Come along (to the grunge show), Pond

I had been planning on making a plaid flannel shirt for the Doctor Who Sewalong from the earliest days of my planning. After all, when I think of Amy Pond, her Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon outfit is the one that immediately jumps to mind.



(Though, with the right white button down, I could definitely wear River's outfit, too. Minus the gun holster. And let's face it, my hair is definitely more like Amy's!)

For once in my life, the timing on this project was quite serendipitous, because it enabled me to participate in three sewalongs with one project! It would have been four, but I just couldn't quite get this done in time for the official dates of the Fall Essentials Sewalong. I can, however, claim this shirt for both the Grunge Sewalong and the Flannel Shirt Sewalong that Kelly is hosting!

My initial thought was to find a plaid as similar to Amy's shirt as possible, but then I remembered that I hardly ever wear red. And I already have this shirt. And I also found that lovely blue plaid that I showed in its half-done state in the last post, and figured that would mix in with my wardrobe much better.

I'm quite pleased overall with how it turned out. I can wear it with the sleeves rolled up like Amy's, with some skinny jeans and boots...


Wait, what was I doing again?

Oh, right, project details. I'll get to those after the fashion show.






Or I can wear it with the sleeves rolled down for warmth, which is how I'll be rocking it today, since it's still stupid cold out there. Going grunge-style here and wearing it over a t-shirt, which is how I was most likely to wear a flannel in the 90s. I guess my musical experience was more "grunge-lite" than anything else--I was still a pretty young teenager in its heyday, and my fashion choices were largely dictated by my school's dress code. I did listen to bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, but I was also just as (or more) likely to listen to U2 or Counting Crows. Or the Beatles. Yes, I was the weird kid who preferred 60's music to all those boy bands that were so ridiculously popular by the time I graduated. Every time they play the Backstreet Boys on the radio station at work, which they do on a disgustingly regular basis, it still takes me back to walking the halls of my high school and hearing my female classmates singing it while they sat against the wall before class.

(For the record, yes, there's a Weeping Angel on my shirt. My intention was to do a "Don't Blink" photo, but I was having trouble getting one where it didn't look like it was yawning. On the plus side, you can look away from your screen now.)

Ok, back to those pattern details. I'll do a proper review, since it's been awhile.

Pattern: I used #114 out of the April 2010 issue of BurdaStyle. I was originally going to use my beloved New Look 6407 and mash it up with the BurdaStyle pattern I used for that other plaid shirt I linked to earlier. Then I decided it would be easier to just trace out a new pattern, and I needed a little more length and a little less front darting for a plaid. (And I didn't have enough time to jump on the Archer bandwagon and order that.)

Description:  The magazine just calls it a "casual shirt-blouse".

Pattern sizing: Size 38-46. I made the 40.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Mostly.

Were the instructions easy to follow? For Burda patterns, they were surprisingly straightforward! The annoying thing was that it referred me to instructions for two other patterns in this particular issue, but all things considered, I can live with that.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? Overall, it's a pretty good basic button-down. I also like that the sleeves are actually long enough for my arms with no alterations. That's pretty rare. I do not like this collar, though. It's crazy wide, and just looks kind of weird.

Fabric used: A cotton plaid flannel that I bought at Joann's. I know there's a lot of Joann's haters out there, but aside from some fraying when I prewashed it, the fabric turned out very soft and cozy. Since they're literally the only apparel fabric store option in my entire state, it's good to know that they still have nice fabric sometimes!

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I left off the pocket, and that little back loop thing. I cut a few pieces on the bias, like the cuffs, collar and yoke, just to avoid more plaid matching. I also used my New Look pattern as a guideline for lowering the bust dart. It would have been super-high on me otherwise. I also didn't bother putting buttons on the collar stand, because I will never button this that high. Good thing, since I would have been one button short otherwise. 

Quick note on the plaid matching--I honestly forgot to factor in the dart when working on this, so I went for the next best thing and intentionally alternated the lines. Because Amy kept alternating between Rory and the Doctor...yeah, something like that. But hey, look at that matching in the sleeve and under the arms!

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?   I might sew it again, with some tweaks.
I'd probably add a little more front shaping, and a bit more flare at the hem. It's a little tighter around my hips than I'd like. Or maybe I'll just jump on the Sewcialist bandwagon and buy the Archer....hey, look, she's having a sale this weekend!

But first, time to change out of these skinny jeans. After all, it's Thanksgiving here in the States, and that is not a good fashion choice for stuffing my face with turkey and mashed potatoes.