Alternating Stripes Alder Shirtdress

Ok seriously… this is me officially saying I’ve learned my lesson. When a new pattern comes out, and it looks amazing, and it’s totally you, and everyone is RAVING about it… DON’T put it at the end of your TBS (to be sewn) list for goodness sake! Jump on the dang bandwagon and move that baby to the top!!

In other words… may I introduce to you my new favorite dress.

Confession: I made two Alders. I’m sharing this one with you first because it’s my favorite and I’m so excited about it but trust me the other one is just as good. The pattern is the Alder Shirtdress by Grainline Studio – you may have heard of it? I of course had to make both versions. This is view B, which features a gathered skirt at the waist attached with unique seaming.

The fabric is a shirting weight cotton from my stash. It’s leftover from a custom sewing project I did for an upscale pajama company back in my big city days. I love the menswear feel of the stripes. I’ve been hanging on to this fabric for a while, not sure what I would do with it. UNTIL the Alder pattern came out and it was like kismet. Don’t you love it when you find the perfect pattern + fabric combo?! I was a little nervous because I wasn’t sure if I would have enough, especially since I knew I wanted to make the skirt stripes horizontal. Luckily I squeezed it out and even had enough to throw in some side seam pockets.

I made absolutely zero fit alterations to this pattern. Its perfect. I love how snug it is across the chest, without being tight under the arms, but still loose and swingy in the hips. I did of course add side seam pockets… because the breast pockets are cute, but of course I needed more!

I don’t usually devote a whole paragraph to my notions but we’ve got to talk about those little gold buttons! Those are also from my stash, snagged from an internship. I had trouble deciding if they would be to shiny but you guys helped me choose when I posted on instagram and boy where you right! I love the nautical feel they give this dress. They give it so much character.

SKIP TO THE END?
Pattern: Alder Shirtdress by Grainline Studio
Fabric: Striped cotton shirting from stash
Notions: Gold buttons from stash
Difficulty: Intermediate
Adjustments: Added side seam pockets
Finishes: Serged seams, turned hem, bias bound armholes
Time: 4 hours?
Sew it again? Oh yes, I think this pattern will stay in rotation forever!

Happy Sewing!