The black shirt


With one week to go, I undertook the February/March project: a black cotton shirt - perfect for spring, if it ever arrives in Montreal. The pattern is Simplicity 4047, and the fabric is just a regular cotton: thick enough to have a little bit of body, but cool enough to wear on a sunny day.
Lately, I've been really drawn to styles like this. My waist is a pattern-size larger than my hips and bust, so the nipped in waist is perfect for giving me some extra curves. I think it will look best with a narrow pencil skirt, with glasses and pearls (for a librarian-chic look) or with rolled up dark-rinse jeans and a chiffon scarf (for a more Rebel Without a Cause feel).
I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, although I could have tapered in the waist a little more since I'm not going to make the sash for it. The next time I use this pattern (for a shirt dress in a red cotton with tiny white polka dots) I think I'll taper it in at least one, maybe two sizes for the waist and I'll lower the neck line an inch or so.
This pattern set is quickly becoming a go-to for me. In addition to the shirt dress (for which I'll just lengthen and full-out the bottom pieces), I'll be making the pencil skirt. I'm going to muslin it tonight, so hopefully I'll have another finished project before the end of this challenge.
Yay for new spring clothes! Now if only it would stop snowing...