Hello! I’ve been looking forward to sharing about this project with you. I’ve made a pattern that is new to me, the Donny Shirt by Friday Pattern Company. It’s a fun, collared shirt that is cropped and leans more relaxed then a traditional button-up collared shirt. I’ve been eyeing this pattern to make a relaxed, “camp shirt” style for something that would be fun to make and wear.

For the fabric, I picked a cotton voile from Minerva. The print is called Chalk Bands but the circular shapes in the print remind me of rubber bands. I was excited about the cotton voile as a really nice option to wear in the heat of the summer. Finding women’s clothing to wear for work in the summer (that isn’t a polo shirt) can be challenging at times. I think this challenge makes it more fun to sew and make your own clothes to wear for work as well.

I think the fabric also has a nod to the 1980’s, which I thought would be fun for an 80’s themed party or work event.

Supplies:

- 1.5m, Minerva Exclusive Chalk Bands

-Cotton Voile POD Fabric Disco

- 0.45m, Lightweight woven interfacing

- 80/12 Sewing machine needle

- Matching thread

- Chalk (or fabric marking tool)

- Iron

- Glass head sewing pins

Size - Small

Modifications:

I wanted to add a tiny bit of length to the body so I added 1” to the front and back body pieces. I don’t mind wearing a cropped top with high waisted pants. I have a few high waisted pants but knowing that more often I wear mid-waisted pants, I thought adding some length would a mod that I’d enjoy.

Cut fabric out on the flat:

I decided to trace out the pattern pieces that were intended to be cut out on the fold to switch and cut them out on the flat. Although a cotton voile is a stable fabric, I liked this approach to get a view of the layout of the fabric pattern design on the garment pieces before I cut them out. It was an extra step but I thought it was worth it.

Edge stitching:

I enjoyed using a presser foot with a built-in right edge to evenly edge stitch along the collar. If you have access to one, it’s a small tool that is handy and really easy to use. It helps achieve a nice, consistent stitch line along the edge.

Burrito method:

The pattern uses the "burrito method" as the approach to finish the back yoke of the top. It achieves a really nice finish for the inside and outside of the back yoke. There is a YouTube video from Friday Pattern Co that walks through these steps for the Donny shirt. The video will save you time and is really easy to follow.