Gemma’s New Look 6180

I love the ease of them for when I want something that looks great without making too much effort, as well as a safe bet for looking good on pretty much any body shape. I’ve been feeling like I needed a new one in my wardrobe but hadn’t found quite the right fabric. I wanted one that would look fairly ‘dressy’, in a fabric suited for warmer weather, while still maintaining my love for a print. As soon as I saw the fabric in my box, I knew it was just what I had been looking for! Such a beautiful shade of blue, and the flamingo leaf print is the right side of novelty that it can work for a more dressed up style.

Cotton poplin is a lovely light fabric, so ideal for warmer temperatures, and doesn’t make the garment heavy. It’s a joy to sew, it does not slip when cutting out, and goes through the sewing machine with ease, making it a great fabric to sew with if you are just starting out, or fancy making something uncomplicated.

My current go-to shirt dress pattern is New Look 6180. I love the variety of features that make it such a versatile dress – an elasticated waist is a firm favourite of mine for example. I’m also very happy that it only has buttons on the top shirt half of the dress – ideal if you’re not a fan of sewing buttonholes! It has several options for sleeve length as well as a sleeveless option – I chose to go without sleeves seeing as I wanted it to be a summer dress.

In terms of construction it’s quite straightforward, especially if you have sewn a shirt before. The only part I find tricky is adding the collar to the neckband – easing it in is where you have to concentrate!

I did cheat a little and just hemmed the sleeves rather than adding binding – anything for a quick sew! I also added side seam pockets, as the pattern doesn’t come with them and how could I have a dress without pockets?! Unheard of for me! To do this I used a pattern piece I already had, measured 6cm down from the waistline of the skirt pieces, and sewed the pockets as part of the side seams. Pretty easy once you know how, and very handy! Button wise I added lovely pearl white and gold ones I had in my stash which I thought went perfectly.

I love this dress! It ticks all of my boxes, and having made a few before it meant I had this sewn up in an afternoon, which is pretty good for a dress. Its light and airy, and the pattern makes me so happy – who doesn’t like a flamingo print?! The colour also really works for me, it’s the right shade of blue that allows it to be a ‘dress up’ or casual garment. I’m looking forward to wearing this throughout summer, and then during winter with added tights and long sleeved top – very versatile!