Hello Califabrics blog readers! How are you feeling today? It’s chilly and rainy where I am, but the leaves are a beautiful gold and there’s still a lovely bonfire smell in the air, so I can’t really complain. When this weather hits, it’s time to bust out the cozy layers. One of my favourite things to wear in the fall (and winter) is flannel. It’s so soft and warm! Plus it’s usually plaid, and I love a nice plaid!
When Ron listed a bunch of beautiful flannels in the shop, I knew I had to have some. I ended up picking this little bit of gorgeousness for this post, but I also scooped up this one too. You can’t go wrong with buffalo check, in my opinion. The colours in this flannel are pink, navy and grey – all colours I love. The flannel itself is super soft, and nice and spongy. You know what I mean right? It’s thick and squishy, and the thread just kind of melts into it.
Can you tell I love fabric? Is there anything better really? My stash collection is huge now, but it gives me so much comfort (there must be a hoarder inside of me. Ha ha!), and it makes me happy every time I look at it. All that beauty, and I get to create things with it, and wear them too! Sewing is such an amazing hobby. But I digress, let’s get to the shirt.
At first I thought I would just go with my TNT (tried n’ true) pattern, the Archer. But I have a bunch of those in my closet already, so I thought I’d try something a little different this time. After a quick perusal of the patterns in my stash, I decided on the Bonn Shirt by Itch to Stitch. I’d made this pattern once before, for my Stepmom, and I really enjoyed sewing it. Plus, I really love the mandarin collar and v-neck – such nice feminine details for a button up shirt.
I can’t really say enough good things about this pattern. It’s very well-drafted, and all the pieces fit together nicely. The instructions are very thorough with great diagrams, and there are also some great tutorials on the Itch to Stitch blog for the trickier bits, like the mandarin collar. The pattern also comes with a lovely dress option, which I’m excited to try too. The other fantastic thing is the size range, 00 -20, with 5 cup sizes! Say goodbye to having to do a full bust adjustment. Woo hoo! I made a size 8 D, and I’m super happy with the fit. Of course I did have to shorten everything, but that’s par for the course for me. I shortened the body by 2 inches and the sleeves by 1 inch.
All in all, I’m thrilled with how my shirt turned out, and I am definitely adding this pattern to my TNT list. I can’t wait to make it up in some other fabrics. I imagine it would be beautiful in a nice cotton lawn (like this one or this one), or a rayon (like this one or this one). The possibilities are endless!
Do you have any TNT patterns in your stash?
Happy Sewing!
Heather is a self-professed sewing addict, fabric hoarder, and lover of pugs. She also blogs at www.thepugandneedle.com.