Made By A Fabricista: Plaid For The Holidays

What does cozy mean to you? When it comes to fabrics, I love flannels, brushed cotton, fluffy fleece, and warm wool. After stumbling across these two stunning flannel shirtings (Crimson/Dark Navy/White 100% Cotton Plaid Weave Yarn-Dyed Flannel Shirting and White/Crimson/Dark Forest Green/Multi 100% Cotton Plaid Weave Yard-Dyed Flannel Shirting) on Fabric Mart’s website, I was immediately smitten. Plaid, particularly with hues of red, reminds me of winter pajamas, perfect for curling up with a cup of hot cocoa.

However, instead of making pajamas for this month’s post, I decided to create two warm shirts that are casual enough for work-from-home frocks and lounging on the couch but can also bring a festive air to a day of shopping or spending time with friends. For the pattern, I chose the Daughter Judy Bonnet Shirt. The shirt is “inspired by the classic French work shirts” with a front button placket, adjustable cuffs, and an optional back button and loop detail (I skipped this for both of the shirts because I was aiming for the oversized look and don’t plan on cinching them).

After manhandling both fabrics as soon as they arrived in the mail, I knew I wanted the flannel to be close to my skin. For the red/navy shirt, I used the “wrong side” of the fabric as the “right side” so that the flannel faces my body and the outside fabric is more of a brushed cotton. Also for the red/navy shirt, I decided to cut the front placket and cuffs on the bias so that I was able to play a bit with the plaid design. This made sewing a bit more challenging (I should have used interfacing so that bias cut pieces wouldn’t stretch so much) but I really like the effect they create.

I made both shirts in a size medium, corresponding to my bust measurements. I didn’t make any changes to the pattern excerpt to skip the button for the collar because I will never button it up fully and felt like it was a waste of a button. I also moved the side slit down (about 3 inches from the base of the shirt) because I do recognize that this pattern is potentially meant for warmer climes.

I love the shoulder details, it gives a unique twist to this otherwise pretty basic half-button up. While I didn’t do an amazing job matching the plaid, I find that the pattern pieces enable me to get away with what some might see as sloppier sewing (sometimes a girl just doesn’t want to do the math!).

I’m delighted by how warm these two shirts are. The cuffs are wide but the shirts don’t feel breezy and too lightweight. Instead, they both feel like a hug and have kept me warm during these particularly chilling New Jersey days.

Overall, I’m so pleased with how both of these pieces came together. My slight preference is for the white/crimson/dark forest green but I think both will be heavily in the rotation this month; I feel as though they spark some holiday spirit without being too festive.

What does winter sewing look like to you? Are you sewing something cozy for the cooler months or something fancy for an upcoming party? Either way, happy sewing!

MARIA | @whelanmaria

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