Birds Are So Last Year

I went to London for the weekend! And managed to take some pictures of a new shirt! We did take these on our last day, very early in the morning, so you'll just have to forgive my bed head and sleepy face. I had a hard time actually having my eyes open in these.

This is the Mélilot shirt by Deer & Doe, a pattern that had caught my attention a while ago. I've been looking for a few tops that would work with a variety of bottoms, and this one fit the bill! Deer & Doe patterns tend to fit me really well out of the packet, and this was no exception. I did make a muslin first because I liked the fabric I had set aside for this and didn't want to mess it up!

This is a loose-fitting shirt with a cut on sleeve, finished with a little cuff. There's a long-sleeved version as well and I'll probably try that in the future! The fit is loose and relaxed, but the side seams are actually very curved and there is a bust dart, so it's not shapeless at all. I used a lightweight linen-viscose mix from the shop I work at, and I like how light and drapey it is.

There are some wrinkles in the back, but this seems like a necessary evil with this type of sleeve... I moved around a bit in my muslin and fet like I shouldn't remove any fabric there, since that might impair my mobility, and we definitely don't want that!

(You don't exactly need eagle eyes to spot it but if you look closely you might see the reason I went to London and why I was tired when we took these pictures)

I liked the construction techniques used in this pattern a lot, they made for a very clean finish! My fabric is quite loosely woven and tended to shif around a bit, so I basted the pockets and sleeve cuffs in place before topstitching them. Even then it feels like my topstitching could be a lot better, but I don't think it will be super obvious.

I'm kind of sad I didn't document the impressive size my arm had swollen to the night before.

I really hate sewing curved hems by turning them under twice, and this hem had a really significant curve at the side, so I made things easier and used bias tape. I did make about 20 meters of bias tape out of a lightweight cotton in one go since I thought the storebought kind would be too heavy and decided to just make a lot of it to use on other things! It was... Boring.

After all that I thought the perfect finishing touch for this shirt would be a little beaded bee. Because bees make everything better.

I have a bit of a complicated relationship with shirts and shirt dresses... Collared dresses seem to make me feel like I'm in a uniform or something, and shirts have to be loose-fitting, since fitted shirts remind me too much of the ones I would wear to school in 2005. It's hard to explain. This is definitely a winner though, and I already have a second version in mind!