Dotty Shirt

Pattern: Chemisier à Col Mao in the book Jolies Tenues Pour Fillettes Coquettes by Akiko MANO

Fabric: Leftover bits of Nani IRO Colorful Pocho ( I believe from 2011)

Notions: Off-white thread

Size: 100 cm graded down to fit 2T

Doesn't it look like candy dots? I have to say that I love this shirt- it's so darn cute! I was inspired by this shirt I had seen last year and as I had some leftover pieces of this dotty print, it happened! With a bit of fiddling with the pattern to grade it down for my almost 2 year old and some artful and at times mischievious cutting (some of those edges are the selvedge edges), I ended up with a most pleasing shirt! It was meant to be a birthday shirt...but he looks so cute in it. I don't think I can wait!
 
This was a first time using a Japanese pattern for me (although my copy of the book is the French translation, so there isn't anywhere near as much puzzling out to do.) I took a bit of width out, using some other patterns as reference for size. The book is intended for girls but I think a few of the patterns are just fine for boys, although I did take out the gathers at the sleeves in this one.

Creative cutting allowed me to get the dot placement pretty close to where I wanted - that central white area framed by the red dots was one of my goals to showcase the rows of stitching at the center front. Ah yes, the center front. That part required some serious attention. These lines were 0.7 cm apart and 0.2 cm from the outer edge. I think I was cross-eyed by the end but so pleased! I kept showing it to my husband after each new line of stitching. "See, see!"

The only thing I had an issue with in the pattern was the finishing. The pattern calls for zig-zagging edges but this fabric was fraying a mile a minute, so zig-zagging was not going to cut it. I did French seams and flat felled seams. Hopefully that will keep it together!

I love the final result! And it fits him really well. Oh so adorable! I have a few very odd scraps left. We'll see if I can get creative with them and find a way to use them. (The pants he's wearing in the pictures are a pair of Art Museum Pants by Oliver + S that I made last year.)