Check it out - a shirt without a collar stand, button placket, button holes or cuffs.

(I used my phone as a remote for the camera, I wasn't texting while doing this.)

Details:
Pattern: Liesl + Co Gallery Tunic 
Size: 10
Fabric: 2 metres of plaid cotton from The Fabric Store (Sydney), total $36
Extras: A bit of woven interfacing for the placket. 

Let's start with the fabric.
I bought this at The Fabric Store in Sydney last year. It's a beautiful  shop but I always get overwhelmed by the choice when I go there, because I know I have to decide right there and then, I can't go back later (I live on the other side of the country). 

I bought this in a rush and then when I got it home, couldn't quite remember what I'd liked about it. It's not the sort of colour-way I would normally go for and though I had a plan to make some Grainline Lakeside pyjamas from it, it felt quite stiff and I went off the idea.

Then later I chucked it in the washing machine with a few other bit of fabric so it would be pre-washed and ready, and it came out beautifully soft. Then it just sat on a shelf for months with no plan.

Then a month or so ago I discovered the Monthly Stitch when indie pattern month was all over the blogs, joined, discovered the next challenge was Check it out and here I am.

Then I had to find a pattern. I have been eyeing some of the Liesl + Co patterns for a while now and this kind of shirt is exactly the kind of thing I like, casual, modern, not too many insanely fiddly techniques needed. 




After buying the pdf and assembling it (an interesting process, as Oliver and S don't tile the pieces to make one big pattern sheet, rather all the pattern pieces are placed across different sheets, and pasting it all together is rather like putting piecing together a giant jigsaw) I had this cut out on Friday evening and sown together by Saturday afternoon.

And I love it. I love the fit, the shape, the style. It's comfortable to wear, very casual and I can see myself reaching for it all the time in once the weather warms up.
In fact I put it on as soon as I finished it, wore it all day Sunday and now it's in the wash after I got both tomato pasta sauce and chocolate on it.

Complex as the pdf was to assemble, the instructions were brilliant. One of the things I liked about this design was the placket with the pleat detail at the front. It's a feature the ill-fated silk shirt that precipitated this whole sewing adventure also had. I had no idea how to create it but I found the diagrams and instructions very thorough and straightforward to follow. 

This is a rare pattern where I didn't have to look up any blogs or tutorials for further help and I'm now looking at trying some more Liesl + Co patterns, especially the Weekend Getaway blouse.

I loved sewing this because I love shirts and this creates a shirt effect without any of the difficult bits, not collar stand, cuffs, button placket or button holes. The collar is rather nifty one piece collar cut to look like there is a collar stand. 


(Rather extreme bust close-up to show the collar and front placket.)

The only thing I might change are to take it in a little at the sides (If I were making one of these for work) and take of some of the length. I measured 8 in the chest and 12 in the hips and I cut a straight size 10 which seems fine. If I can be bothered I might trace a yoke for the back to mix it up a bit next time too. 

When I was sewing this it seemed insanely long for a top and I thought about taking some off, but I'd already cut the curved hem so I just went with it and when it was finished I quite liked it for this version, but I will likely shorten it next time.

(Just to prove it really is plaid, not stripes. There are also a few metallic green threads in the fabric.)

It was also great to make this and have a win because last week I had a completely dispiriting experience with what should have been a completely simple pair of pyjama pants.
I bought this pattern in a Spotlight sale (which in Australia means $7), cut out the long pants in my size according to my measurements and ended up with an insanely large, unfixable wadder. Too wide, too long, body rise mean the waistband was at my armpits. 

Described on the envelope as 'Very loose-fitting, straight-legged, above mid-knee shorts or pants have elastic waist and mock-fly'. Yeah, if your idea of loose fitting is this:



I do not endorse this pattern:

That's all. I'm going back to Grainline Morris next, happy sewing.