I’ve changed the way I dress since Matilde was born! Breastfeeding needs garments that can be opened on the front to “whip boobs out” easily. So I’ve been using a lot of shirts, t-shirts and dresses with a V or wide rounded neckline. I put all my lovely woven dresses, like my favourite red dress, into my closet for the moment.
Since that I’ve got very few shirts in my wardrobe, I chose to start sewing a shirt, that it could have been matched with a pair of jeans and worn in autumn too.
I chose a very easy sewing project, that I further simplified, because I knew that I had few time to sew in these first months with my little baby girl. I used the Melilot Shirt pattern by Deer&Doe, a casual shirt with drop shoulders, available in two version: version A with long sleeves and rounded collar; version B with cuffed short sleeves and mandarin collar.
I chose the short sleeves and mandarin collar version because I was very optimistic and I thought to finish it out in September, so I could have worn it during the last days of summer/beginning of autumn.
Well, I took two months actually and it’s not exactly my best make (sewing with a newborn is no easy task!). Anyway, beside snagging the fabric in some points, a not exactly neat hem and one wrong button hole, I love this shirt!
It was this fabric, a lovely blue navy and dusty orange hearts printed viscose from Stoff&Stil autumn/winter 2018 collection. And it helps to cover the shirt’s flaws up (a discount voucher to buy this fabric and a lot of other sewing products on their website is availaible at the end of this post ).
I went for size 40 and I chose to get rid of pockets and sleeve bands. I modified the front opening of the shirt, replacing the button placket with a facing, so you can’t see the back of the printed fabric when unbuttoned.
I sewed reinforced French seams inside (I sewed right sides together with serger and then I sewed wrong sides together with the sewing machine) because the edges of this fabric frayed easily and also because I wanted to speed up the making. I pin hemmed the shirt and the drop shoulders as usual.
At the end I used small matte black buttons I bought at local market.
As I already told you, I love this shirt and I’ve worn it a lot in the last few weeks!
I made my very first garment for Matilde, a baby blouse with long sleeve, with a fabric scrap.
I used a Stoff&Stil pattern for the first time, this one. Their patterns are different from the other commercial sewing patterns because you have to buy only one size of the model you choose. I chose the size “three months” of this pattern.
The pattern includes the instructions and the pattern pieces already cut with sewing allowances, in the size you have chosen on their website (please don’t iron the pattern pieces… I had the bad idea to do it and a piece of the sleeve pattern stuck to my iron!). I have to say that having the pieces of the pattern already cut is very comfortable… I cut and sewed this blouse in only one hour!
And here we are with the same outfit!
You can buy this fabric, the pattern of Matilde’s blouse and other beautiful fabrics / patterns on Stoff&Stil website with a 15% discount using this code: ladulsatina15
This offer works for Stoff&Stil Italian webshop from November 28th to December 12th.
2 comments
Yes sewing with a baby is not so easy! But with organisation, leaving your project ready to go at a minutes notice, and ignoring housework it can be done! Hope you are both well!
Super cute! that shirt looks great on you and if you find the time you should use that pattern again.