An almost there Bruyere…

I seem to be making some bad choices lately when it comes to matching fabric to pattern…

 
I’ve really liked the Bruyère pattern from Deer & Doe since it was released last year, and I decided I wanted a plaid flannel version when I was planning my sewing for this winter. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any plaid cotton (or wool) flannel in Wellington that I liked. Then I saw this plaid double gauze on Miss Matatabi, and snaffled it up.

 
Its so lovely and soft, its gorgeous fabric. Unfortunately it was a bit of a beast to work with! It frayed a lot, and the asymmetrical plaid was so hard to try to match up! And in hindsight, it was too thick for this shirt. There are 5 layers at the button bands, 6 at the top where the facing/collar are sewn in. Its really stiff at the front neckline! 

 
It wasn’t until I was playing with the scraps after I finished it that I realised that the two layers of gauze pull apart really easily. If I had pulled the backing off the button band, facing and collar pieces, it would have been much easier to sew. Shame I didn’t figure that out at the beginning!

  
I raised the waistline by an inch, because it was a bit blousy on my muslin (yes, I made a muslin! And I traced my pattern pieces! I don’t know what’s come over me), but I think it might be a bit much. In the picture below, my hands are at my natural waist, so I think maybe 1/2 an inch would have been a better amount to raise it. 

  

When I asked Monsieur what he thought of the finished shirt he said he thought it looked like a maternity Swanndri…though he quickly added that it looked very well made! Unfortunately, I think he’s kinda right. Especially when I saw the photos of the side view…

 
Not so flattering… 

I also had a bit of trouble with the pattern matching. The bodice is all matched up nicely, but I totally failed with the side seams of the skirt, and its a bit off along the front of the skirt too. The back and yoke matched up best!

  
Its not all bad though, I really like the pattern! I think I’ll have another go at making it in a lightweight cotton for summer. And the sleeves are the perfect length! I struggled a bit getting the sleeve plackets sewn (another place that would have benefitted from a single layer of gauze), but I’m happy with the way they’ve turned out.

  

I tried some new things with the construction, all of the seams are flat felled and I faced the waistband so its all lovely and neat inside.

 
Shame I didn’t use white thread in the bobbin, then it would be super tidy!

I’m a bit sad to say that this shirt probably won’t get a ton of wear, simply because it feels so stiff and ungainly at the neckline. And because the maternity bush shirt look isn’t quite what I’m going for… Though it would probably look pretty cute under a cropped sweater, maybe I should experiment with that..?