Spots and pleats...

...and plackets! Don't forget that sterling placket!

Once I get over my fear of the tricky bits, I invariably discover that I quite enjoy putting shirts together. It feels like jigsaw sewing - making sure each piece fits correctly into it's place. Ja, I know that technically all sewing is like that, but I really feel that when you are making a shirt, you almost complete a mini jigsaw on certain pieces, and then that becomes part of a much bigger jigsaw. It's rather mediative, in its way. And the perfect sort of project for winter, when you are coughing for the fourth week straight, and the wind is brisk and cruel, and there's really not much worth going outside for, anyways. So why not do a jigsaw? Er, make a shirt?

Rather happy with how this baby turned out. I love the fabric (I'm a sucker for spots), and the pleats and placket give it a nice polished tailored feel, without being formal. I've got another one cut out for the Tyger, with added length, as I don't quite feel this one will be long enough to see her through next winter. Note to self: measure her before she leaves for school in the morning, instead of cutting out on the fly and presuming that it will fit. She's growing so fast!

Project Details
Pattern: Rousku shirt (no. 23) from Ottobre Design magazine 4/2010
Fabric: 1m quilting cotton from GJ's Discount Fabrics
Notions: 3 x 1.5cm buttons, iron-on interfacing