My holy grail of shirred sundresses

My holy grail of shirred sundresses

During these summer holidays (which are nearly over!) I’ve been interested to see what clothes Miss A and Miss B have been selecting from their wardrobe each day.  I’ve made the following observations:

  • Dresses are worn more than skirts and tops (shorts don’t even rate a mention)
  • Cardigans and leggings are used for warmth on cooler days
  • Items preferred by the girls usually have no zips or button closures – easy on and easy off!
  • Miss A may have worn her birthday dress seven days straight… not that anyone is counting – right?

Miss A’s has been asking for another version of her birthday dress, but I’m not keen.  I’m afraid that if I sew another one she won’t love it as much as the first and it won’t get worn.  Sequels rarely are better than the original are they?  Should I get over myself and just make it?

So, instead of making a dress with lots of shirring for Miss A, I decided to take the best from all the shirring pattern and tutorials I’ve used in the past (see here, here & here) and test out my perceived ‘holy grail’ of shirred sundresses.

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Miss B was the lucky recipient of my prototype.

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My holy grail dress uses Jorth’s Shirred Sundress Tutorial for sizing and fabric information.  The rolled hems on the top of the bodice and hem are super fast to sew and look effective in a contrasting or highlighting thread.  Each strap also has rolled hems (all four edges) and three rows of shirring the length of the strap.  And just for the record… when positioning the straps, I’ve found that going with your gut instinct yields the same results as lots of measuring, basting and trying on!

Miss B has been wearing her dress non-stop since finished it yesterday morning.  Happy days…

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No summary project details as there isn’t really a pattern or size and the fabric has been used before.  So instead, I’ll leave you with this little shirring gem… hold your iron above the shirring, give it a good burst of steam and watch it contract/shrink!

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