Colette Patterns Aster shirt
June 30, 2015
Ever since I saw this shirt, I knew I wanted to make it. I finally purchased the pattern and found some thrifted fabric to make it. This was my weekend project, and despite the fact that it didn't turn out the way I had intended, this is the most complex sewing project I've completed yet, and I'm proud of it :)
So for the details... my goal was to do the long-sleeved version, which required me to do several things for the first time:
The beginning wasn't too bad, and I flew through it. Then I got to bias tape. I initially contemplated doing something fun and nonconventional but decided to go with making my own bias tape out of the same fabric. I used an online tutorial to cut one continuous strip of 1/2" bias tape and tried to attach it to the neckline.
Since this was my first time doing this and I didn't really do any research into this beforehand, I thought that I was supposed to sew two layers of the bias tape onto the raw neckline. I quickly ran out of width and decided I needed a wider strip. So I made another bias tape, this one about 3/4" wide, and read an online tutorial before sewing. Turns out I only needed to sew the raw edge of the bias tape, unfolded. I felt pretty silly about my mistake, but main thing is I got it right in the end.
Then came time to sew the front and back together. I thought I followed the instructions, which involved rolling pieces inward to get them out of the way while I sewed the inner and outer yokes together to the front bodice. But when I turned everything right side out, I came out with the outer yoke wrong side out. Not knowing I had probably attached the pleated yoke the wrong way from the beginning, I thought I had done the front-back attachment wrong. So I re-sewed this a couple different ways, only to make things worse and cause more fraying of my edges. Finally, I decided the yoke pleat didn't look half bad and went with it:
Next came the plackets... Despite the rather confusing instructions about how to fold this placket correctly, I used yet another online tutorial and figured it out. Or so I thought. The plackets on both sleeves were really pretty and looked similar to plackets on my store-bought collared shirts.
After I attached the sleeves to the body, though, I realized that the placket for the right sleeve ended up aligning with the top of my arm, which has got to be the oddest placket placement I've ever seen.
I had finally made a mistake that I couldn't leave alone or fix. Sadly, I decided to cut the sleeves and convert my long-sleeved shirt into a cuffed, short-sleeved version. I'm hoping I can find some way to make good use of those plackets somehow.
For the buttonholes, I watched an online video and realized that sewing buttonholes is really easy! I had NO idea they were this easy. Now all I want to do is sew a bunch of buttonholes. They were so easy that I thought I needed another challenge and therefore sewed them onto the wrong side of the shirt (I looked at a buttoned shirt I already own and assumed this pattern called for the buttonholes to be placed on the same side). I'm not really sure if it would've made a difference, but this is yet another variation from the pattern.
I also had some trouble figuring out how to sew the cuff onto the sleeve. I did the sleeves two different ways, and the one I thought I did incorrectly turned out to be correct because there is no raw seam exposed on either side of the shirt.
So after all this, what have I learned?
So for the details... my goal was to do the long-sleeved version, which required me to do several things for the first time:
- Sew a yoke
- Make my own bias tape
- Sew plackets for the sleeves
- Sew buttonholes
- Sew sleeves onto a shirt all by myself
The beginning wasn't too bad, and I flew through it. Then I got to bias tape. I initially contemplated doing something fun and nonconventional but decided to go with making my own bias tape out of the same fabric. I used an online tutorial to cut one continuous strip of 1/2" bias tape and tried to attach it to the neckline.
Since this was my first time doing this and I didn't really do any research into this beforehand, I thought that I was supposed to sew two layers of the bias tape onto the raw neckline. I quickly ran out of width and decided I needed a wider strip. So I made another bias tape, this one about 3/4" wide, and read an online tutorial before sewing. Turns out I only needed to sew the raw edge of the bias tape, unfolded. I felt pretty silly about my mistake, but main thing is I got it right in the end.
 |
| My first self-made bias tape -- attached it wrong though :( |
After I attached the sleeves to the body, though, I realized that the placket for the right sleeve ended up aligning with the top of my arm, which has got to be the oddest placket placement I've ever seen.
I had finally made a mistake that I couldn't leave alone or fix. Sadly, I decided to cut the sleeves and convert my long-sleeved shirt into a cuffed, short-sleeved version. I'm hoping I can find some way to make good use of those plackets somehow.
For the buttonholes, I watched an online video and realized that sewing buttonholes is really easy! I had NO idea they were this easy. Now all I want to do is sew a bunch of buttonholes. They were so easy that I thought I needed another challenge and therefore sewed them onto the wrong side of the shirt (I looked at a buttoned shirt I already own and assumed this pattern called for the buttonholes to be placed on the same side). I'm not really sure if it would've made a difference, but this is yet another variation from the pattern.
- The number of times things end up correctly depends too much on sheer luck at this point, but I still learn through my mistakes and unintentionally correct steps.
- While many mistakes are able to be corrected, fabric doesn't like to be poked that many times so it's best to get it right the first time.
- How to attach bias tape to a neckline the right way :)
- Don't sew long-sleeved shirts when it's in the high 80s.
- It's hard to sew fabrics that look nearly identical on the right and wrong sides.
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