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Debbie Shore's Dressmaking Studio: Simple Shift Dress

Quick Links: What you'll need Project steps

A shift dress is easy to make and easy to wear. It’s cool in summer and is perfect for holidays as it takes up very little space in your suitcase.

This simple shift is exactly what it says on the tin: a simple shift dress with no fiddly fastenings – a dress that goes straight on over the head and that can be dressed up or down for many different occasions.

The dress has handy side-seam pockets, subtle shaping at the waist, bust darts and a slightly lower back neckline. The neckline and armholes are finished with bias binding which is pressed to the inside of the dress to function as a hem. We’ll be making the binding from our main fabric, which adds to the simplicity of the look. If you prefer, you can use a ready-made or contrast binding, though the binding isn’t designed to be seen when the dress is worn.

The pattern has been designed for light- to medium-weight woven fabric with little to no stretch. We recommend something with a subtle drape and nothing too heavy. Lightweight cottons, cotton chambray, lighter weight linen and linen blends, Tencel, rayon/viscose and rayon/viscose blends would all work well for this dress.

Different fabrics will produce different results. It’s always recommended that you make a sample or toile in cheap fabric, as close as possible in weight and drape to your final fabric before making your final garment. This will help you to understand the fit and how it will sit on the body and allow you to make any alterations needed for your final garment.

Choosing a size

Don’t just assume you know what dress size you are: for any dressmaking project you should always refer to the appropriate chart that provides the body measurements that each size is designed to fit and compare these with your own measurements as the sizes vary depending on the designer. And nobody needs to know what size you are making anyway! Then refer to the chart for the finished-garment measurements, which will be larger because these measurements include ‘wearing ease’, which is the room you need to move and breathe in the garment, and also ‘design ease’, which is where areas of the garment are deliberately looser as part of the styling. Using both charts, and accounting for how close-fitting you want your dress to be, you will be able to choose the right size for you. Note that because this dress is designed to slip on over the head, there should be enough ease at the waist for the dress to go over your bust.

Bust size

The patterns come in two size sets. The first one, for sizes 4–18, is designed for a B cup while the second, for sizes 16–32 is designed for a D cup. This means that for sizes 16 and 18 you can choose which cup size is best for you and select from the appropriate set. In terms of dressmaking, a B cup means that the high bust (your body circumference just under your armpits) is 2in (5cm) smaller than your bust measurement (measured around the fullest part of the bust) and a D cup means that the high bust is 4in (10cm) smaller than your bust measurement. If there isn’t a pattern that is right for you, you may need to do a bust adjustment (see the technique on Bust adjustment).

By the end of this project, you’ll have:

1. Made a shift dress which will become a wardrobe staple
2. Learned a method for neatly finishing necklines and armholes
3. Inserted side-seam pockets – you can add these to other garments too
4. Sewn French darts and found out how easy this is

Do take a look at the shift dresses that other members have made for inspiration (see right) and, if you have any questions about making this pattern, you can always refer to the forum. You can also chat to other members via the Half Yard Sewing Club Facebook page! And don’t forget to check out the other dressmaking projects in the Club – there’ll be more of these over the coming months.

The Templates

• Click here to download the A0 pdf pattern for sizes 4–18 (B cup)
• Click here to download the A0 pdf pattern for sizes 16–32 (D cup)
• Click here to download the A4 pdf pattern for sizes 4–18 (B cup)
• Click here to download the A4 pdf pattern for sizes 16–32 (D cup)
• Click here to download the US Letter pdf pattern for sizes 4–18 (B cup)
• Click here to download the US Letter pdf pattern for sizes 16–32 (D cup)

Note: Use a ⅜in (1cm) seam allowance unless otherwise stated.

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You will need:

Equipment

• Printer paper, scissors and tape if printing the pattern at home  
• Fabric shears 
• Dressmaking pins 
• Erasable fabric pen or tailor’s chalk 

Materials

• 59in (150cm) wide fabric: 1.8yd (1.6m) for sizes 4–12 (B cup); 2yd (1.8m) for sizes 14–18 (B cup); 2.2yd (2m) for sizes 16–22 (D cup) and 2.8yd (2.5m) for sizes 24–32 (D cup) OR for 54in (137cm) wide fabric: 2yd (1.8m) for sizes 4–12 (B cup); 2.2yd (2m) for sizes 14–18 (B cup), 2.7yd (2.4m) for sizes 16–22 (D cup) and 2.9yd (2.6m) for sizes 24–32 (D cup) OR for 45in (115cm) wide fabric: 2.6yd (2.3m) for sizes 4–12 (B cup); 2.8yd (2.5m) for sizes 14–18 (B cup); 2.9yd (2.6m) for sizes 16–22 (D cup) and 3.3yd (3m) for sizes 24–32 (D cup) 
• Thread to match your fabric 

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