Jocelyn Moorhouse had taken a lengthy break from directing films to raise a family when she began work on The Dressmaker. The film, which is based on a Rosalie Ham 2000 novel, was snatched up by a studio early on, but that film adaptation never materialized. The material eventually came into the possession of producer Sue Maslin, who brought Moorhouse on to direct. Moorhouse also wrote the screenplay, along with her husband P.J. Hogan.
Moorhouse said this about The Dressmaker in an interview, "I like to think of it as an emotional rollercoaster. I loved that in the book, you never knew where the author was taking you. One minute you’re laughing your head off and the next minute you find that you’ve been deeply moved. I wanted to do the same thing with the movie. I wanted it to be entertaining, involving and constantly surprising. It was a tricky balancing act when putting it all together. Editor Jill Bilcock is one of Australian’s best and she helped make sure that things didn’t get too sad or insane at times."
Filming began in October of 2014 in Melbourne. While the film received mixed reviews from critics, many praised Moorhouse's direction and treatment of the material. Claudia Puig wrote in her review for The Wrap, "It’s good to see Moorhouse back, after too long an absence from film directing. As with Quilt and 1997’s A Thousand Acres, her ability to draw strong performances despite uneven material remains noteworthy."
