Have you ever looked at a pattern and thought, I just have to make that! Ok, ok so that happens to me a lot with the amount of inspiration in the sewing community but when I first saw the Sienna Shift Dress from Sew this Pattern I knew it was destined to be in my closet, in several versions. I am happy to say I am currently sewing my third make from this pattern but I couldn’t wait to share with you my DIY Red Linen Dress version, so it’s jumping in front of other blog posts to make its debut.
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I mean where do I start? The flounce, the simple chic design, or this yummy fabric? So many things I love about this make. I was first drawn in to the Sienna Shift Dress Pattern because of the flounces. I think having a little movement on a pattern is so flirty and fun. This subtle and feminine touch is one of my favorite parts of this pattern. Next up, that curved, fitted bodice and simple skirt. This bodice fit me so well on my first make (a dress I will share on here soon, because I love that one too!) I made the size 8 bust graded to a 10 waist and it was spot on. I made no adjustments here.
The skirt I cut in a size 10 and everything went together quite well. I also added 3 inches to the length of the skirt, adding it at the hem. I was worried it would be too tight on my hips but it has a perfect amount of ease. The only fit change I made is in the back darts on the skirt. I seem to have too much fabric around there and it made the fabric pool above my tush a bunch. I ended up making my darts a little larger to account for this and think it worked well to fix it, I still need to fiddle with this version a touch I think.
The only issues I had putting the dress together were my own silly errors. You would think on my second time through I wouldn’t mess up, but you would over estimate me 🙂 LOL I sewed the flounces together at the wrong end. This meant the narrower part of the flounce was at the shoulder seam. Guess when I finally realized this? After I basted, stitched and SERGED the entire bodice together….THE ENTIRE BODICE. To say I was disappointed with myself is an understatement. I literally spent just as much time taking the thing apart as I did making it. I had to fudge the bias trim on the flounces a bit because of my error… I was not about to take out all of that stitching too! So I ended up removing the bias at the widest part of the flounce only, sewed the two flounces together, and then reattached the bias trim only in that area. I had to overlap the bias and tuck under the raw edge. So it’s not as seamless as the original time I put it together.
This is my, “I did it” pose after conquering those flounces a second time. LOL Can you see the relief on my face?
Now, let’s talk fabric- this gorgeous red linen is from Mily Mae Fabrics. It is a linen/rayon blend and soft after the first wash. I washed and dried it normally but did find my iron liked to leave heat marks. When I had my setting lighter and used a press cloth, I was good to go. Linen tends to wrinkle a ton, but because this is a blend it is a little more resistant to the major wrinkling that comes with linen fabric. Amanda has several colors on her site and I think I may pick up that olive and black because I loved this so much!
I had some fun styling this dress for a day and night look. Here I show it for a daytime look and paired it with some sunnies, my favorite go with everything ” target=”_blank”>earrings (I have the red floral color), wedges (similar here) and purse (similar style here).
And a night time look with some fun multi colored heels and this beautiful clutch from Raven Maureen and of course with 20 pounds of my all time favorite cheapo dry shampoo– works better than all the others I have tried (this was day 9 hair…shhhh).
Which look is your favorite? Day or night? I think I will wear it styled for day much more often but it’s always fun to have a dress that works great day or night. I absolutely love this DIY Red Linen Dress using the Sienna Shift Dress pattern and I can’t wait to show you the other looks. Such a fun little pattern.
Like fun dresses? You may enjoy these posts:
Butterick Maxi Dress 
Boho 
Lily 
Wiggle Dress Hack 
McCalls 
Suzy 
Vogue 
Wiggle 
Pleated Dress 
Jessica Dress 
Paige Dress
Until Next Time,
Happy Sewing
About 18 years ago I decided to teach myself how to sew. Long before blogs and resources available today which meant it was often disastrous. But I never gave up because I loved it so much. Today I love helping others get started on their own sewing journey. You can read more about my family and I