Recital Shirt

Leave a comment March 15, 2020 apinchofsewing

Hello,

Hope you are all managing well through these troubled times.

I confess I am starting to feel a bit overwhelmed with all this situation but I will keep this space dedicated to sewing as I also believe it takes our minds out of negative thoughts and it helps keeping us sane.

A few years ago, I received the most beautiful present from Constança. It might sound silly, but I liked it so much that I was afraid to use it and ruin it, or not use it wisely. Well, it took me years to finally make something out of it!

Constança kindly sent me some of the fabric she used for her son’s Christening gown, gorgeous broderie anglaise and entredeux. The responsibility, right?

Initially I thought about trying to recreate a lovely blouse my daughters had but then I thought it wouldn’t last long, as Children keep growing so fast and I wanted something to last. Finally, a few weeks ago I was looking for a white shirt and couldn’t quite find what I was looking for, so I thought it was about time to use the fabric and broderie anglaise. Boring as it might sound, I like white shirts/blouses and wear them all the time. After all, it goes well with everything.

So, about the fabric. It is a soft lawn, lovely to work with and to wear. It feels great against the skin. Also, as it is lightweight, the ruffled collar worked beautifully.

The broderie anglaise is supposed the be used differently. However, I thought it would work well for the sleeve and I honestly think it looks lovely this way. It is a darker shade than the fabric but it doesn’t really bother me.

Now, one important thing was to decide which pattern to use. I wanted a pattern I trusted and knew I would wear regularly, so I chose the Recital Shirt by Liesl + Co. I have used it previously and I wear that shirt all the time.

As previously, I made a size 0, without changes other than the sleeves. For the sleeves, I did not change much, in fact I only omitted the cuff and add the broderie anglaise instead. First, I thought about adding an inch or two to the sleeve but, in the end, decided not to as I did not want the sleeve too long so that I can easily wear with ¾ sleeved cardigans.

I attached the broderie to the sleeve and made the elastic casing with bias binding. Simple but effective and it is not itchy against my skin.

Summarizing, I absolutely adore this shirt. I am glad I took the time and I am pretty sure I will wear it quite a lot.

Thank you for this lovely gift Constança.

As for you reading this post, stay safe.

Maria x

1 Comment February 18, 2018 apinchofsewing

So, here I am sharing another ruffled blouse. Even before the ruffles become trendy, I already used to wear them, so it’s only natural that I started collecting patterns with ruffles when they started being released, right?

This time I made the Recital Shirt, a pattern by Liesl + Co. I knew I needed that pattern the moment it came out, but some patterns I prefer in paper version, so I waited a sale to get my copy in the paper version. I can now tell you that it was worth it.

The pattern offers different options for front, collar and placket. I opted for version A, with princess seams, ruffled collar and continuous placket.

This pattern offers a range size from 0 to 20, and for different cup sizes. According to my measurements, I made a size 0, cup A/B, without modifications and I won’t make changes in my next version.

I particularly like the fit, not being baggy at the waist, thanks to the back darts and princess seams. Although it doesn’t make hemming any easier, I like how the slit looks like and makes it more comfortable to wear.

The instructions provided are very useful, leading to a neat final result. I don’t make sleeve plackets that often, so it’s something that causes me some apprehension at first, but I had no issues at all.

The fabric I’ve used is a lovely Liberty bought from Cousette, two years ago already! I really like this print and colour, and was saving it for something I’m sure I will wear a lot.