When I saw the new pattern of Bruna shirt dress on the fabrics-store.com, I decided that I should have one in my wardrobe. This loose-fitting dress with side pockets and a fitted stand-up collar is perfect for everyday wear. And as a mother, it is important to me that the clothes are comfortable to wear, so that I can move freely and be a "lifesaver" for my children every second! I didn't make any changes to the pattern and used size 6. Even a beginner can easily sew this dress. If you have difficulties in sewing with a stand-up collar or something else, then detailed instructions in a beautiful booklet will help you, every step is described in detail there.

I've used Fabrics-Store patterns since I first started making my own clothing, and I've always been drawn to the variety of button downs they offer. Playing with design details and style lines, their patterns explore creative iterations to a traditional garment. One of their newer patterns, the Bruna pattern collection, is a feminine twist to the traditional popover, and includes both shirt and dress views with three sleeve options. I decided to make View B in size 2 based on recommended body measurements, swapping out the ¾ sleeves with View A's short-sleeved cuffed option. I like how it adds an interesting styling detail to an otherwise simple profile from the back. I struggled a bit to get the inside point on the cuff to sit cleanly and just kept pressing throughout the construction process to minimize the fabric pulling. To mitigate this next time, I think it would help to topstitch the cuff edge before attaching to the sleeve.

One of my favorite movies is Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom and for a while, I've been imagining a dress I would like to make to wear if I were a character in that movie. Something that is cute and whimsical but also could be worn while on an adventure. And of course, it has to have pockets for carrying cool rocks and snacks. When I saw the new Bruna Pattern I thought "Yes! That's it!". I wanted to create a short-shift dress with long sleeves and a collar, somewhat similar to the pink dress with a white collar that Suzy wears in Moonrise Kingdom, but with my own little flare to it. Using the Bruna dress as a base – I made exactly the dress I imagined. I made a few alterations, one of which was creating the curved color blocking for the body of the dress to look like rolling hills and ocean waves. I also shortened the dress a bit and changed the collar to be more of a Peter-pan collar. For the sleeves, I used the long sleeve pattern pieces but shortened them by about 3 inches and added elastic into the sleeve hem so they'd have an ever so slight pouf.

I removed the sleeves and instead bias bound the armholes from the maxi length, full-button front version of the Bruna Pattern, knowing that it would work for all seasons, here in Los Angeles. The only other modification I needed was to shorten the length for my 5' 4" frame. Instead of adjusting the hem facing, I simply added a deep double-fold hem. Dress patterns are forgiving, coupled with well thought out instructions, great diagrams for each step- it is a piece of cake.

I have been a long-time fan of button-up shirts because of their versatility: short sleeve, long sleeve, long sleeves rolled up halfway, no sleeves! And lately I've noticed half-placket tops floating around the virtual sewing community world, so I decided to try it out with the Bruna Shirt pattern. I love the idea of having the feature of a button placket without actually having to button the entire placket, so this pattern was the perfect one to try out!

I like this pattern so much! I plan to make a short version of the dress as well!

Bruna Collection in Autumn Gold Now, I want to embroider the thing! Love the fit. I have not worn a dress for years and am happy, especially with the weight of the faced hem. I dance and am looking forward to making the long-sleeved version to dance in this winter! (I dance tango lead and follow so appreciate the looser bodice). Hope you enjoy the photos...

There were no questions about the instructions: a collar with a stand, a placket; I sewed size 6, did not change absolutely anything and it fit well. The only difference is I just chose a short sleeve (F|S sewed their shirt sample with a 3/4 sleeve, while I wanted to make it shorter to wear in the summer))). Customer support was there to walk me thru making the swap for the shorter sleeve and now the shirt is perfect for hot days. In general, I really like the design, and it sewed together quite easily for me :)