Hi everybody,
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas holiday. Mine were quite uneventful which was a bless after the last two years where we had to deal with stroke and the loss of a family member.
Now to the next Itch to Stitch pattern, the Mila Shirt. This is a loose fitting shirt with different cup sizes, a center-front button-down placket, a front pocket and sleeve tabs. I made two versions, one in a lightweight cotton from The Smuggler’s Daughter, one in a cotton flanel from buttinette. The white shirt is still a bit different from the final version as it was the first test version. In the final version the collar is smaller, the shirt a bit more fitted in the waist and the length is shorter. I like both versions, though.
Alterations
I cut a size 2, A-cup and made no alterations except of shortening the white shirt a few cm.
Construction
The instructions are detailed and easy to follow. It was the first time for me to sew a button down placket. I marked all details on the right fabric side with a self erasable marker (Trickmarker from Prym). The color fades away with time or you can wash it out. It felt like cheating but made sewing the placket so much easier. I made sure not to iron over the marks as I was afraid this might make the marks permanent.
White Shirt:
As I was a bit short of fabric I used plain white cotton batiste for the collar and sleeve cuffs. I interfaced both with a very lightweight interfacing to keep the softness of the fabric. I made French seams for the side seams and for the sleeves.
Flanell Shirt:
I wanted to make flat felled seams, but the seam allowance included in the pattern (1 cm) was too small for that. Next time I will decide how to make the seams before cutting the fabric. So I just serged all seams. I used a thicker thread for the topstitching, but the quality of the thread was rather bad and the result is not as I thought it would be.
Conclusion
I love both shirts. The white cotton is so soft and lovely to wear. As it is a crinkle fabric I do not have to iron it after washing! It looks great layered under a cardigan or pullover top or alone. The flanel shirt is so warm and cozy and great with jeans for a casual outfit.