Honeycomb Smocked Shirt Dress

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(Sorry I've taken so long to post anything - I've been having issues with linking to my blog and didn't want to post if it wasn't going to be seen. But I *think* that's sorted now, so I can return to my regular schedule!)

It's likely no secret at this point that I've become quite a big fan of smocking over the last few months (check out my latest smocking adventures - a smocked sleeve jumper and smocked skirt) and so, it was only a matter of time before something else was going to get the same treatment. This time, I decided to keep on mixing it up with different garment types and placements, so went for a shirt with a honeycomb smocked back yoke and cuffs - this is the same smocking style as is found on the jumper.

I went for Butterick B5526 for this, a pattern I bought a few months ago with the aim of making myself loads of new shirt dresses for the summer, an aim that still, in late August, hasn't even been remotely achieved. But enough of that. I went for option C, the tunic style, and lengthened it an extra 10 inches or so to make it dress length. I used some pink twill crepe* - light enough to make this a flowy summer shirt, but just sturdy enough to take the bulk of the smocking without collapsing - and I used 11mm fisheye buttons* in the colour pale pink for closures.

To allow room for the smocking, I doubled the cuff pattern lengthwise, and for the back pattern piece, I measured the back neck measurement for my size, then doubled it, then did the same for the back shoulder measurement. As the back was all cut as one piece (on the fold, no separate yoke piece) this meant that the whole of the back would be bigger, even the parts not being manipulated, but in this case, that's what I wanted, as it means you get a kind of gathered effect down the rest of the back.

This gives you the added benefit of having a lot of room to grow (say, if you take it on holiday someday, where you intend to eat a lot at the breakfast buffet) while looking chic at the same time. This method isn't the most precise way to alter patterns, but it works just fine while I'm still trying to get to grips with the whole smocking thing, and it's just so much faster.

To avoid making life difficult for yourself, you want to make sure you do the smocking before you start actual construction. The same goes for any kind of fabric manipulation I guess - it's a million times easier doing this on a flat piece of fabric, with no other pesky bits of material getting in your way. I drew out a 1" grid on a piece of paper, poked holes through all the intersections with a pin, and then pencil marked these onto the back piece. For me, this is the quickest way, and the neatest, as the wrong side of this fabric will be visible from the inside of the shirt. I stopped my markings about 1/2 to 2/3 down the armhole, so it would be roughly equivalent to where a back yoke seam would go.

Then came the hand sewing process - the back probably took me 2-3 hours, with an extra hour for the cuffs. I do really enjoy hand sewing though - I find it much more relaxing than regular sewing, so any excuse to sneak some into a project and I'm there. Once that was done, I interlined the cuffs with the same fashion fabric, but this time the pieces were cut to the original size. This was instead of the interfacing the pattern calls for - I didn't want to stiffen the fabric before smocking, as this would have created a more rigid effect that wouldn't have matched the back, and I sure as hell wasn't ironing on some interfacing afterwards, so interlining was the best choice.

This was also a good time to check whether my doubling method worked - if the smocked piece and the unadulterated piece matched up, then I'd done it right. Luckily, they did match up. Some might say I really should have checked this before cutting out a huge piece of fabric for the back, with no fabric to spare, and spending hours working on it, but hey, clearly I like living on the edge.

After that, I pretty much just followed what the instructions said. I don't have enough experience in shirt making to be able to go off and do my own thing - maybe I would have if I'd made all those summer shirt dresses I'd planned to, but there you go. The only other alteration I made, if it can so be called, is I only added buttons from the waist down. It was looking so sleek before I started adding the buttons and buttonholes that I really regretted not making a covered button band. I'm not a massive fan of exposed shirt buttons, but truth be told, I forgot about sewing the extra band until it was too late.

So, to keep it looking as sleek as possible, but also closeable, I only added in the buttons/buttonholes that were really necessary, and for above the waist where I'd usually leave it unbuttoned, I left this closure free. I realise this is probably more risque than many would be happy with, but it worked for me. But next time, I'm going to learn how to do a covered band!

What else is there to say? In terms fit, I'd say the pattern is true to size. Admittedly, it's not as easy to tell given how roomy it is in the back now, but the side seams sit where they should, and the sleeves fit right, with ample move-ability but no bagginess. I also do think the instructions were pretty thorough and easy to follow - I was 100% reliant on them and didn't need to Google or YouTube how to do any of it, which is always a good sign. So yeah, in terms of the pattern itself, I'd definitely recommend it if you're wanting to make yourself a shirt or two.

In terms of the finished garment, I am actually surprisingly happy with it. It's not perfect - I'm not entirely convinced on the cuffs and I'm annoyed at myself about the button thing. But, I'm really pleased with the overall effect and the fabric is a dream to wear. The smocking at the back turned out better than I thought it would, I guess the only shame is I'll never be able to see it! But now this is finished, I'm going to have to find myself a new smocking project to fuel my addiction...