Bicycle Shirtdress with Simplicity 8014

As Spring slowly comes to Chicago, I’ve found that it’s really the perfect time for some Sewing-Spring-Cleaning.

I purchased this adorable bicycle print fabric last April (2016) from Blackbird fabrics.  No longer available with blackbird, but I happened to spot it here for sale and also just spotted it here also.

The fabric is an opaque, crisp cotton shirting with a hint of elastic for comfort.  The fabric feels great to wear – it has that crisp percale movement and like I said, with the added lycra/elastic it makes for ease of movement.

After getting the fabric in the mail I promptly turned it into the Simplicity 8014 shirt-dress you see today.  I cut for view B, but added on the collar and shortened the sleeves.  I made this dress for easy wearing – hence the positive, blousey ease.  If it’s one thing I hate it’s wearing a summer dress that is so tight that it sticks to you with perspiration… Ick.

I hung the dress on my garment rack for the hem to hang and moved on to other sewing projects, and I never circled back to this in 2016 like I ought to have.

Somehow or other, I just didn’t finish it last year.

While I love sewing up new patterns & using new fabrics, it was time to revisit some dresses that were *silently – or loudly!!! taunting me* from my garment rack, unfinished.

So far I’ve tackled three of them – this one being the first. *yay*

Silly me though – I could have worn this dress all last year had I only: stitched on the buttons, created buttonholes, and finished the hem.

Since I started this project a year ago, I really can’t attest to any changes that I made for fit. sorry. :|

But you may have noticed… I have new glasses and I’m standing in front of my newly stained fence.  :D  Woot woot!

Staining this fence was an undertaking, but it went all the faster with a paint-sprayer – which I am now the proud new owner of.  I keep seeing things around my house thinking *I should spray that*.  lol

But back to my dress…

I remember belaboring over what color top-stitching thread to use on this dress…  And when I picked this up again April 2017, I regretted using the white thread.  It’s okay I guess…

I get why I used the white thread – I think the bicycle print needed to be broken up a bit more since it’s a busy, little print.

Upon reflection, I think this may have been the first time I had to set in a proper collar stand.  I’ve been avoiding them for some reason or another.  I remember it was a bit fiddly, but not overly challenging.  So glad to have one additional sewing scaredy-cat item crossed off my list.

Wish I had more concrete thoughts to share with you on my dress – but really this post is about the joys of finishing up those old languishing items in your closet and turning them into new, wearables.  :D

Do you guys have projects taunting you from piles or garment racks also?

In: Sewing

Blogger for 6 years and counting, I am a passionate creator who loves to tinker.

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