Atelier Brunette Ralph Pink Sahara Shirt

Atelier Brunette
Hi all! Here's the second in a series of posts about my handmade holiday wardrobe and fabric finds in Tokyo. My first Ralph Pink Sahara Shirt is one of the best and most professional looking garments I've ever sewn up and it still gets nice comments from people when I wear it - how did it take me this long to make another? This second version is definitely more geared towards summer, and made up in a soft double gauze, it feels particularly luxe.

Ralph Pink Sahara Shirt in Kamakura, Japan. Shoes: Kin by John Lewis; Hat: H&M
Like my ruffle hem Nita Wrap Skirt, this one was another last minute warm-weather-friendly make that I only finished the day before we headed off to Japan. The inspiration came from the Kin by John Lewis range. I'm rarely tempted by shop bought clothes anymore, but I find myself drawn the the brand every time I pass it on the way up to the haberdashery section in the Leeds store (I couldn't help myself with the silver Kin sandals). It took me a surprisingly long time to realise that the styles I liked the best were pretty much the same silhouette as the Sahara Shirt.

Kin by John Lewis shirts - particularly love the Laura Slater print one on the left!
My fabric choice was a beautiful Atelier Brunette double gauze from Cotton Reel Studio - purchased with a voucher I won on the Sew Up North raffle. The sewing community's love for Atelier Brunette is evident by just scrolling Instagram. I'm not usually one to jump on the designer fabric bandwagon, but I just couldn't resist this abstract brush stroke print - very Kin, no? I wish it were easier to find abstract prints like this - tips most welcome!

My finished Sahara Shirt, in Atelier Brunette
I've never sewn in double gauze before. In fact I usually avoid cottons altogether, so it just shows how much I loved the print. I'd originally hoped to make another Jazz Jumpsuit using it, but when the fabric arrived I realised it was a little too lightweight and see-through for that.

On the beach in Kamakura
After rethinking things, the Sahara Shirt seemed like a natural pattern to choose for such a special fabric. It's a pattern I'm familiar with and I've been missing wearing my first version as it's a bit too heavy for summer. The double gauze really did feel as luxurious as it's designer price tag suggested it might - so soft, it's lovely to both wear and work with.

Details in Atelier Brunette Graphic Blue Fabric
The only thing that differed in my construction of this version was including the collar (last time's was collarless). It felt necessary in this fabric and I also wanted the option to wear it open as a kimono-like cover up.

Collar and placket details

With just a day to go before my holiday, I managed to find the perfect buttons - I couldn't believe my luck! Textile Garden my usual go-to place for buttons, but with such limited time, I had to do a bit of a dash round town. I picked up these little matching blue ones from the bargain box at John Lewis - just 60p for a card of 5 and exactly the right colour.

Perfect match buttons!
The only problem I had was trying to make the very top button hole on the collar. My machine just couldn't manage it because of the bulk so I skipped it rather than risking spoiling a lovely finished garment. Has anyone got any tips for top button struggles?

The classic 'look how big it is' pose
I love my summer Sahara and it made for great holiday wear in Japan. I saw a lot of locals wearing double gauze and over sized shirts in the humid weather and I left inspired to make more! I picked up an amazing heavy textured white cotton while there and the plan is to make it up as an oversized long sleeved shirt that's a bit more climate-appropriate for home. The challenge with this Sahara Shirt is getting wear out of it now I'm back in the UK. Let's see if I can transition it into my Autumn/Winter wardrobe...

Stay in touch!

Operation oversized shirt dress (the Ralph Pink Sahara Shirt)

finished project
After a bit of early New Year wardrobe lethargy, I decided to go to the shops - not to buy, but to try on for sewing inspiration. We have an &otherstories and Cos in Leeds now (my fave high street shops from my long gone days of shopping) so I went for a snoop. Deciding not to be limited by styles, I tried on anything that I liked the look of, which meant giving some new-to-me styles a go. And that's when I totally fell in love with the most perfect not-usually-me oversized shirt dress.

Handmade shirt dress - the Ralph Pink Sahara Shirt
Although I never intended to buy anything - inspiration trip only - I might have 'accidentally' bought the 'perfect' shirt dress from &OtherStories (pictured below), if only it hadn't been £85 (!!!). I'm neither a usual shirt-wearer or shirt-maker, and it's a bit silly but button holes still strike fear into my heart. But you do unexpected things when in love (with a shirt dress) so I made it my mission to make my own...

The (expensive) inspiration!
First step was finding the PERFECT pattern. After racking my brains a bit, I resorted to an Instagram cry for help, and was met with masses of wonderful comments and suggestions (so many suggestions in fact, that I had to make a Pinterest board to contain them)! Among the possible pattern matches were the Named Helmi, Deer & Doe Meliot - both of which have the perfect neckline - and a couple of sack dresses with the perfect sleeve, but none of them quite 'the one'. It was Hayley and Megan whose suggestions of the Ralph Pink Sahara Shirt made my heart sing. Apart from the collar, it looked spot on from the line drawing, and I thought it would be interesting to try a new-to-me pattern company, so I bought the PDF.

Taking the opportunity to use my Maker's Workbook
The PDF pattern has a border but no line to define it, so it was a bit tricky to trim to size, but once it was prepped, I was off! I used a plain black crepe with a good drape, similar to the shop bought version. The pattern only gives the yardage needed for the largest size (2.35m for size L) so I took a punt and bought 2.2m for the size Medium - perfect, with just a little breathing room. I skipped the faux pocket and collar pieces from my pattern cutting (though as a heads up, they would've fitted within the 2.2m) to get it as close to the inspiration garment as possible.

Getting to grips with my first overlocker!
Having never made a shirt before, I was a little tentative, but needn't have been. The instructions and illustrations are good and really easy to follow. Topstitching the very long plackets in place gave me the sweats just a little, but it was all suprisingly straightforward make. I also took the plunge and used my brand new overlocker for the first time, so it was a little bit of a learning curve in that sense - managing to re-thread it was a triumph in itself! I was quite thankful to have it as there are lots of veryyyy long seams to finish.

The finished dress!
Lovely draping from the side
In an attempt to copy the shop version's neckline, I sewed the 2 collar stand pieces together in the same manner as making the collar (without the actual collar pieces sandwiched in the middle). I attached the collar stand as instructed, and voila! The perfect neckline (phew)!

Detail and a pretty professional finish :)
And now for the much disliked task of adding button holes. The pattern says 11 buttons are needed, (though one of these is for the faux pocket which I skipped). I'm not sure if this is an 'unfortunately' or not, but there are no pattern markings given for the buttons on the pattern pieces. I ended up using 10 buttons on the placket, each spaced 7cm apart. I found that I needed a smaller button for the collar stand, but luckily I had a very little one in my stash. Of course, my first 3 were a near disaster - even after 3 successful practices on a replica placket, typical - but I soon got into the swing of it, and they look pretty good! As a possible word of warning, I found that the button placket came up a little long, but this was really easy to trim just before hemming.

11 button holes down and still standing!
The pattern recommends a rolled hem finish for the curved bottom. Now I've never done one before, but my overlocker's instructions said it could do them, so I gave it a go. I'm not exactly sure if it looks how a rolled hem should, but it does the job, and it was FAST. My first finished make of the year, and quite an exciting one, which has got me all the more inspired!

Back view
...and with a bit of a breeze!
I love love love the finished garment, and just a week from shop-try-on to wearing my own version isn't half bad - only a quick distraction from my #2017makenine plans! The shape is exactly what I wanted, and I'd say the addition of the curved yoke even makes it that little bit better than the &OtherStories version. I can definitely recommend the pattern and will be making it up again with the same tweaks  - in fact I've already got some textured black drapey fabric for version two! Who'd have thought I'd ever feel so stylish/cool in a sack dress?! It's a style I'm keen to explore further, so if you have any tips for fab oversized shirt/dress patterns please let me know in a comment below :)

Dangerously flag-like on a windy day... thanks Sara for the photos!

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