How to make a shirt dress

1. Materials & tools

Materials (size M)

• Main fabric (cotton lawn, linen or chambray) — about 110 cm wide × 250 cm (44 × 98 in)
• Lightweight fusible interfacing — for the collar and front bands
• Buttons (1–1.3 cm / ½ in) — 8–10
• Optional: a fabric belt or tie

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Adult clothes” → “Shirt dress” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter bust, length, shoulder width, sleeve length, front overlap, neck width and ease. Presets cover S, M, L and a short-sleeved version.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Trace the pattern
   Trace the back (on the fold), the fronts, the sleeves and the collar.
2. Cut
   Cut one back, two fronts, two sleeves and two collar pieces.
3. Apply interfacing
   Fuse interfacing to one collar piece and to the front band area — buttonholes need it or they stretch out.
4. Finish the edges
   Zigzag or serge the shoulder, side and underarm allowances.

4. Sewing

4-1. Finish the front edges

1. Turn each front edge under twice by the overlap width and stitch. Press the folds firmly first so the two sides match.
2. Do this before anything else — once the collar is on, the presser foot will not reach.

4-2. Shoulders and sleeves

1. Sew both shoulder seams and press the allowances open.
2. Match the center of each sleeve head to the shoulder seam and sew the sleeves in while the garment is flat.

4-3. Make and attach the collar

1. Sew the two collar pieces right sides together, leaving the lower edge open. Trim the corners, turn and press.
2. Sandwich the neckline between the collar layers and sew all the way around, lining the collar ends up with the folded front edges.
3. Clip the neckline curve so the collar stands up rather than fighting the neckline.

4-4. Sides, hem and buttons

1. Sew from the cuff along the underarm and down the side in one line.
2. Turn the cuffs and hem under twice and stitch.
3. Work buttonholes on the right front and sew buttons to the left. Space them evenly, starting 1 cm below the collar.

✏️ Test every buttonhole on a scrap first. Machines differ, and a hole cut a millimetre short will not take the button while one cut long lets it slip out. The correct length is the button diameter plus its thickness.

5. Tips & variations

• Belt it: a tie belt at the waist turns the same dress into a completely different shape.
• Short sleeves: the short-sleeve preset makes it a summer dress from the same pattern.
• Snaps instead: if buttonholes put you off, plastic snaps do the same job with no cutting.