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.

And then there was Wren: Version 2

Following on from that hideous version of wren I blogged about a couple of weeks ago I'm very happy to show of my second version of Wren which is a much much better fit. You may not have seen the other post as I purposefully made no reference to it on social media I think it was that bad!

Anyway, I had always planned on making two versions of this dress, when I was looking for the fabric for it I spied this lovely jersey here on Croft Mills website and it was a great fit for the pattern. I wanted something with a pattern but it needed to be something without a directional print as I'm not sure how that would transfer to the neck crossover sections. This ticks all those boxes and because I knew I would want to get some wear out of this one I thought it best to make a tester first.

 

I made a number of adjustments on this version. Not just in the sizing but also a couple on the pattern itself. I did a small back adjustment, a full bust adjustment (using the Myrtle sew along, thank you to the lovely ladies at Colette for getting back to me with this suggestion) and shortened the skirt. This one fits soooo much better now I'm really pleased I did them. How frustrating is it though that I can't even get away with sewing straight from the pattern even in the stretchiest of fabrics!!

So I also made a couple of adjustments to the pattern. The first was to cut the front wrap pieces on the fold so that they are actually doubled over. This meant that rather than having to sew a hem on the front neckline you have a nice smooth line, you just have to sew the two raw edges to the bodice piece and thats it. I also decided to add cuff bands instead of sewing a hem on the cuffs. I used the 3/4 sleeve which is in the additional sleeves download, but they are just a bit short, and I like something that clings to my arm a bit better. I nicked the cuff bands from the lady skater dress pattern but it would be really easy to draft your own just by measuring the width of your arm and adding a seam allowance. I'm really pleased with these two adjustments, I hated the twin needle sewing on my last version so it was nice to get rid of as much of that as possible. I don't think the neck alteration would work on the thicker ponte roma/interlock knit version as it might be too thick but it works well if using regular jersey. The only adjustment I would consider down the line would be to make the back neck a bit higher, it feels a little drafty for me but not too much to worry about.

 

I'm really chuffed with this version. The fit is brilliant, its really flattering, the fabric works really well and is comfortable to wear, it goes with all sorts and I can dress it up or down to suit the occasion. I am still having some slight issues with flashing depending on my undergarments but it is no where near as bad as the previous version. I have discovered that I can wear a vest top underneath if I am really worried and it doesn't look awkward at all. However, if anyone has any tips on how to prevent this happening tell me, tell me now!

I hope you like it. I really recommend this pattern, its it a breeze to sew once you have your twin needle sussed.

x