So I need to ask myself again at the two year anniversary of my blog – have I sewn myself stylish yet? I have to say no, not completely. At times, I still feel frumpy or a lack of clothes. When the weather finally cooled down this fall, sometime in the middle of November, I really felt like I had no cool weather clothes. I say cool weather, not cold weather because I live in Southern California. I’m talking about everyday, nice, casual – something more interesting than a long sleeved, plain t-shirt. I thought this loose-fitting shirt was a great way to start filling this void in my wardrobe.

The pattern I used is McCall’s 7018. I had this pattern for quite some time, bought on sale at JoAnn’s, probably 5 for $7. I made view E. I was attracted to it’s loose fit and versatility. We do have chilly mornings and evenings in the winter, so one feature I look for is a simple, narrow sleeve that will easily slide into a jacket or sweater.

The fabric I used is Anna Maria Horner, Tangle Knit in Rust. I bought this knit online at Hawthorne Threads during their Black Friday Sale. I bought 1.75 yards for $9.70 per yard. I am always leery about buying knits online because the quality of the fabric and the printing can vary greatly. But, I have purchased Anna Maria Horner knits before and knew it was a sure bet. I was not disappointed, this is a perfect top weight cotton interlock with a nice print quality.

I like the not-too-drastic high-low feature of the hem.

This shirt washes beautifully. When I took these photographs, it had been worn and put through the washer and dryer.

I slipped stitched the bottom of the collar down by hand before top stitching on the front side.

Simple narrow double needle hem. No serging on the edges, just trimming close to the stitching.

LET’S BE HONEST:

1. I cut a straight size 12. The only adjustment I made was taking off 1″ in the length before cutting. This is standard practice for me as my widest part is my thighs and I never want to top to end at that spot. Since this top is “loose-fitting,” I did not have to grade wider at the hips were I am about a size 16. I am very pleased with the fit and like the look of the shaped hemline.

2. The pattern is labeled as “EASY.” Doing a collar with a button front is never easy for a beginner especially with a knit. I guess we should assume that EASY does not equal Beginner?

3. Before top stitching on the collar, I hand-based all around close to where I was going to top stitch to prevent the fabric from stretching/pulling under the machine foot when stitching.

I love this shirt. I’ve worn it 3 or 4 times already, and very time it makes me feel happy that I’m wearing it.

What about you? Do you find the start of a new season upon you and suddenly feel like you have nothing to wear?