Big Clothes and Small Clothes – Pattern ‘I’
Here’s my latest make and another pattern from Asuka Hamada’s really and truly excellent book – Big Clothes and Small Clothes (see my last post for where to buy). This book is my absolute 5 star go-to favourite right now, even to the point where I’ve contemplated setting myself the sewing challenge to make at least one variation of each of the patterns within. I probably won’t…but maybe I will…
This pattern is marked as ‘I’ and is a fantastically oversized shirt dress with perfect proportions.
The curved hemline balances out the boxiness of this style, which is really just a rectangle with added sleeve cuffs that I prefer to wear turned back.
I’ve just realised that in some of these photos it looks as though the back is longer than the front but that’s not the case. When I wear it open at the collar it naturally sits back on my shoulders and you see how even the hem actually is below when I wear it all the way buttoned up. The neckline fit is spot on, supremely comfortable and not in any way constricting when buttoned up to the neckline, despite the neat fit.
There are (as there should be) pockets. The pattern book illustrations don’t show you how to add these but my favourite way to insert pockets will always be the Tessuti way, so I just used that method and the pocket piece from our Lisa Dress.
Much of the magic in this pattern happens at the back with a deep inverted pleat that creates max volume, max breeziness, max swish and max movement – all hallmarks of a summer wardrobe winner.
The other magic in this pattern is that it can also double as a longline summer-weight jacket. I tried it out with the ‘K’ pants from the same pattern book (blogged here) and they told me they like each other very much. I do too.
The fabric I used is our Bedford Lapis Washed Linen and a really beautiful shade of blue. Unfortunately it has *just* sold out but the good news, in two parts, is that it is (1) definitely coming back into stock (drop us a line fabrics@tessuti.com.au if you’d like to be notified when it is) and (2) also available in all these gorgeous colours. This shirt dress style would also be a dream in our lighter weight Linford Washed Linen too.
As the year winds up, I’m keen to use what labels I have left from this Circa 2021 Kylie & the Machine label pack so I finished it off like so and am now very much into the idea of labelling all my makes with their year of creation.
With all the love I have for this pattern book, you can bet I’ve already got my next project planned. And if you’d like to see more makes from others, check out the #BigClothesSmallClothes hashtag on Instagram.
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Love the dress! Is there a tutorial for Tessuti way of inserting pockets? Thanks for a great blog!
Not yet Penelope but we’ll definitely put one together soon!
Have just purchased the pattern book for this dress. Can you tell me,’are the seam allowances included in the pattern pieces.’
Hi Louise. No – you’ll have to add them. They are mostly 1cm with the exception (usually) of hems. Check the pattern layout illustrations which will tell you if you need to add more.
Thank you Louise and Lisa. I have just purchased this book too and had the very same question! I got mine through Kinokuniya, BTW.
I have had this pattern book for years and I’ve never made anything from it, so thank you for the inspiration and for putting me on to the hashtag – I’m cutting out the shirt dress now and there aren’t many in the book I wouldn’t try! I have just made a pocket discovery – I knew the instructions would be somewhere in the book, so I did some investigating: if you look at step 4,5 on page 50 it says (I presume) that the pocket instruction are at stage 5 of pattern A on pages 39 – 40. If you look at pages 39 – 40 the pocket instructions are there in great pictorial detail.
So they are! Thanks so much for sharing that info Cath!
Adore this and now feeling very inspired to start cutting out my own. May I ask, is the ease considerable (I mean it’s oversized of course, but how oversized?). I sit on the border between size 1 and 2 and not sure which way I should go. L, even when checking finished measurements.Thanks!
Thanks Jillian. This pattern (as with all the ‘Big’ versions of each style in this book, as far as I can tell?) only comes in the one size. The finished width is 73cm and the shoulder, from base of collar to start of sleeve band, measures 30cm. I made the full length as per pattern and I’m 160cm. I hope that all helps. If you need any other measurements just let me know