Review of Simplicity 8084 Shirt Dress using Stretch Crepe

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I made the Simplicity 8084 Shirt Dress using stretch crepe on Mother’s day, but I am just getting around to posting about it because the images I took wouldn’t load. If you saw my previous post here then you already know I am working on a bunch of summer dresses and looks. Jeans in 115 degrees weather are not the most comfortable so it’s all about flowy breathable pieces. This dress definitely falls into that category so I had to do a review of the Simplicity 8084 shirt dress using stretch crepe fabric. While my dress sat unfinished for a few months after we moved to our new place my husband saw that and said that he would watch Jack-Jack.

And this gave me an opportunity to complete my dress. It was his Mother’s day present to me. He sees me as a fur mom and wanted to celebrate all the hard work I have put into raising our puppy from potty training to learning patience, which we are still working on, haha. I thought it was so sweet of him. Especially because I lost my sewjo and hadn’t been able to find it. Completing an unfinished project gave me a sense of accomplishment and made me want to do more. Now my sewing machine is dust-free and projects are starting to come together. And so without further ado here is the next installation to my summer dress series.

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Pattern Review

Pattern Description: Misses’/Women’s Shirt Dress in Two Lengths (Good news is that Simplicity has this on sale for $5 right now)

Pattern Size Chosen: 16, but I honestly could have gone down to a size 14.

View: B

Fabric Choice: Crepe with some stretch here // similar here

Color: Black

Sewing Tools Needed That Aren’t Mentioned:

Seam Ripper (For removing basting stitches: temporary stitches that hold pattern pieces together)

Scissors for Fabric and Paper (never ever use the same scissors to cut fabric that you do to cut paper)

Iron

Pressing Cloth

Wonderclips or Pins

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you finished sewing it? I think so. What do you think?

Are the instructions easy to follow? Yes, they were very straightforward for an advanced pattern. A beginning intermediate sewist could totally make this dress.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the Simplicity 8084 shirt dress pattern?

Liked

I love the draw string because it gives the dress some shape. I also like the sleeves. I am all for embellishments.

Disliked

The overlapping placket was a little thick at the collar so it made it hard to turn it over and stitch. I think trimming the seam in that area a little bit more would have made it look a little better.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: Absolutely none. That is a shocker coming from the pattern hacking queen. I don’t think I’ve ever just followed the instructions on a pattern before. There’s a first for everything right?

Would you sew it again? Yes, I would like to try it in a lighter fabric like Rayon or Challis and make view A. I want some fun maxi dresses.

How long did it take? Two months, if I’m being totally honest because I started and then stopped while we moved so I’m counting that time to show that things happen and you have to roll with it. Not every project will be a quick one and you don’t have to be a fast sewer. Just go at your own pace.

Tips to avoid the Simplicity 8084 shirt dress from taking as long and other advice:

Plan out your steps is my number one piece of advice. I decided going forward that I would use my dry erase board to write out what steps were left on a project and then check them off as I complete them. It’s a good way to motivate yourself because each time you cross off a step you are closer to being done. If it’s a bigger project with more pieces I would advise not doing more than 5-7 steps at a time this way you are not overwhelmed.