stars and stripes all in one outfit to celebrate the 4th of July.  I like my patriotism to be a little more understated and versatile enough that I can change up the look to wear all summer long.  As a result the I chose to accentuate my all white dress with red and blue accessories.  You cannot really see it well in any of the pictures here but I am wearing a beaded bright red multistrand necklace and of course my favorite red peep toe heels.  I also added my red, white. and blue striped wallet to carry around all my essentials instead of a full purse.  It keeps the patriotic theme of the outfit while making it easy to keep track of at holiday parties.

Take a look at the AMAZING lineup for the Sew Americana tour and leave a comment with what your 4th of July outfit plans are!

Monday, June 27 
Wild & Wanderful | Sew and Tell Project | Call Ajaire
Paisley Roots | Wally and Grace

Tuesday, June 28
Sew Thrifty | Coles Corner and Creations | Rebel & Malice

Friends Stitched Together | The Wholesome Mama

Wednesday, June 29
Sewing by Ti | EYMM | HattieLu Handmade
Daydream Believers | PenSebRox | Handmade Boy

Thursday, June 30
Beatnik Kids | Phat Quarters | Sew Starly | Sew Sophie Lynn
The Kisses Co. | Adventures with Bubba and Bug

Friday, July 1
Very Blissful | That’s Sew Kari | Sew Happily Ever After | Pear Berry Lane

Mae and K | Musings of a Seamstress | Sew and Tell Project

As a special bonus for our readers, use the code ‘ SEWAMERICANA ‘ and enjoy a 20% discount at www.THREADandGRAIN.com  You’ll find a ton of maker-inspired goodies!
(All created by your tour guide, Katy, from Wild & Wanderful.)