Maven Patterns French Dart Shift

I reviewed this dress 18 months ago and my opinion hasn’t changed! I’ve made 3 French dart shifts now and they are are all very different. The first is a formal navy twill of some kind from a local market, the second was a lovely quality Ponte Roma from Fabrics Galore ages ago and the most recent is in a beautiful linen/viscose mix from Sew Me Sunshine. The instructions and illustrations are very thorough, be aware that the seam allowances are 1cm not 1.5 otherwise your dress will get smaller! It’s quite a quick make too because there’s no fiddly zip insertion to worry about, the dress goes straight over your head and the lovely roll collar doesn’t have a break in it this way. I’ve used the long sleeved version each time too because I love the pretty gathered and bound cuffs but there are short sleeved and cap sleeved options too (or leave it sleeveless) and of course there are side seam pockets! It’s a nice length dress, I’ve also seen it made as a top too. I found the sizing accurate and comfortable and I didn’t need to make any adjustments to the fit. All in all it’s a versatile pattern which would look good in a variety of fabrics, what about denim or chambray? Barkcloth is popular, corduroy in winter, or broderie anglais with a coloured underlining?

I absolutely LOVE this pattern, buy it! The instructions are very clear and I did not need to make any adjustments at all. I've made a dress in blue denim and two tops. I will be making more versions in linen for the summer.

I have really got good use out of the French Dart Shift. I've made it as 3 dresses and 10 blouses. I've really loved this pattern and wear a version of it almost daily. It took a one muslin to get the fit right and I was off running after that. Love this pattern!

It’s really a lovely dress. The pattern is beautiful packed with a great institution booklet and printed on good quality paper who will last.
There is also additional tutorials on the web site .
Cut in size 14 since that’s what I needed for the bust size.
After sewing the darts for front and back, I pinned the garment together to see the fit before starting with the side seam pockets.
Would highly recommend this step !
The dress is quite roomy so made adjustments in the side seam down to size 12.
The pockets could be placed about an inch lower and could be slightly deeper.
I ended up pressing the side seams to the front as I found it hard to make the side seams lie nicely.
I cut both the cap sleeve and the short sleeves since I wasn’t sure what to make.
Ended up sleeveless since the look became very stylish and comfortable in the hot weather.
Its a really lovely dress that I will make more versions of.