Aime Comme Madame shirts for Matilda

 

I have been thoroughly enjoying myself in the sewing room.

Matilda is competing as a Young Rural Ambassador. The current western fashion for the girls are really lovely shirts, feminine but practical. Tildy has the advantage that her Mummy can sew them.

Tildy is quite petite but muscular and has a D cup bust. Her blouses require a 3 inch FBA. Although a little fiddly, I have made a 'Matilda' bodice block that is useful when adjusting new patterns. 

It is so clever the way this adjustment gives her ease with out all the excess fabric through the shoulders. It does makes pressing a little fiddly and I often use a dressmakers ham to get a smooth finish.

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Our pattern of choice?

The Aime Comme Madame a beautifully cut button up that fits the feminine form so nicely.

For our first shirt we omitted the collar and went with ALL the ruffles. The fabric is pure linen, slightly scratchy but the quality that you know it will get softer with each wear and wear well for years.

To create the front tab I folded the front placket to finish on top (I regularly use this finish with fabric that doesn't have a 'wrong' side) and attached the ruffle to the seam allowance. I caught the top of the ruffle under the collar stand. The collar ruffles had a shaped edge and I finished them where the collar would finish.

I shaped the sleeve edge ruffles the same.  I used the same placket but I quite like a pointed placket point rather than a square edge.

The buttons are pearl look shank buttons. I am not a fan of the painted pearls as the finish can easily scratch or wash off but I guess I can change them. They certainly look pretty.

I used a flat button on the sleeve placket to reduce bulk and make the shirt more comfortable to wear.

A special request from Tilly was the shoulder ruffles that she wanted to stand up. To help achieve this I topstitched the seam to the sleeve allowance and I press it up with a steam iron.

Such a pretty look.

While I was on a roll I made two more!

This a time a pretty seersucker.

Tildy requested deeper ruffles and wooden look buttons.

Otherwise the shirt is exactly the same. It is interesting how much of a more casual shirt it looks in the cotton fabric.  I was struggling to get a nice looking yoke match to the back so I used the tried and true, cut on the bias. I cut the under yoke on the true grain to stabilise it.

This is even more of the case with the final shirt, another seersucker in a pink/lavender colour way.

I was not a fan of this fabric. It felt a bit 'cheap and nasty' as my Mum would have said however it plumped up a bit with pre-washing.

A bonus of the last two blouses is that if they are removed promptly from the machine and hung on a coat hanger in a nice breeze they will barely need any pressing.

Once again, I used the bias yoke to solve the pattern matching dilemma.

It is funny how the fashions go around. I was wearing very similar clothes in my teens and early twenties. It is a pretty and practical look.

It is also an extremely satisfying  sew for me.

Thank you so much for reading, stay safe and well.

                                                      xx Nicole (and Tildy)

Aime Comme Madame Shirt, Deer+Doe Chataigne Shorts for Lidia

 Don't you just love it when a vision becomes reality?

Mine was to use this gorgeous selvage on the fabric Jerry purchased in a ruffled edge (not for him though)

Backstory...

Jerry is terribly fond of a pink gingham shirt. He has had three over our marriage and has worn all of them to bits, literally.

Our Merino sheep stud, Ramsgate, has a hot pink shirt as a uniform such is his fondness for the colour.

On a recent Adelaide trip he came home with some windowpane check for a new shirt.

'I got five metres' he announced 'Is that enough'?

It was plenty and so much so that I cut a blouse for Lidia at the same time.

Thus the ruffles!

I have been on a shirt sewing spree for Matilda and I am in the zone. I suggested the selvage ruffle to her but she was not that keen however Lidia loved the sound of it.

I went with the tried and true Aime Comme Madame

I omitted the collar and added a ruffle the to neck band. I also folded and stitched the front placket to the outside rather than the inside, sewing the ruffle along the edge.

I cut the sleeve cuff and placket on the bias (interfacing both pieces so they didn't stretch out of shape) and added a ruffle along the edge of the cuff.

I cut the outer yoke on the bias as a design feature but cut the inside yoke true to grain to stabilise it. More ruffles!

Finished with self cover buttons made by Jerry!

The shaped hem looks just as snappy untucked. I finished it with a narrow double hem.

Lids loves shorts, she wears them with tights in Winter so she rocks them all year 'round. I suggested a charcoal linen pair but Liddy fancied matching colour with colour and pulled some aqua blue linen the same as  the selvage.

Deer+Doe Chataigne shorts are just so elegant and fun.

From the website... Make a wardrobe of shorts with Chataigne. With your choice of high or mid rise, the waist is defined by a panelled yoke ending in a point in the front, with pleats for shaping and curved hip pockets in the front, and flap pockets in the back. The shorts are secured with an invisible zipper in the side seam.

• Version A has a mid rise with cuffed hem.
• Version B has a high rise with scalloped hem.

The nubbly vintage linen was a challenging sew and my front 'V' is not perfect but c'est la vie.

The pattern calls for an invisible zipper but I find my girls are a bit hard on those so I just plump for a regular one.

It was fun to sew some colour!

No modelled photos yet but I promise to share them as soon as I do!

Thank you so much for reading .. xx Nicole 

StyleArc shirt and Butterick B6296 shorts for Lidia

Lids and Tilly  love  the Butterick pj bottoms as shorts. Really, they are a rather fancy pj bottom with the back yoke, the pockets, the separate waistband and the cuffs so I can see why.

Lidia has a pair I made in a gorgeous tartan fabric that my lovely friend, Ana-Sofia sent me from Portugal. She wears these as shorts all the time and requested another 'outdoor' pair.

The very popular pj/shorts in question!

The fabric she chose is an elegant Italian cotton shirting I purchased from the chetWynd fashion house before it closed down, I made Ben a Birthday Shirt and some rather snazzy pjs for a dear Med Student mentor, Taylor.

It is lovely to sew, very crisp and a lovely hand.

I piped all the seams with white piping and interfaced to cuffs and waistband front for a sleek look.

By smoothing the front waistband most of the gathers of the elastic are at the back for a neater finish.

I had a small piece of the most deliciously silky-but-firm  cotton shirting that was begging to be a Archie shirt

I like the Archie shirt, StyleArc make an elegant pattern but they do assume a degree of sewing knowledge . I sew Lekala regularly so don't really find them a problem. I previously made Zara two linen versions (black and taupe) and I believe she still wears them teaching.

The Archie has a two piece collar, lined back yoke, fold up cuffs and a gorgeous over sized chest pocket.

The shirt is cropped to sit a the waist, too cropped for me but rather fabulous for the young and fit of tummy.

A fresh and cute outfit.

For my gorgeous girl.

I love sewing for Lidia, she happily wears whatever I make.

I am so lucky, it's like sewing for life size Barbie dolls.

When I sew garments I like to put a wee watch of the fabric with some spare buttons in a tiny ziplock bag. I always add a pre-threaded needle (as I was given a box of thousands) so if they lose a button they have thread and needle to hand!

Thank you for reading..xxx Nicole