Sorrel shirt dress with pleats

Sorrel is the first dress I have attempted, and it went well. I decided to try this because I’d been losing patience with shopping even before the  pandemic, so at the time of purchase I’d never used a pattern before and didn’t even know my measurements.  So the first thing to mention is that despite buying the cheapest possible supplies in anticipation of mucking it up, nothing went wrong and I can tell you Sorrel is achievable for a beginner. That said, I’m particularly grateful to Sewing Lab for the Sew Along.

I stumbled across Sorrel while browsing The Foldline for a minimalist dress with structure, a pear-friendly shape, free round the armpits, and most importantly, with big pockets.

After measuring myself using The Foldline guidance I could work out my size and found that Jennifer Lauren patterns are friendly to my shape. So I went ahead and downloaded the PDF (also a first for me), turned off all the other sizes, and managed to print, glue, pin and cut out the fabric without any confusion (again I should thank Astar’s Place for showing me exactly how to pin and cut). Then I worked through without any trouble – I was careful with the measurements the darts and buttons all lined up.

It’s an unfussy-looking dress with sharp lines. The collar and grown-on sleeves give it an understated vintage appearance, and the pleats bring a very good shape not only for me, but for everyone I’ve seen wearing it in the various reviews and tests. It’s very comfortable and I love the pockets. All the effort Jennifer Lauren made meticulously testing the pattern has paid off. The only change I made was to lengthen the pleats at the back of the bodice and skirt.

The whole experience has given me confidence to attempt more garments.