One of the many things I love about sewing is that you can take the structure of a pattern and tweak it to make it suit what is comfortable and fitting for you personally. So, this month, I took on the challenge of sewing the 240 Rosie the Riveter shirt. I have been wanting to make a shirt that I can wear in the coming summer that is pretty and functional (easy to work in), and this seemed like a good opportunity to try this pattern!
I chose a raspberry Morikiku Dots Cotton Dobby that we have in stock at Folkwear currently. It has a lovely weight and is pretty (I like the heathered-looking polka dots). It also comes in beautiful midnight and olive colors. It’s a breathable fabric woven on a specialized dobby loom. It's lightweight, making it ideal for summer shirts and dresses. We also carry a variety of other cotton and linens that would make a great spring or summer outfit.
I made the size Small for this shirt, but do take note that the shirt in this pattern has a lot of ease. You may want to size down one or two sizes, depending on the amount of ease you want in your shirt. I like a loose shirt for summer, so size Small worked well for me. If you are unsure what size to make, you can cut a quick muslin with just the front and back pieces and decide if that is enough room (or too much).
I really liked the basic shape and style of the shirt, but sewing your own clothes gives you the opportunity to add design elements that you prefer or that suit you. I decided to do that with this project and make a few modifications to the pattern.
The first personalized change I made was to make a half collar instead of the full, fold-down collar. I like the way a half collar looks and feels on my neck, and for me, it is cooler in the summer heat. The collar for this shirt is one piece, so to make this type of collar, I simply cut the pattern piece for the collar along the middle of the pattern piece and continued with the pattern instructions.
I also made a slight change to the bottom of the shirt. Instead of a straight hem, I decided I wanted a shaped hem line. This shaped, or rounded hem, I felt, offered a softer and more flattering look for my body, especially since I plan to wear it untucked. I used a shirt I already had with a rounded hem to trace the shape I wanted. The 212 Five Frontier Shirt has this shape of hem, so you can use that pattern if you want to get the same look. This type of hem can be a little trickier to turn under to hem. There are a few ways to do it easily. First, you can sew a narrow bias seam tape to the bottom edge and just turn under the hem edge once and sew down the seam tape. Or, you can sew a gathering stitch about 3/8" from the bottom edge and use that to gently pull a gather that helps you turn the curves more easily for a narrow twice-turned hem. Or, just be patient with an iron, easing the hem under in the curves (you'll need to do that anyway, with just about any method).
I chose some larger buttons just for a fun element. I like these big fun buttons. And, the last thing I changed for the shirt design was to not include the pocket on the front.
I really liked all the different design elements I included while keeping the basic Rosie the Riveter pattern. As the spring weather is fast approaching, I look forward to showing it off.
