My first Bruyere shirt and how it nearly went in the bin

Hello there and welcome to my first pattern show off in quiet some time. I've been really keen to start sewing properly for myself again, and by properly I mean making something fitted not just more jersey.

This is the Bruyere shirt by Deer and Doe made up in some cotton shirting fabric which I bought online from Croft Mill.

I actually bought the fabric and pattern for this make in May last year when I was heavily pregnant with Fox cub #2 with the intention of it being a staple part of my breastfeeding wardrobe. Fast forward a year and the reality of the situation was that I couldn't face making all the adjustments to the pattern whilst my body was still ever changing shape.

I'm really pleased to have picked it up now though and got my head around all the adjustments because I just love it and I think one of the main reasons for that is the thought I put into embellishing it, more on that shortly.

Fitting: I had to do a number of adjustments to this pattern; my usual full bust adjustment which is to add a whole inch into the front section and remove an inch from the back because for some reason I have a very small back. I found this a bit daunting at first for this pattern as there are so many adjoining pieces: the waistband and the collar and these would all need adjusting as well as the pleats in the skirt. I'm pleased to say though it wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined, my toile of the bodice turned out perfectly. 

Well then it all went wrong didn't it! Somehow when I retraced my new bodice piece to make a proper pattern piece I didn't cut it properly and the bodice was far too big. I was gutted. I spent so much time on the fit and then had planned and bought all the notions I really didn't want it to end up in the bin. Thankfully my very talented sister came to my rescue and suggested I added a neck dart which we then turned into a fake princess seam to remove the bulk. Its not as great as my toile but thanks to her its now completely wearable so thank you Rachel x

Bling: Well i'm sure your keen eyes have already spotted them but yes, I added a studded collar, its frikkin awesome I love it. 

After I started Me Made May this year I realised I had a lot of clothes that I liked but that I didn't love. I decided after that to try and think a lot more about what I was making and how to make sure it really stood out and felt a lot more special. 

I had a number of ideas for this shirt: Holograph star applique, metal collar cuffs, rainbow buttons, glitter but in the end these simple studs won out. I think they really make this shirt and the buttons are such a perfect match for them. Its functional but still a bit edgy. I could easily wear this chilling in the park like today, smart for the office or glammed up for a night out.

Will I make it again: Definitely! I need to test my pattern adjustments properly. I still want to try those rainbow buttons so might try a black dobby fabric or similar. I also have some fabric which I might use to try a dress hack version.

Would I recommend: Yes, its not nearly as difficult to make as I expected it to be and its such a flattering fit ,especially if you are lucky enough to have an hourglass figure like me.


Do you ever embellish your makes? I'd love to see them or hear your ideas.

Thanks for reading and hopefully this will be the start of me blogging on a more regular basis again.

Dreaming of Summer Mimi Blouse: Parrots and Palm Trees

This has been a real labour of love but I'm really proud of how my Mimi blouse has turned out. It's  my first time making a shirt or blouse and I didn't pick the simplest of fabrics to use but I'm super happy with it! The blouse is the 6th pattern in the Love at First Stitch book by Tilly and I'm really pleased I didn't procrastinate on this for too long. I LOVE IT!

 

The main thing that got me going on this project was this amazing crepe de chine fabric which I bought from Croft Mill online. I mean what's not to love? It's covered in parrots and palm trees, it's amazing! It's the perfect way to celebrate that spring is truly on the way. As soon as I saw it I just couldn't resist, it was meant to be for this blouse. It makes me want to be sipping cocktails on a sunny day. 

I've really enjoyed the way working through this book has given me a list of projects, it means I've been able to buy supplies in advance and get on to next make so much quicker. 

 

I didn't make any fitting adjustments on this pattern I just cut a size 3. It's a lovely loose flowing blouse with gathers in the yoke front and back which adds plenty of room so less need for a perfect fit. The gathers make it lovely to sew as you don't have to worry so much about lining everything up perfectly. It's a great starter blouse, and definitely gave me the confidence to try others. Sadly the sleeves are a little bit on the tight side (damn bingo wings!) but it won't stop me wearing it. 

I did however add a few more buttons than the pattern allocated. The reason I did this was to make sure that I placed a button on the fullest part of my bust so I didn't get any gaping in the buttonhole. I also knew I needed a button at the top so I measured the distance between, added a buttonhole half way then used that measurement to work out the placement of the rest of the buttons. It worked really well and the buttons turned out really nicely spaced. 

  

I really liked the version in the book with the piping and contrast collar. Being as I have never used piping before this was a good excuse to have a go. I love the way it looks but my god I HATE my piping foot! It was so difficult to use, but I guess I just need to practice a bit more. Hopefully it will get a bit easier next time.

Being the first time I've sewn a blouse it's the first time I have ever done a yoke or a collar. I am so pleased the collar came out so well and pretty even looking, especially as it's such a contrast and so obvious. I used some double Georgette for the collar and because its very sheer I used another layer of the Georgette as the facing. I owe May Martin for that tip after my recent binge re watch of GBSB, thanks May! I did apply interfacing to the facing of the main blouse though as instructed. In hindsight this wasn't the best idea, the crepe is lovely and drapey but the interfacing made the facing really stiff. It felt really awkward under the blouse. The facing pieces were very wide so I trimmed them right down to 2cm after sewing the button and buttonholes using the overlocker. I also tacked it to the blouse in a few places under the collar to stop it poking out the top. This made a massive difference and it's much nicer to wear now. It would have been better to use a plain light crepe fabric as a facing. 

I did try to do some pattern a matching which I really failed at again! Thankfully the print is quiet forgiving so I'm not going to cry about it. I'm going to have to work out how the hell to do that at some point though, it's my total nemesis! 

  

So in case you couldn't tell I'm very proud of myself and I can see me wearing this for work A LOT! I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can wear it without a cardi to show off its full awesomeness!

It's lovely to make something super quick but don't you often find the things which you spend a lot of time and attention on turn out to be the things you really love and want to wear again and again. Have you got something you have made which you spent a lot of time on that you really love. I would really like to hear about them :). Finally if you have this book and haven't tried the blouse pattern I strongly encourage you to do so xx