McCall's The Perfect Shirtdress 5847

To cleanse my sewing pallette of the unsuccessful Colette attempt ( I think it was fabric choice and may try again), I decided to try the Perfect Shirt Dress by Palmer & Pletcsch.  McCalls 5847, I love a good fitting shirtdress.

Here is my review.



Pattern Sizing: 14-16, I cut a 16 even though for my measurements 41-34-42, it said to cut a 20.  I think they plan on way more ease than I wanted.



Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?   Yes, with exception of the sleeve roll up that I talk about later, and the first button placement is WAY lower that what appears in the photos.  I placed my first, right between my girls and it was perfect.

Were the instructions easy to follow?     They were. Although, I don't care for the way the collar was attached, very hard to get the fold under of the shoulder seam seam allowances just right they way they have you do it.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?    I love a shirt dress. I think with the princess seam shaping, it is flattering on any figures.



Fabric Used: A cotton / poly blend from JoAnns



Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:   I added a couple inches in length for view C and it still hits above my knee, for reference I am 5'9". 
I did not have enough fabric to cut the front section 4 times ( 2 times for facings) so the facings I cut and pieced fabric together. Since the seam is on the inside and falls at the waist, it is not noticeable. I also used cotton batiste for the interfacing of the entire center front sections and the collar, instead of any fusibles. One oddity on view C, they just have you do a narrow hem at the bottom of the sleeve and then roll it up. So the wrong side of your material would be visible for the sleeve roll. This is not apparent from the photo on the pattern envelope. I did not roll mine at all and just shortened the sleeve tab and used it anyway, as I liked the look.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?    I will, I think a few sleeveless ones for summer......



Conclusion:    I love this pattern.  It is well drafted and went together very nicely.   I traced and fit the pattern to my KG2 (body double) to see where it might need altering. I also compared it to the Butterick 5678 for the princess seam shaping. I had to remove a little of the curve above the bust area, just like with the butterick, my upper bust is just not very busty. (-: That was about all of the altering I had to do. I love all of the topstitching on the princess seams, gives the dress added structure and makes eveything hang very well.

Stay Happy and Keep Sewing!