A Gingham Summer Dress

I like a good detail on a dress. It's one of the things I enjoy most about vintage garments, and I relish the chance to add them in as a home sewer. This is an Emery Dress with a button detail at the shoulder. Hardly a show-stopping detail, but I quite enjoy that it makes the dress a little more special and my own.

I ordered this fabric from Hart's soon after sewing the playsuit for my nephew. This is very similar, with a slightly larger check. It's imported from Japan (so fancy) and has a bit of texture to it and a little stiffness that make it really great for a fuller skirt. 

I lined the bodice in a lightweight cotton, and for the first time, I used a fell stitch rather than a slip stitch when attaching the lining. It was a revelation! I like hand sewing, and quite enjoy doing it on hems, but the slip stitch I've always dreaded. This is such a nice alternative, and it's still hardly visible. Here's some more shots where you can see some of the details, including the buttons at the shoulder undone. There's a lapped zip in the back, too. 

How to Modify the Shoulders for Buttons

There are two quick changes you'll need to make to the pattern before sewing if you want to replicate this detail: removing the back shoulder dart and adding the extra length for the buttons. If I had it do over, I would have swapped where I put the buttons and buttonholes, too, and put the buttons on back. 

Removing the Back Dart

First, we'll need to get rid of the back dart so it doesn't get in the way of our buttons. We'll be redistributing the dart so the one at the waist picks up the extra. Start by drawing a line connecting each of the dart tips. 

Then cut out both the darts, and leave just a smidge of paper for a pivot point above the waist dart tip. 

Close up the top dart, and fill in paper for the bottom dart. I used a green colored pencil to draw in my new dart legs. You'll just need to true-up the lines at the shoulder and waist dart now. If you haven't done it on a dart before, just tape the dart together like you're going to sew it (so the legs are pressed towards the centered), cut the line at the waist, and presto! The dart legs will jut out a bit just like they should. 

The shoulder dart at the back is very nice if you have a broad back, as I do, so keep in mind that this change might require you to do an additional broad back adjustment. I did a 1/4" one after I removed the dart. 

I'll also add you could follow a similar process to move the bust dart on the front to the waist, which would have allowed me to pattern match at the side. I like the fit with a bust dart, so I kept it, but it will botch up your pattern matching. 

Adding the Length for Buttons

This step is extra easy. You just need to add enough space for the width of your buttonhole. According to my trusty Reader's Digest Guide to Sewing, this will be the width of your button plus the height of your button. Mine was 1/2" wide, and 1/4" tall, so I needed 3/4" (or 6/8"). This will put the closure smack dab at your shoulder line. 

There you have it! And I have a handsome new gingham summer dress!