Love a swishy dress, don't you?
Of course you do, as do I, but how about a swishy jumpsuit?!
This is the latest pattern from True Bias, the Shelby Dress and Romper.
Kelli describes the Shelby as "a princess-seamed dress or romper with four views... each has a V-shaped neckline, front button opening, and back waist tie." There are options for short or cap sleeves, and either mini or ankle lengths.
I was a tester for the Shelby pattern a couple months back; this is View D, the ankle length romper with short sleeves. I made a size 16 at the bust graded to an 18 at the hip. I probably could have gotten away with a straight size 16 since there is so much ease in the legs and hip, though.
Although Kelli designed the Shelby so the waist ties (which originate in the back princess seams) would be tied in the back, I determined that I liked them pulled around to the front for a bit of additional waist definition.
Also, they're hard to see here, but I used my new favorite, pearl snaps, to button up my Shelby.
Let's talk about this fabric: this is a crinkle rayon I bought at Joann. The description says the print is "dried petals," but sometimes all I can see is crumpled up tissues.
I purchased the fabric in a pinch for the pattern test because I didn't have anything with enough yardage for the Shelby in my stash. This pattern is a fabric hog! But more importantly: this fabric is a pain in the ass and I hate it.
The crinkles in the fabric seem to shrink and stretch at different rates across the width of the fabric, and when you try to iron, say, a hem, things get incredibly stretched out of shape and generally terrible.
My Shelby turned out mostly ok, but the sleeves are quite distorted at the hem. There is definitely some armpit sag that shouldn't be there, no fault of the pattern. My name is Meg and I do not approve of this fabric.
Besides my fabric woes, though, I think the Shelby pattern is really cute! I like that it has both dress and romper/jumpsuit options, and also that it reminds me of the sunflower print '90s dress I had in middle school!
