Laura’s Feuillage Shirt
Leaves are starting to turn a glorious golden brown, and pumpkin spice lattes are back on the menu. It can only mean one thing… Autumn is upon us! Which also heralds back to school! As a kid I always loved the ritual of getting new school shoes, a new uniform and choosing new stationery. And if you were lucky enough to get the coveted 36 pack of Crayola colouring pencils, then boy, you were the most popular kid in class!
I do say it quite often, but this may be my favourite ever box from Hayley. The fabric is so up my street. I adore the striking combination of the bold black gingham with the bright pops of red and blue and orange flowers floating across it. A thing of pure beauty!
It was just screaming to show off the glorious print and make the most of the weighty drape, and fortunately I didn’t have to look too far to find the perfect pattern match: the Feuillage Shirt from French indie designer, Cami-Made. Please don’t ask me how to pronounce it! The design just looked so interesting and different, I couldn’t resist… those dramatic long side panels are just so extra, I love it! Perfect for swooshing around.
On initial inspection, I thought that I would have to do a full bust adjustment (which is really not something I wanted to do on princess seams!) But due to the relaxed fit and the fact that the crepe had a little stretch, I figured that I could get away without it. The only thing I wanted was a bit more length on the front and back pieces as they were rather cropped – I prefer tops to be a little bit longer to have the option of tucking it in, and to avoid the risk of flashing my belly button!
I decided that 3 additional inches was the right amount, however to ensure that the notches lined up correctly, I also added the same 3 inches to the side pieces where indicated at the top. At this point I considered taking the 3 inches back out at the bottom of the side pieces, but I decided to rock the extra length for added drama.
By adding this additional length at the top, it subsequently moved the position of the waist ties too far down (which are sewn into the seam between the panels). So, I initially basted the pieces together and tried it on, making a mark with chalk where I wanted the ties to go. Easy!
The main body of the shirt came together very quickly; however, I did hit a few snags when I got to the collar part. The instructions were a little confusing in parts, and admittedly I went a bit rogue to my own detriment which ended up with having to cut out and finish the collar twice, then re-attaching (with difficulty) to the neckline that I had already notched.
Because the fabric had some stretch in it, I did find pressing it a bit tricky as it kept wanting to spring back, so make sure you’ve got plenty of steam from your iron!
Bizarrely, I think that my favourite part of this garment is the armholes (I know, who says that?!) which I bound with the yellow gingham bias binding from the June “Picnic in the Park” box – I just can’t get over how good it looks! Then as if by magic, the yellow Whim Wham flower buttons from the August “Summer Meadow” box matched like an absolute dream.
Unfortunately, I did make the buttonholes a little too big and a couple of them keep popping open. Not sure how to solve this but I need to!
Sticking with the school theme, I have teamed it with my gorgeous green leather satchel. I will mainly be wearing this top with jeans as we have a casual dress code at work (I will be sashaying around the office no doubt!) however, I think that it would look so effortlessly chic teamed with a pair of slim tailored trousers with the front tucked in and a cute pair of brogues.
