{Deer and Doe} Melilot shirt x2

Shirts are by far my favourite thing to make. They're a more involved kind of project but they're worth every second. I enjoy the whole process and I find that a properly inserted collar gives me enormous satisfaction. Maybe I need to get out more. 😅

When I bought this Atelier Brunette Pink Moonstone viscose from Sew Me Sunshine I knew straight away I wanted to make a shirt out of it. I only had to figure out which one.

I've had the Mélilot pattern for ages. I love Deer and Doe. If I had to pick a designer to sew forever, they'd probably be at the top of the list. I've made a few of their patterns and they're always winners. I'm a sucker for their contemporary styling as well and it gets me every time. I want to make all their patterns. True story.

I'd found my shirt pattern but I didn't dare cut into my precious, pretty expensive, slippery fabric willy nilly. Now, I don't do toiles. But I often make practise versions of patterns before I cut into any special fabrics. I decided to make a trial version of this one to get familiar with the pattern.

To make my first one, I chose this olive/army green cotton I've had in my stash forever. There's nothing to say about it other than I love that colour so much. It reminds me of April of Wearing Old Bones. I love her! I want to be like her when I grow up. I wish I were half as cool as she is.

I digress...

I made the size 38, based on my bust measurement and the fit is perfect. It's just the right amount of loose to be comfortable without looking shapeless. In this version, there is no collar, just a collar stand. I wasn't sure about it while I was making it but now I think it looks really cute. The instructions are good but they're not as comprehensive as other indie pattern companies.

The only bit of trouble I encountered was when attaching the cuff to the short sleeves. They were far too long for the arm opening they were supposed to go into. I tried easing in the excess and there was so much fabric I had to cut some off. I cut over 1cm off the edge and I still have a couple of puckers in there. You can't see them, so that's why I left them, but I will certainly have to sort that out for next time.

Now that the trial version was done, it was time to cut into the pretty fabric. Right? 

Well... The trial version was finished at the end of last summer! Yes, I'm a wuss. I was terrified of screwing up. There was most definitely pressure on me from me. So I put the fabric on my #sewsix list to make this year so that I'd have to get on with it. And it obviously worked!

It was very straight forward to cut, in fact. I used my rotary cutter and I didn't even have the presence of mind to use spray starch. I'm so hardcore!

Sewing with it was a little more tricky and doing the sleeve placket on such a flimsy fabric did take it out of me. I spent a whole evening on those plackets and, by the end, I was exhausted. It was worth all the extra effort though. This is by far, my fanciest shirt and it's so well finished that I could wear it inside out!

This was my first hidden button placket and it was a piece of cake. I was a little concerned about how it would come together, but it's so cleverly constructed that it was a doddle! Every single seam is frenched. My first time doing that for armscyes and I may never go back. Such a nice touch!

The high-low curved hem is beautiful. Dramatic curves like this can be the stuff of nightmares to sew but not this one. The hem is finished very early one, even before the side seams, which makes it very easy to do.

As you can see, button placement is perfect. No gaping whatsoever. Ever since I bought a Simflex Gauge I haven't marked the buttonholes from any pattern. Once I'm ready to start on buttonholes I try on the shirt, check where the widest part of my bust is and make a mark there. Then the simflex does all the rest of the working out for me. It's amazing. I was terrified of making buttonholes on such a fine fabric but I needn't have worried. Every single one of them turned out perfectly.

I'm very proud of my collar as well. It's so neat and tidy. In fact, I took pictures as I went and put together a little step by step post on how I insert my collars. I learned it a while ago and it's now my go-to method. I get great results every time, which wasn't the case before. That post will come sometime next week, in honour of the Rosa Sewalong.

I can't wait to wear this tomorrow. As a surprise birthday present, Ginner organised for me and 3 friends to go to London to see Aladdin, the Musical, and I made this shirt especially for that.

I'll be back next week with the collar step by step. Thanks for stopping by!