After falling in love with the sleeves on the Puff Sleeve Blouse I was hooked! You know how it is when you find a pattern you love, you just want to make it up multiple times.
Lucky for me, Nerida Hansen Fabrics’ sewing patterns also have a dress version, called the Smock Dress. It has the same fabulous sleeves and bodice with a simple gathered skirt and of course, POCKETS!
I downloaded the PDF pattern and got straight into piecing it together. (Read our blog post on putting a PDF pattern together here) The following day I cut out my pattern pieces in a size 10 and made up the dress in just under 3.5 hours. I really followed the instructions this time with no hacks but, I did lengthen the sleeves by about 7cm and shorten the bodice by 4cm to fit my proportions better.






I love the way it all came together, really straightforward and made even easier by the great instructions. I will definitely be making this dress again. I would love a two-tiered mini version!The fabric I used is the Margaret Jeane Clay Olive Floral on mid-weight cotton which is a great trans-seasonal weight. It was super easy to work with and gathered up really quickly with my gathering foot. I’m so excited to wear this one to work, it’s going to be really fun to dress up or down for winter.
Find the Smock Dress PDF pattern online at www.neridahansen.com.au and Margaret Jean's collection is available here.

Other blog posts you might like:
Sewing: Easy Instructions for Our PDF Patterns