Cotton Sateen Shirtdress

In an effort to finish unfinished projects from 2012, I finished a cotton sateen shirt dress  I started this back in July and put it away because it was not turning out the way I wanted to. It is made from a stretch cotton sateen I chose for Julie's Picks Swatch Club at Fabric Mart.

I used Butterick Pattern #5600. The pattern calls for you to pleat in the middle back of the bodice. When I did it, it ballooned up so much. I ended up folding the pleat down to the waist and top-stitching to make it lay nicer. I also brought the side seams in between the underarm and waist to help prevent ballooning. I also wanted to make puff sleeves, but took those off because they were very balloon-like also. I know that I don't look good in puff sleeves, so I'm not sure why I chose them. I made regular sleeves in the end.

Next time I make this pattern I'm going to use a lighter weight fabric. I used a stretch cotton sateen which was beautiful, but was a little too heavy. I think it made the "balloon" factor even worse.

I used teal shank buttons on the front of the dress. I got those at Fabric Mart in our retail store. They were from a NYC design room clean-out. This is also a closeup of the neckline detail.