Sunday, November 29, 2015

TSW Cortona Shirt


This garment was inspired by Martha's lovely ikat Cortona that she posted on her blog. I bought the pattern (Siena and Cortona) when it first came out, but seeing it made up encouraged me to give it a try. I actually ended up making two of them. The first was a little snug for my taste but the second one is fine. It was easier to adjust the fit than I imagined, although making a large slash into the front pattern piece took a leap of faith!

The fabric is a cotton and linen blend that I located in my stash when looking for a suitable prototype fabric. In other words, something that had enough yardage, wouldn't require design matching, and wouldn't be a big loss if it didn't work out.  I have no idea how long I've had it or where it came from. The buttons also came from stash and matched perfectly. I think they were originally on a RTW sweater from many seasons ago.

The predominant feature of this shirt is a horizontal dart at the waist that starts near the center front on each side and continues to the back to form a slight peplum.


I eliminated the center back seam from the upper back because it wasn't really needed and eliminated the need to exactly match up the center back along two seams. I made the narrow button cuffs as they appear on the pattern. I would like to add "Lucille Ball" cuffs like Martha's on a future version for a little more flair.

Here are the pattern envelope and technical drawings to give you some more information regarding this design.


 I'm pleased with how it came out and will make this again, although it's a pretty distinctive design. It would be interesting to see how a stripe or print would look, or without sleeves as a summer top.

I hope to be able to model this for you in the near future so you can see how it looks on a person. Alas, today's photo shoot was indoors due to iffy weather and wind. I've already worn it to work and it went well with a Loes Hinse cardigan I made last winter

4 comments:

Janine said...

Very pretty colour and a beautiful design.

Martha said...

So fun to see this post, Nancy! I was wearing mine yesterday. Yours is wonderful. It is a classic look with a little twist. I am thinking of making another now. It is distinctive but with different fabrics, I think it will look like a very different top.

Mary said...

Nancy, this is so pretty, and the seaming gives it a stylish distinction. I just received this pattern and am looking forward to a few new shirts.

NancyDaQ said...

Thanks everyone. I just posted a couple of photos of me wearing it. I think I'll enjoy wearing it as it goes well with other garments in my wardrobe. Not every piece has to be an attention grabber.