So, since one can never have enough denim dresses and one can never have enough shirt dresses, what better combination than a denim shirt dress.

Today, I’m sharing my review of the Matilda Shirt Dress pattern by Megan Nielsen Pattern.

I’ve actually had a bit of a crush on the Megan Nielsen Matilda Dress for many years. The princess seams. All the details. The waist shaping. The Shirt Dress goodness. It kind of has all the things I like to wear right there.

So I have been meaning to sew it for years and finally decided to give it a go with this light denim I got during an in-person visit to the now very sadly defunct The Fabric Store in Adelaide.

(Side note: there is no way I would have been so restrained during my last visit home had I known the store would close and it would be my last chance to peruse its wares in person!)

My Matilda Dress is a size 16. For the most part.

I was a bit worried about whether these sleeves would be roomy enough for my upper arm so I did the lazy alternative to a full bicep adjustment and just graded to a size 20 from the size 16 at the upper arms. I would say that it is borderline line still as to whether this is roomy enough around the arm. So if you also have well endowed upper arms, you may need to make some adjustments to ensure it feels comfortable.

I found sewing the Matilda Dress to be a straightforward and uneventful project. I had a slight issue with the collar stand being way too big – I had to trim it down by 3cm and then I had to trim the collar as well to make it all work together. Not really sure how/why this happened – perhaps inaccurate sewing or cutting?

In any event, too big is always better than too small when it comes to pattern pieces, so I’m not complaining too much.

I must confess, however, that I am feeling a bit disappointed with the end result due to a matter which is entirely my fault. I used an interfacing that I had on hand for this project without thinking too much about it. I find that denim usually takes to being interfaced very well.

But this interfacing was simply too heavy for this fabric and everything is a bit warped and distorted as a result. The button placket looks, well, frankly, just a little bit shit. As does the interfaced waist band – thus the belt. This dress is actually unwearable without a belt. As you can see, I added some belt loops to hold the belt in place where it needs to be.

So I think this is the first time that I’ve had the experience that using the wrong interfacing has really messed with the quality of my finished product!

The very rigid interfaced pieces also messed with the button hole functionality of my machine. When testing sewing on scraps, my button holes were perfect. When I sewed the same buttonhole on my interfaced fabric, my button holes were coming out a full centimetre shorter.

It was ridiculous.

And there is no more frustrating sewing experience than when you are fighting with your button holes while sewing a shirt dress!

Most of my button holes on this dress are just a tad to small. Unfortunately, the one which is smallest of all is the all-important one on the waist band. To get his on, I have to push and squeeze my buttons with such vigour that my fingers hurt.

Which does not make for a pleasant “getting dressed” experience.

At this point, I’m not sure what the fix is – perhaps finding some slightly smaller buttons and replacing them all.

All in all, this one feels like a bit of a sewing bummer. It’s a great pattern. Great fabric. It should be a great dress, but my interfacing and inadequate button holes are messing with it to the extent that I’m not sure how often I’m going to be reaching for it.

In addition, I have to say that the proportions of this dress are just a little off on me – something I could have fixed if I’d made a muslin. On my body, the bodice is slightly too long – I think the waistline should be lifted about 2cm on me. Further, I think the skirt needs a bit more length to look properly balanced. I would want to give it an extra couple of inches in skirt length.

So for now, I guess it will spend some time in wardrobe limbo, waiting to see if I can look past its flaws and wear it…