Where can I find a sewing pattern for this kind of dress?

I've been looking all morning and can't figure out what to put into google to give me a sewing pattern I can buy.  I found one close, but not in my size.

https://www.amazon.com/Sewing-Pattern-Misses-Dresses-6-8-10-12-14-16/dp/B004RSTX40/

Making a block or sloper for my body and then drafting would be ideal, but it doesn't work for me.  I just want to buy a pattern and go from there.

Mostly I want to do like in the photo, where I make the bodice, then use rectangles to attach the skirt as a gathered or pleated rectangle.  

Any ideas how I can find a pattern like this?

Isn't the dress shirt pattern you made based on the Princess style? Do you still like its fit?

If so, you simply make the front a single piece, add seam-allowances to the center back for the zipper, ditch the sleeves and collar for facings, and cut it at the length you want to add the pleated rectangle for the skirt portion.

Do you *really* want this one piece? If not, a simple "Princess style" top and the skirt as a separate item with a waist band on the inside so it's less obvious, and it will look pretty much the same.

The example picture hasn't actually evenly matched the pleats with the bodice, and it still looks great, so I wouldn't worry about lining things up if they're separate.

There'd be an advantage of having the pleated skirt made of two panels - front and back. Back panels tend to benefit from a little extra width of material for most humans. Side seams have the huge advantage of providing an easy spot to add decent pockets.  

I need to redo that shirt as I've dramatically changed shape this year.  I just haven't had the brain or time to get the fit right on that shirt.

For the dress, I like the idea of it being a bit more fitted like a medieval kirtle was, so it can add an extra bit of support.  

Mostly I just want to buy a pattern because I'm so sick and tired at failing to make clothes that fit.  

I started poking around at lunch time, but running out of time.  

this set of search terms sort of got me the closest:    sleeveless prairie dress with pleated skirt fitted bodice pattern

Not sure if the boned/ribbed fitted bodice is important to you to the design.. that piece was the hardest.   I was going to start adding vintage costume terms in different combinations to see where that got me..   now I'm so invested lol.  If you DO find something, please share it..    ;)  

Actually,  let me bounce this to my daughter, who is WAY WAY more into historical clothing and sewing than I am.  Maybe she can point us in a good direction!

r ranson wrote: Mostly I just want to buy a pattern because I'm so sick and tired at failing to make clothes that fit.  

I hear you!! Since they went to that stupid low waste pants system, *nothing* fits me!  But it saves the companies 3 inches of fabric!

I'd look for a Princess style pattern that fits your upper body, and adding that skirt part really is as simple of cutting the top at the point you want it plus seam allowance, and calculating how wide you want the hem (front maybe wider than the back as I said above). From the hem measurement you work up the width of pleats needed by doing the math between the circumference of the top portion at the waist, and the hem measurement. There's a fudge factor at the center back and front where you see in your picture a "flat" section that the first pleats don't cover - that can expand and contract as you're pinning by as much as an inch and still look like it is supposed to be that way, so long as it stays centered.

Find a bodice that you like and fits you - from there, you could actually make several styles of dresses - add a gathered waist skirt, a princess skirt as the link pictures, a 5 to 10 gore skirt style etc. The skirt part is the easy part - it's getting a bodice that fits. The pattern you linked to is great in that it offers several different styles of bodice necklines to choose from - some of those lines look great on me, some would look horrible - it's nice to have choices!

The complication with your dress is that is has two seams each side rather than the normal one.
I found a couple of simple tutorials for designing princess seams.

bodice of a dress

and for a blazer

If you can work out what the shape would be with darts, the process ought to work for an extra seam.

The closest pattern online I found was this one on etsy

I was looking at corset patterns, but most of those finish at the underarm...

edit - PS have you looked at Dirndl patterns?

I've made something from Cashmerette before, and really liked how they provide options for different cup sizes/body shapes and arm sizes. Plus, they draft for plus sizes. Here's their princess seamed shirt dress...  

https://www.cashmerette.com/collections/size-12-32-patterns/products/lenox-shirtdress-pdf-pattern

They have an addition for full/no sleeves,
https://www.cashmerette.com/products/lenox-shirtdress-expansion?_pos=1&_sid=cd291655c&_ss=r

But you would still need to change the pattern to a zipper back and potentially make a fuller skirt with bigger pleats.

If you were willing to compromise on princess seams, and were okay with darts, their Upton Dress looks good (and is on my to-sew list). Again, it's drafted for a larger bust/plus sized body.

https://www.cashmerette.com/products/upton-dress-pdf-pattern?_pos=1&_sid=54c1daa68&_ss=r

Edit! Oh!!! And their expansion pack for that pattern converts it to a princess seamed pattern (plus gives sleeve options)


https://www.cashmerette.com/products/upton-dress-skirt-plus-mix-and-match-expansion-pack-pdf-pattern

I also get some decent looking google results when I search 'princess seamed plus size romper dress pattern'

Catie, what you found looks awesome - the same basic sizes have mix and match for necklines and skirt shapes! With a little work measuring and adjusting the bodice length from the bust to the waist, the "waistband" that's shown in the picture could easily be made into just a seam like the image of the dress posted in the top post.

Cashmerette's Harrison blouse pattern may be a good bodice pattern for this dress: Harrison Blouse

It has the double princess seams but is split front for buttons; it does seem like the easiest modification vs adding the additional princess seams.

This is basically a fit-and-flare style of dress and it looks good on many body types. There are many variations you can come up to. For the skirt part, it can be gathered, pleated, paneled, tiered or as a circle/half circle, depending on how much ease and how it is distributed. For the fitted bodice, again it can be darted or paneled (princess seams). For woven fabric the bodice is too fitted to simply pull over, you will need opening of some sort like a back zipper or a buttoned front. It may be hard to find a pattern with specific bodice+ skirt combo, but it's easy to franken individual part from different patterns together.

Here is an option that is close to what you are looking for and should be fairy easy to find in the US.  
It is a Vogue Sewing pattern that is princess seamed along with darts instead of 2 sets of seams to form the bustling.  It also has a pleated skirt option.  
https://somethingdelightful.com/vogue-patterns/v1737

If you wanted you could swap skirt from the dress above and use this Vogue skirt pattern to have a more pleated skirt with pockets.  
https://somethingdelightful.com/vogue-patterns/v1890

My library has been doing really well lately when it comes to sewing books.  So I went through their catalogue again and got out every book about dressmaking (approximately 50 - they really should have a limit on how many books I can borrow at a time as my holds now take up a whole shelf).  I flipped through them all and found five books that looked really good.  And one book I have put on my wish list called: Ahead of the Curve: Learn to Fit and Sew Amazing Clothes for Your Curves

I love this book as the patterns have different cup size options.  

I choose one dress that has darts and am making a mockup of the bodice part.  It's looking pretty good so I'm putting the sleeves in and will put in a temporary zipper to see how it looks.  

I noticed in most books that the waist on the dress is quite a bit higher than my natural waist.  I didn't think I had a long torso, but maybe I do.  Or maybe that's the fashion?   By waist I mean where the bodice progresses to the skirt - there's usually a seam there.  

So is it weird if I change the pattern so the dress waist is closer (or even a bit below) my natural waist?  I would love it to be about where I normally place my skirt when wearing a top and skirt.  

You may not have a long torso, but a full bust will lift the waistline due to that extra curve (just like the back waist band on jeans will pull lower if you have a fuller bum). I do have a long torso and a full bust so I have to compensate with extra length in the bodice so as not to end up with something like an empire waist. I think it makes sense to extend the bodice on your dress to the point at which you would normally belt a skirt or wherever you like the waist to hit, but not lower so you don't have to reshape the bodice to flare out over hips and stomach.

With dressmaking, it's really about finding the measurements that are both the most comfortable for your body and accommodates its natural shape, and fit the proportions one prefers to emphasize in order to visually lengthen or shorten, narrow or widen. For example, I know that a waistline too low makes my legs look stumpy, too high and it thickens my middle, and that armholes or shoulder straps that come in too far are unflattering to my wider shoulders and fuller bust. If you are sewing something this complex, I am sure you have a lot of experience with this, but for newer sewists, the patterns are always going to need to be looked at with an eye to your own proportions and should be adjusted accordingly.

r ranson wrote:  

I noticed in most books that the waist on the dress is quite a bit higher than my natural waist.  I didn't think I had a long torso, but maybe I do.  Or maybe that's the fashion?   By waist I mean where the bodice progresses to the skirt - there's usually a seam there.  

So is it weird if I change the pattern so the dress waist is closer (or even a bit below) my natural waist?  I would love it to be about where I normally place my skirt when wearing a top and skirt.  

That is one of the brilliant things about making your own clothing is the ability to alter the pattern to exactly how you want it so go ahead and change the waist height.  I would make the altered pattern in less than loved fabric like an old bed sheet to test and finalize your changes before you start the making the garment in the fabric you want the finished piece in.

r ranson wrote:  And one book I have put on my wish list called: Ahead of the Curve: Learn to Fit and Sew Amazing Clothes for Your Curves  

I just read a summary and it does sound like an educational and empowering book. Great find!

So is it weird if I change the pattern so the dress waist is closer (or even a bit below) my natural waist?  I would love it to be about where I normally place my skirt when wearing a top and skirt.  

Does the one you're mocking up have a seam at the waist? If so, I would allow a little extra bodice length, and baste it to the skirt as a test. "Waist" can be difficult to define. Personally, I wish they'd give a measurement from the tip of the shoulder (easy to find bone), to the ridge of the pelvis (another easy to find bone) and that would take a lot of guesswork out of sewing! Traditionally the "waist" was the narrow bit between the hips and the ribs, but that works with some people, but not others. At my side, there's barely an inch between my hip bone and my bottom ribs. Defining my "waist" is a very narrow window!

I'm doing a wearable mockup out of some scrap fabric from my stash.  I was just going to do the bodice but now I know about house dresses this wearable mockup thing might just become a new house dress.

For my waist, I'm using the part where I bend.  I can never explain it well.  It's not my narrowest spot, but it's my bendy spot almost (but not quite) midway between my ribs and my hips.  

I'm thinking for this mockup I'll put a band between the skirt and the bodice, maybe.  I don't know.  I'm getting tired of trying to figure things out.  

r ranson wrote:I'm doing a wearable mockup out of some scrap fabric from my stash.  I was just going to do the bodice but now I know about house dresses this wearable mockup thing might just become a new house dress.  

Excellent idea! I'm sort of doing the same with a pants pattern I'm trying to draw for my "Clothing patterns based on rectangles" thread:  https://permies.com/t/154258/sewing/fiber-arts/Clothing-patterns-based-rectangles . I'm making the mock-up out of an old flannel sheet figuring that they could be sort of pajama pants if they work out.

I did the fit for the bodice this morning.  I need two more inches of length, so two and a half if we are going to include seam allowance.  But not bad for an empire waist.

The Ahead of the Curve book is one of the best so far for fixing fit issues as the pictures show where the fabric gathers really well so I know which fit to try next.  At least for the body of the garment.

I'm not sure what's up with the sleeves as the arm movement isn't great.  Normally I find sleeves on patterns really baggy but not this time.  So I've never learned how to troubleshoot this before.

The weird thing about these sleeves is that there is so much fabric at the back of the sleeve head.  I triple checked that the sleeve was the right way around (the pattern has two triangle thingies to show where to line it up at the back).  

Anyway, I'm excited about this even though it isn't the dress I eventually want, it looks pretty easy to convert a two dart bodice into a princess seam bodice.  

well, it looks like I did a silly thing.

I thought the size chart was for the person but it was for the finished measurements on the pattern.  I thought it was a bit snug for a dress.  

The thing is, all the adjustments involved taking stuff in and making it smaller... so... if I make the next size up and apply the same adjustments in the same amount... then sew another mockup... maybe???

The nice thing about this is I could finish the seams with pinking sheers as I go along so I don't have to fuss about with them later and by the time the mockup is done, I will now have a wearable housedress.  

maybe.

I have a feeling it's not going to be that simple.  

Hopefully your dress/housedress adventures have gone well and you now have two wonderful new articles of clothing to wear and be comfortable in.

Your waist, imo. is "the bendy part". For most mature adult people, it's not usually the narrowest part of your torso and is unreasonably hard to describe, being slightly above your hip bones, somewhere around your belly button/navel, and may or not be pooched (because "our sand shifts with time").

I've always found princess seams easier to sew than darts, for many random reasons. Probably the way my brain works. Panels are easy and provide multiple fitting areas without having to be fiddly about dart points and dart beginning and endings. Everyone is different, though.

It sounds like you have a good grasp of what you want your dress's to look like and how you are going to get there. I keep old sheets and Swedish Tracing Paper around just for this sort of pattern play - you never know when adding a couple of inches, or taking them off, will make All The Difference, until you try it. Being able to tape, staple, tack, or otherwise jerry-rig a mockup can save your sanity.

Best thoughts on your journey!