A Mood Borderprint Shirt

If you're on IG you know ads and reels rule our feeds. Whatever you show the most interest in, IG aka Meta aka Facebook picks it up and sends it back to you in a multitude of ads. I've learned not to click the ads because then one ad begets another ad and it's like rabbits multiplying.

I will admit that I don't mind the online fabric company ads, though. While 90% of the time I don't click through or make a purchase, this fabric is the direct purchase of an ad and a fellow sewist, Karon. Her IG handle is Cookeka. Yeah, y'all inspire me with your makes too! 

The Fabric ~

This borderprint showed up in my IG feed as a sponsored post. I was really intrigued by it but when I clicked in the blue that enticed me wasn't available. So I clicked out but every time the ad showed up, I checked to see if the blue was back in stock.

When it finally was in stock, I purchased four yards to make a shirt. I always buy more of a border print than I need for a standard garment. You never know how much you'll need to get the design idea you imagined.

Pattern ~

I started with my TNT shirt pattern back yoke and gathered lower back (Vogue 7700). The fronts are from Vogue 8722 (which I've used before) because I wanted solid front pieces that wouldn't interrupt the print. Collar, under collar and cuffs are from my TNT pattern which started life as Butterick 5678. 

I'm definitely pulling from patterns I've used before to get new looks. While I know there are new shirt patterns out there, I'm not trying to refit new patterns, especially when I know these pieces all work for me.

Cutting out the Fabric ~

As you know, cutting out a borderprint is the most important part. So I took my time to get the look I wanted. Using Karon's shirt as an inspiration, I cut the main border piece down the front so it would match at the center fronts.

Then since I was using the yoked back and gathered bottom for this shirt version, I cut the on the fold piece by centering the fold on the fabric.

 

o Pinned it on the fold line. 

o Drew around that piece.

o Then flipped it and drew around the other side before cutting it out. 

o This way I made sure the border print was perfectly centered in the center back of the piece.

The sleeve was cut with the border print down the center of the sleeve.  While the yoke, collar, under collar and cuffs were cut on the yardage featuring the the border print.

Construction ~

There are no new construction techniques used in this shirt. If you need to know about how I sew these shirts, all of the links above will take you to posts that detail my shirt construction.  The only thing I did do was change the thread during construction.  Dark navy blue in the border print areas and ivory in the other areas.

My buttons are dark navy blue purchased from Cedar Goods Dry Lane in PA during the last Sew Camp.  I deliberately chose such dark buttons so they would melt into the print. I wanted to highlight the border print.

A few photos ~

Conclusion ~

This is the first of three border print shirts I worked on during my holiday break. I know at $17 a yard that this is bordering on the high end of what I normally pay for shirting fabrics.  However, this shirt was worth every penny for the drama and affect it's giving.

I am culling, as in giving away, and altering some of my older shirts.  The more traditional closer fitting ones are going.  A few of the gathered back ones, need arms enlarged because everything about me is bigger since Covid. This go round I want more interesting shirts, different fabrics, larger more vibrant prints, nothing totally traditional since that's not my lifestyle any more.

I'm also going to make several different types of shirts, tops and blouses.  Things that will work over leggings, jeans and capris for summer.

One more cause I love this one ~

 

Another border print shirt is up next...

...as always more later!