TL; DR – Sometimes the pattern directions make assumptions about your knowledge, in-seem pockets are harder than you think, and I still haven’t found a good tutorial for them. Choose the right needle for your project.

I wanted a shirtdress with brushstrokes. I found the fabric at Mood, and got the Indira pattern from Fibre Mood. No back yoke or pleat or even sleeves to set, which seemed like an excellent simple option for me and would really highlight the pattern without having to worry about matching.

For some reason, the collar and facing didn’t quite work out, and I can’t tell if it’s because I missed reading a step or if there wasn’t a step that was just assumed to be one of those known things that I would know if I was a more experienced sewist. But I made it work, because it’s not like I ever do up the top button.

You will notice, however, that my pockets are a little…weird. I couldn’t find a useful YouTube tutorial on in-line pockets. Seriously. It’s like, IT IS SO EASY WATCH and I’m like, I’m not sure what just happened. So if anyone has a good tutorial, I would love it, please share it in the comments so I can make dresses with pockets again without fear.

Also, at this point, my machine is starting to act up. Like, broken needles, threads snapping, weird looping stitches…What was meant to be an easy dress was a nightmare because my machine was just being a pain in the ass. I figured out that I wasn’t using a heavy/thick enough needle for the fabric I was using, which was a pretty sturdy cotton, and once you fold it over a couple of times, say in the cuff, for example, it’s not going to be happy.

My cuffs still aren’t sewn all the way around at the seam line because ARGH.

But I’m happy with the buttons, and happy with the button holes, and happy with the fit, and I have to think that if I had a different machine, it would have been an easier sew. So, I got on FB Marketplace and found a new machine. I wouldn’t break out my new Brother sewing machine until the New Year, not until I was really, really, REALLY fed up with my Singer Simple.

Whenever I figure out inline pockets, I will definitely make this dress again.