Everyone names their clothing, right?  Last week was the “Sheet”(dress, that is).  Here is my Blue Lagoon. Heh.

This is the latest iteration of the button down, but a bit longer, sleeveless and with a side flare. The inspiration was a Rebecca Minkoff version of a shirtdress, and the sewing stars seem to have aligned.  I am thrilled because the inspiration, the fabric and the intention has been hoarded in the fabric closet and the “intention closet” for years.

Did I say this was a continuation of the Mood Board Plan? The red knit and the blue silk is done. Gee, I wonder what I’ll sew next on the plan….

The fabric has been in my stash for almost two decades! The seller (who closed up shop a long time ago) informed me that it was silk broadcloth. Well, ok. I bought five yards because the fabric was just 32 inches wide.  If you ever come across silk broadcloth, let me know because I want to buy more – it is beautifully drapey, easy to sew and press and looks great in general.  Being silk, you just have to watch for water spots from spitty irons.

Pattern: McCalls 7470 is a new to me pattern (remember the “sheet” dress?) and I really like it because of the vertical princess seams and therefore, many opportunities for a good fit.  I used a tunic length version of sleeveless View D; because I live in the hotter than hell South.

Pattern hack (one of them):  To emulate the inspiration shirt by Rebecca Minkoff, I swung out the side seams, starting a few inches below the armhole. That gave it a side flare – and I love flared things.  There were other minor changes I made which I’ll list in an upcoming post.

Interfacing:  I used Light and Stable, available from Islander Sewing Systems,  which is a great product, but too light weight for this project.  To add some beef to the collar, I interfaced the upper AND lower collar pieces, as well as upper and lower collar stands. Usually, just one collar piece is interfaced, but Light and Stable was not hefty enough for a crisp collar – and I was not okay with a limp collar. That said, this is a fabulous interfacing! I will use it often where appropriate.

Buttons from stash: I think there will have to be a change of buttons. In spite of the cuteness and perfect color match, they’re not entirely suitable.

Well, there are more things I did with this shirt, made an error or two, and will detail those in another post with fun “tips”. So, watch out for it.

Meanwhile, excuse me while I go road-test the Blue Lagoon.

Samina