Outfit 019 | Sewing Project

I have had this pretty pale pink floral tulle for about a year. Admittedly, it was an impulse purchase-- it is virtually impossible for me to pass the remnant-fabric rack without browsing. Such pretty fabric for such cheap prices!  The result of these rummages is a fabric hoard of small but unique pieces of fabric, including this one. Unfortunately this also means it has sat, undisturbed and nicely folded, in my fabric reserve pile for quite some time... I could never find the right use for it. Originally I thought it could look pretty as a skirt, but there just wasn't enough of it. Then, after using a white table cloth for the lining of the pockets of this dress -- I had a moment of clarity. How simple and light and airy would this look over a white blouse with some volume? Thus, this shirt was born! I had to try many new things and veer off the path of the pattern (scary for a novice!) but it turned out just how I had imagined (kismet!). 

This was my first time: making a shirt, using an overlay fabric, sewing with elastic, and constructing a sewn-in sleeve. It's a good thing I stuck with a fairly simple pattern. My strategy for the overlay was to sew the main fabric and the tulle together, and then treat them as a single piece. This doubled the time, but worked wonderfully. I was worried about the tulle slipping as I was sewing, but the trusty tablecloth held it all together. Despite a lot of things being new to me in this make, it was a really fun project. And I add a few more skills to the list, thank you very much.

I made a few modifications and omissions to this pattern (B4685). I chose not to use lace trim for the elastic "channel" on the neckline. Instead I turned-in the self fabric to create the channel on both the neckline and sleeve (I thought the lace would compete with the embroidery). For the same reason, I did not include the decorative front tie. With a simpler fabric, these would be really cute accents, and I look forward to making some of the variations of this pattern in the future!