The real name for this shirt is actually The Plaid Clusterfuck. I wanted to put it in the title of this post, but I realize that a lot of people have my blog linked so that the titles show on their blog and I don’t want to make anyone mad soooo YOU’RE WELCOME. Also, meet the Plaid Clusterfuck, as well as my unstyled hair. I like to call it my Brentwood Soccer Mom hair.
Princess seams, bias side panels, and a front ruffle? DON’T MIND IF I DO.
Oh, do you like my little sewing corner? I did some freshening up in the ol’ sewing room over Thanksgiving weekend. I got a second desk from Lauren Winter, painted it a really obnoxious shade of teal green (and I will never do that again. SOO many coats, even with a primer, and it’s STILL not solid! BOO), and also touched up the mint desk as it was filthy with dirty kitty paw prints. Next order of business is to deal with the other side, where my fabric is stored. Mama needs more shelves, wah!
This is McCall’s 5803, which is so out of print, it’s not even in the out of print section of the McCall’s website. Also, it is a Hilary Duff pattern. Remember when she tried to do that?! HAHA. Anyway, I picked this pattern up for free99 during the free out-of-print pattern sale at my local fabric store (actually, it was on the same day that I got that Butterick knit dress pattern. I love free shit, gah.). I thought the shirt was really sweet, in a kind of over-the-top way.
I tried a new FBA on this pattern, adding 1.5″ to the side front. I still don’t really get princess seams; I can never really figure out exactly where that seam is supposed to hit. But I think this one worked out ok.
The original pattern is cut in a size 4, with the aforementioned 1.5″ of bust room added. I also shaved the front seams down by about 5/8″, the back seams by 3/8″, and the side seams just under the arm by 1/4″. I still think the armscyes are a bit too high, but at least they aren’t stupid droopy like The Dress Who Shall Not Be Named. Oh, and I also lengthened the button placket by about 1/2″ and shortened the collar band by a LOT – it was way too long for the neck opening. I’m not sure if that’s because of a pattern error or because I cut that piece of the bias and it stretched when I was fusing the interfacing to it. Either way, it fits now, so whatev.
I had a devil of a time trying to match the plaid up at the princess seams. I futzed around with that shit for-fucking-ever – I’m the kind of plaid cutter who cuts everything on one layer, one painstaking piece at a time – and the lines STILL didn’t match up. UGH. So I ended up cutting the side front and side back panels on the bias, with the front and back on the straight grain. The neck band and button placket were also cut on the bias, as was the front ruffle. Hence why I am calling this shirt a Clusterfuck – it’s going in all kinds of directions! I’m actually surprised at how well it works, to be honest.
Here is my shame, though – THE SIDE SEAMS DON’T MATCH. ARGH!! I guess I forgot to flip the pieces so they were opposing (instead of mirroring). BLECH. And, of course, I didn’t have enough fabric to recut. Not that I would have anyway; by the time I discovered this little issue, I had already serged everything together. It’s not the worst thing ever, but it still drives me nuts. Oh well, I guess we can’t always have perfectly matched plaids 😥
Let’s keep this our Sacred Secret, k?
I just love these front ruffles! FESTIVE.
I don’t know why there are basically two of the same picture. Sorry.
Here’s a better picture of those mismatched plaids. FUCK.
This shirt ending up costing VERY little to put together. The fabric was part of a big lot I picked up from a fellow blogger, the buttons came from the flea market last week (2 cards for $1!), and even the pattern was free. Not bad!
I topstitched the placket and collar band because I think it makes the shirt look more profesh. Also, I totally love these buttons.
This was not intentional, but look at how nicely the plaid matches up at the button plackets.
The ruffles are finished with a rolled hem edge (done on my serger), instead of the suggested turning under and stitching.
As a side note, I’ve been watching my stats for the past few days and I’m like 50 hits away from reaching half a million! HALF A MIL, Y’ALL. OHMEGERD.
LLADYBIRD 
I LOVE this shirt. LOVE LOVE LURVE. Plaid is fabulous – I just love buying plaid prints, even if they piss me off every time I try and sew with them. Remember my Minoru jacket? Exactly – no one has seen it because I decided to make it out of a wool plaid. I like that this shirt goes in all directions and has those epic ruffles in front. It’s totally fantastic – how does it look with your fabulous cardigans?
I haven’t tried it with a cardigan yet, but I bet it’ll be ace. Of course, now I need a red cardi. You know, for matching purposes 🙂
Lauren, this is the cutest blouse! You are your own worst critic. I think the plaid not matching up UNDER THE ARMS might be a problem if you were lounging against doorways all day long looking vampish, but otherwise, huh? Who do you think is looking at your blouse in that situation? HA HA HA Your figure is too cute to think someone is noticing whether or not the plaid matches, and let me say it again, under your arms. OK, I know you wanted it to be perfect, but let’s just go with almost nearly, but not quite hardly. By the way, what kind of serger do you have? I’m serger shopping. It’s a very cute blouse.
My serger is a Babylock Imagine 🙂 It’s on the upper end of the pricing spectrum (I paid about $1200 for it, 5 years ago), but the stitches are beautiful and it threads itself. If you can afford it, it’s a fabulous machine!
Adorable! This would also look cute with a cardigan or a sweater over…and the colors are perfect for the holiday season. I do not think that I will ever be able to sew with plaid. Or checks. 🙂 You make it look easy though.
I like this blouse quite a bit, even if the plaids don’t match perfectly. TBH, I can’t say that I’ve successfully managed to match plaid either, no matter how carefully I cut (not that I’ve done it very much….)
It’s embarrassing to admit, but I actually remember watching Lizzie MacGuire (sp?) on Disney when I was…..I think in junior high? I had forgotten that she did some sewing patterns. She apparently did a clothing line too.
Lauren, todo lo que haces es simplemente perfecto!!! no importa mucho que no coincidan los cuadros en el costado, porque la blusa es preciosa y nadie se dará cuenta!!! 😉 Yo nunca he cosido cuadros ni rayas (todavía no me atrevo…) pero veo que es difícil… me encanta esta blusa con esos volantes… además agradezco que enseñes lo del dobladillo enrollado que has hecho con la overlock, ya que yo me acabo de comprar una overlock y aún no se como se hacen estos dobladillos enrollados. Tengo que probarlo porque queda un acabado muy bonito! Es la mejor blusa que has hecho, no te parece??? Además muy bien combinada con los botones del mercado y con tus uñas rojas!!!
Tu cuarto de costura es lo mejor que he visto!!! me encanta!!! De hecho, cuando conocí tu blog y vi tu cuarto de costura en tu otra casa me gustó tanto la idea de tener un cuarto de costura que me animaste a hacer un cuarto de costura para mí. (lo puedes ver en mi blog). Claro! que el mío no es tan grande como el tuyo… jejeje.
Tu blog fue el primer blog de costura que conocí y al ver las cosas tan bonitas que hacías me animaste a aprender a coser y es que me he dado cuenta de que me encanta coser!!!
Gracias por tener un blog tan estupendo!!!
Un beso.
Who cares if the plaid matches at the side seams when it’s that festive and fits you so well?! Plus they’re on the bias…they so don’t need too….
You’re right, it really is a festive little number. And aren’t the holidays the exactly right time to go a little over the top?! I love it.
I really love this! I think it fits you adorably, will layer terrifically, and is subtlety Christmas to boot. I would have gone out of my way to nab the pattern for the Hilary Duff of it all too. I had Radio Disney on constantly when my teens were toddlers and wanted them both to grow up to be Hilary Duff.
What is this free out of print pattern “sale” you speak of?! What the shit? I’ve never even heard of such a thing. I don’t think there’s anything like that here in the Bay. So jelly. Of your free stuff and this cute top, too.
It’s something my local fabric store does every summer 🙂 For every $10 you spend, you get to pick a free out of print pattern from their gigantic stash (since I guess you can’t sell them once they go out of print, and it’s wasteful to just throw them away). It’s pretty great, I’ve picked up some neat patterns that way.
F*cking gorgeous! You are really the cutest. I can’t believe how flattering this is on you! This pattern would scare the shit out of me, but you look incredible in it! And festive to boot! Love the little green serged hem on the ruffles. Would look so cute tucked into a high-waisted skirt with a little cardi for the holidays.
This looks abso-fricking-lutely hot on you. Which is kind of soul destroying. I’d look like a Christmas decoration made by a toddler out of crepe paper. That got wet. You look cute and sophisticated at the same time. At least you had the decency to not match up the side seams, even though it’s in a place that virtually no one will ever notice and it’s not even that serious a mismatch. Who am I kidding, I still am totally in awe of you.
Oooh, this is too cute…what a great blouse! F*ck the mismatched plaid, it’s still a winner ;o) And huge congrats on the stats, not surprising though as you’re awesome!!!
As the kids would say, totes amaze!!!! Don’t you fret for a second about not-matching-side-seams. Life is wayyyyy tooooo short. I’m not even sure it’s possible with all types of plaid. Anyways, this is a really awesome garment and the fit is perfect.
Zoe xxx
Love it!
Totes jealous of your serger! Mine is near death. Fabulous shirt!!
I think that new sewing machine needs a new serger buddy! 🙂 JOIN THE BABYLOCK FAMILY haha 🙂
Insanely cute and very profesh!
I love this shirt, I is well done regardless of the matching sides. You make it all look so easy! 😉
This is awesome, festive and a little country too! Doesn’t matter about the side plaid when you have the button placket matching so perfectly! Very cute!!
Well, ain’t YOU cute in your plaid! Very Christmas-y, but not TOO Christmas-y, know what I mean? Like a peppermint mocha– awesome at Christmastime, but not insane to have around year-round!
The fact that you just compared me to a peppermint mocha (which is one of my favorite things ever), just makes me love you all the more. My peppermint mocha shirt, aw yeah!
THEY ARE SO F-ING DELICIOUS! I can’t even deal…
Lauren, I love it!!! If those un-matching plaids bother you THAT much, I’ll take it right off your hands. Why, you could even wrap it right up for a Christmas present! I promise I wouldn’t mind at all. You did an amazing job and you look adorable in it!
Cool shirt! I love the ruffles 😀
I adore this top. I am def going to pin it. And a couple of months ago I made a dress from one of those Hillary Duff patterns that I bought in high school. It made me feel weird and old.
Your consideration about your title made me roar with laughter! Your top is fab, I couldn’t add to what’s already been said but the first thing I noticed was the teal desk, your room is looking amazing. Sounds like it was a nightmare to paint but it looks fab 🙂
I must take you to task for the description. It is so NOT a clusterfuck. It’s incredibly cute and the little rolled hem is great. I love ruffles! However, I applaud the use of this wonderful word in blogging so you are forgiven.
lol clusterfuck is one of my favorite words of all time, I had to throw it in the blog somehow! 🙂
you are as usual too funny and too cute. which equals FOR REALZ.
yeah cheesy pun friday comment!!
Love this! It’s so many fun things rolled into one. Of course I would never have noticed nor even thought of unmatching plaid under your arms but that’s just how I am. 😉 I love the ruffles, so cute but not overly cute, you know? Really fun. Looking forward to seeing how else you style it!
Wow, you deserve an award for patience. You did a great job…
This is so cute. You rock those ruffles! I could never pull those off. Hahaha…”Brentwood soccer mom hair.” My sisters-in-law used to live near there, and they would always make fun of people that live there.
I love this, wouldn’t have looked twice at the pattern tho, just goes to show what a difference the right fabric makes.
You’re so funny! I had to keep reading and reading to find out why you thought it was F*ed up. heh I think it’s a really great little top and the plaid helps it be *not too sweet* ya know?
I really enjoy your spicy language. It makes me want to drop more f-bombs on my blog, ’cause that’s how i speak in real life for f#*k’s sake.
I think, but I am not sure, but your plaid is unbalanced and that’s why they don’t match. It is nearly impossible to match unbalanced plaids on the bias. Just a possibility. Not sure, like I said. But I think it is a great top and few people are going to notice the things we notice as the sewists!