How to make a shirt dress

1. Materials & tools

Materials (size M)

• Main fabric (cotton lawn, linen or chambray) — about 110 cm wide × 280 cm (43 × 110 in)
• Lightweight fusible interfacing — about 90 cm wide × 80 cm (35 × 31 in) for the front facings and collar
• 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 long 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, the front facings and the collar (on the fold). Transfer the underarm, sleeve-head and button notches, and the shoulder and center-front notches on the collar.
2. Cut
   Cut one back on the fold, two fronts, two sleeves, two front facings, and one outer and one under collar on the fold.
3. Interfacing
   Fuse interfacing to the front facings and the outer collar. The buttonholes go through the facing and the front together, and the interfacing keeps them from stretching.
4. Finish the edges
   Finish the shoulder, side and underarm allowances together after sewing. Serge or zigzag only the inner edge of the front facings beforehand.

4. Sewing

Sewing steps in pictures 11 steps, one at a time

4-1. Sew the shoulders

1. Place the fronts and back right sides together and sew both shoulders.
   See it in pictures
2. Finish both allowances together and press them toward the back.
   See it in pictures

4-2. Set the sleeves

1. Match the center notch of the sleeve head to the shoulder seam and the ends of the sleeve to the underarm, right sides together, and pin. The sleeve head is almost the same length as the armhole, so set it in without easing.
   See it in pictures
2. Sew the armhole from end to end, finish both allowances together and press them toward the body. Topstitching close to the seam from the right side makes it sturdier.
   See it in pictures

4-3. Sew the sides and underarms

1. Place front and back right sides together and sew from the cuff to the hem in one run, matching the armhole seams.
   See it in pictures
2. Finish both allowances together and press them toward the back.
   See it in pictures

4-4. Attach the front facings

1. Place each facing on its front right sides together and sew the front edge from the neckline to the hem line.
   See it in pictures
2. Turn the facing to the inside and press, rolling the edge about 1 mm to the inside so the facing does not show from the front.
   See it in pictures
3. At the neckline, baste the facing and front together inside the seam allowance.
   See it in pictures

4-5. Attach the stand collar

1. Place the outer and under collar right sides together and sew the top edge and both ends, stopping each end at the seam line 1 cm (3/8 in) above the lower edge so the under-collar allowance can be folded in later. Trim the corners, turn right side out and press.
   See it in pictures
2. Pin the outer collar to the neckline right sides together, with its ends at the front edges and its notches at the shoulder seams and center back, and sew through the facings too. Clip the curved neckline allowance and press it up into the collar rather than open.
   See it in pictures
3. Fold under the allowance of the under collar to cover the neckline seam, and topstitch all around the collar from the right side.
   See it in pictures

4-6. Finish the hem and cuffs

1. Turn up the hem and cuffs 1 cm and then 1 cm again (a double fold) and stitch close to the fold.
   See it in pictures
2. Fold the bottom of the front facings into the double-fold hem and stitch them in with it.
   See it in pictures

4-7. Buttons

1. On the upper front, work vertical buttonholes at the center-front notches, and one horizontal buttonhole in the collar.
   See it in pictures
2. Sew the buttons on the other front and the collar, and it is done.
   See it in pictures

✏️ Test every buttonhole on a scrap first. Machines differ, and a buttonhole a millimeter too short will not take the button, while one too 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.