Kennis from Itch to Stitch released a new pattern, the Bonn Shirt and Dress and I was happy enough to be one of the testers. The pattern comes with different sleeve options and with different cup sizes.
Fabric
The fabric is a silk crepe that I had in my stash. The drape is great for this shirt and the silk is fantastic for hot summer days, but it was a nightmare to work with. It is not very slippery but it shifted already when looking at it. After cutting I tried to use starch to make it a bit crisper. This helped a lot. Next time I will spray the fabric with starch before cutting. For sewing I used tissue paper that I placed under the fabric. This helped to get straight seams. I admit, in the end I was a bit lazy and omitted the tissue paper. I think this is also the reason why the hem turned out to be a bit wavy.
I had to piece the back as I was short on fabric. Maybe it would have been enough but somehow it did not occur to me to lay all pattern pieces onto the fabric before cutting…..Then, again, I cut the back without thinking. After I had matched the dots, the back was a few cm shorter than intended and I had to shorten the front too. The lenght is still ok, though.
Alterations:
I cut a size 2 (A cup) tapering to a size 4 at the hips. This is my usual size for Itch to Stitch patterns. Other alterations:
- Lowering the darts by 1 cm
- 0.5 cm forward shoulder adjustment
Construction:
I made french seams at the shoulder and side seams. I set in the sleeves with french seams,also. All other seams are nicely enclosed when you follow Kennis’ instructions. The most difficult part is the collar, but as always the instructions are very clear and hold you by your hand. Else the shirt is a quick sew.
Conclusion:
I love the mandarin collar. This gives a nice casual look to the shirt. The fit is perfect, not too tight but also not too loose. And the silk feels so lovely on the skin. I wore the shirt the whole day after taking the pictures and did not want to take it off again. Despite the flaws I love this shirt! This project made me confident to use more of the silks I have in my stash.
Disclaimer: I got the pattern for free in exchange for testing. All opinions are my own. This post has affiliate links.
Your version looks lovely. The dotted fabric has a great color and silk always give your garments a rich look. It suits you well.
Thank you so much!
Beautiful shirt and love the polka dot fabric.
I always wanted to have a polka dot shirt 🙂 Love that fabric, too!
I love how easy this looks! I have a question about your forward shoulder: did you also alter the sleeve head forward, rotate if forward so the shoulder points matched, or leave it? I also need a forward shoulder adjustment, but I’m struggling with getting the sleeves right.
Yes, I also altered the sleeve. I took 0.5 cm from the whole front side seam and pasted it to the back. The shoulder point still matches the shoulder seam, but now the back part of the sleeves is longer, the front part shorter. The other notches do not match any longer. Does that make sense? I followed the description in one of the recent Thread issues. I could write a short tutorial if that helps. Just let me know.
Your shirt looks great, I really like this pattern and it looks lovely on you