Pattern Description:
Toddlers shirt with collar, collar stand, yoke, front placket with button closure, and shirt tail hemline. View A has long sleeves with buttoned cuffs and breast pocket. View B has short sleeves and breast pocket. View C has western style yokes, long sleeves with buttoned cuffs and front pockets with buttoned flaps. I made view A
Pattern Sizing:
T1-T4. I made T1 and it fits my 1 yr old well, although I think he'll only get a few months wear out of it. He is a big boy though! Should be fine for average sized tots.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes. This is the first time I've used a Kwik Sew pattern, and I was impressed with the quality of the instructions. One of the reasons I bought this pattern was as a dummy run for a grown up shirt I am making for my brother, I thought it would be good practice to sew a little shirt first! I liked the diagrams and the language used was nice and clear.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Likes - I wanted a standard shirt pattern - cuffs, collar with collar stand, placket on the front etc, and this was the only one I could find that fit the bill. I like that there's a western variation as well, I might try that style next. I liked the fit on my boy - you can see a side view here.
Dislikes - 1/4" seam allowance!!! I found it really hard to sew using such a small allowance, especially on a small garment. The flannel I used frayed really easily, which quite often resulted in half the seam allowance disappearing as I pinned it! The sleeve openings were especially difficult, as you have to sew part of the slit near the cuff using 1/8" SA. I fudged it badly on one sleeve and then gave up with the other sleeve and used 1/4" instead. It didn't seem to make a massive difference tbh.
Fabric Used:
A really soft flannel. Because of the fraying I overlocked (serged) a lot of the time.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I left off the pocket, only because I wanted to try and finish the shirt as quickly as possible! I followed the instructions for button placement but think next time I would put them a bit closer together, there's too large a gap between the top two. You can see what I mean in this photo.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I'm sure I'll sew it again as I like to get value out of the patterns I buy! It's certainly not one of my favourites, but the end product is a very smart little shirt. I'd like to play around with the western version, maybe with some embroidery on the yokes? It's a good pattern if you want to make a shirt for a special occasion, or if you like your little man to have a wardrobe full of shirts!
Conclusion:
I haven't rated this pattern as it didn't really fit into any of the categories. It's certainly not a pattern for beginners, but the clear instructions mean it should be a straightforward sew for someone with a little experience. It does what it says on the tin, but that 1/4" SA makes it a challenge! |
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Cute shirt! Adorable baby!!
1/19/13 6:47 PM
Great review & you did a wonderful job. The shirt is too cute. Impressed that a children's pattern has a collar stand & buttoned cuffs, both very nice details.
1/19/13 11:08 PM
Nice shirt! Good job!
1/20/13 9:26 AM
Thank you!
1/20/13 4:56 PM
Great little shirt! Looks RTW. Your boy is adorable btw :)
1/21/13 8:04 AM