Lekala #5999

Another sew for Liddy, another Witchery knock off.

Same story as before, Lidia found a tunic she loved on Witchery.

Tunic available from Witchery

I had some divine, soft, brushed cotton in my stash and after perusing Lekala we found this shirt 

Lekala #5999

Liddy loved it!
The only problem was that it was designed for a stretch not a rigid cloth.
We looked at all the other shirt patterns I had but Liddy kept coming back to this one.
After grumbling to Jed about it he asked if I could just size up?
Lekala make personalised patterns to your measurements. I added 2 cm to each of Liddy's and crossed my fingers.

It worked!

The fit is perfect.
Just enough ease and growth for a 13 year old.
I added a back yoke facing as it was only a single layer.

The neckline is pretty and grown up but not too low.

The sleeve placket was new to me.

Lekala directions are very much on the light side. There was a link to a youtube tutorial but my internet was down when I was sewing this, so I muddled through.

I did end up with an 1 cm raw edge so I ironed a wee bit of interfacing over it before top stitching.

That neck ruffle is perfection!
I definitely need some practice with attaching ruffles, I should have given more ease over the curved edges of the collar.

Again, the instruction were not that clear on how to attach the front facing so I sewed my collar stand, then the front facing and then pressed, clipped and turned, pressed again and edge stitched the bottom of the collar stand catching the top raw edge of the facing underneath. 

I carefully pressed and pinned the under facing and then topstitched from the right side.

~Lidia's Verdict~
This shirt fits me so perfectly with a little bit of ease at the back and under the arms. I love the frills and the cuffs with the slits of skin, see below. I love how it is a normal shirt with a couple of special additions to add a bit of character in it. 

~My Verdict~

Lekala patterns are a good challenge for me. Although very well cut and excellent value for money the instructions are minimal (I do believe they offer prompt email support).

I quite like the 'Euro' feel to the clothes and Liddy loves them.

This shirt was such a fun sew (but a solid 6 hour sew).

Thanks for reading xx N

PS Yes, I noticed the uneven hem, I will go back and fix it ;)