I was browsing the fabric shops on the web one day and came across this chambray which is dotted with little navy birds. I thought it would make a really nice shirt dress so pulled down my Lisette Traveler pattern and my Grainline Alder Shirtdress pattern. Neither of which I have made before but have been meaning to for a while.
The Lisette pattern won purely on the basis of a 'First In First Out' ruling. I am glad I did make this one in the end because it is getting too cool for a sleeveless dress and this will be great over autumn/winter with some warm leggings on underneath.
Although you can't buy the Traveler pattern anymore on the main sites, I am pretty sure it can be tracked down on Ebay. See the original page listing here. It is a fantastic pattern with 3 views. I went for view B which is more of a tunic style shirt. I do like the pretty sleeves on view C, which reminds me of the Deer and Doe Bleuet (but without that great little back bow detail).
I nearly went for a standard collar over the mandarin style, but in the end made it as pattern (something I tend to do when making a pattern for the first time). I think next time I will swop it for the proper collar though.
This may have lingered as an unmade pattern for so long because I assumed it was going to take ages to make. Boy was I wrong! This one was such a pleasure to make. I did the construction in short bursts, mainly because it was still the school holidays and I didn't want to leave the girls to their own devices for too long. Doing it with the pace of a sew a long meant that I took my time and concentrated on each stage, especially making sure my topstitching was nice and straight on my plackets.
The sleeve hem instructions baffled me but with a bit of help from the lovely and reliable sewing gurus on IG I figured it out. It was as simple as going back and unfolding the pattern sheet to find the hem allowance, which I hadn't made a note of earlier when tracing it off. I always miss details like this, so typical of me!
I didn't alter anything about the pattern and didn't blend sizes as my measurements seemed to be quite uniform. Thankfully the length is perfect for me and I really like where the sleeves hit when they are turned back.
I love this shirt and so does hubby, so I have left the pattern out to make again soon. Once I get some clothes in the girls drawers again I should be all set!
It looks great, Katy! I like both collar views. The fabric you chose is really cute. Seeing yours on IG inspired me to dig my own pattern out again. I made three of these two years ago but they don't fit me now so I needed to redraft the pattern. Still working through my second muslin now.
ReplyDeleteI really like the Traveler dress on you, definitely make more! Thanks Masha.
DeleteIt looks so good on you! I love that longer tunic length over pants, very chic. I can see why your husband loves this one, it's just very flattering and professional looking! Love those sleeves.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Inder! I have worn this a lot already so it is worth my while to make another.
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