For this ‘wearable muslin’ shirtdress I used a new King size Duvet cover from Dunelm in the design called ‘Ashbourne’. Once unpicked this provided me with 2.15 metres x 260 cms wide fabric in each of the prints. One side is the floral and the reverse is a multi-stripe, more of that in another post.
This will be the #5 version of my ‘Polly’ basic shirtwaister dress pattern which I used knowing that it would need some minor alterations. I added to the length of the bodice, took in the side seams at the underarm, extended the width of the yoke shoulders and top of the armscye and added to the width and length of the skirt panels which came originally from the ‘Penny’ dress by Sew Over It.
The fabric had been laundered when the duvet cover was originally purchased back in 2019 so was ‘good to go’. I had a good colour match of thread to use in construction and there was Pale Cream/White in the overlocker.
I used a light fusible interfacing on the undercollar and facings. There is a self-bias binding for the armholes and 5 pretty flower-shaped buttons from my stash for the bodice. Although clearly marked on the pattern piece, I forgot to cut the yoke pieces on the bias and this has shown up some pulling across the shoulders once the dress was completed.
The major change for this dress was an inset band for the elasticated waist. I cut two lengths of fabric to match the overall length of the waistline edge of the bodice, x 2¾ inches wide. This accounts for 1½ wide elastic plus 2 x seam allowances of 5/8ths inch. This method has worked well although next time I will need to reduce the length of the bodice as this version has a little too much ‘blousing’ over the bust for my taste. In any event, the waistline casing is covered by the wide elasticated belt that will always be worn with this dress.
I added my standard concealed side seam pockets to the skirt. I had lengthened the skirt panels by 4 inches and finished them with a narrow double-folded hem machine-stitched in place which has given me an ‘ideal’ skirt length. I can wear the dress with mules, heels or indeed white plimsolls.
Dunelm Ashbourne Shirtdress
Conclusion: With a few more minor adjustments this could be a TNT dress pattern. This particular version is wearable, especially when worn with a cropped cardigan which conceals the pulling across the shoulders and the excessive blousing of the bodice. I love the flare of the skirt and may well hack the pattern to make a button-through skirt in Cerise linen-look cotton that I have in my stash.
Project #44 completed 26th June 2021