I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Deer and Doe patterns, their designs always appeal to me and the drafting is such that they’re a pleasure to sew. The Sureau is my go to dress when I can’t decide what to wear, the Chardon is practically the only skirt I wear and the Plantain tee is heads above any other pattern I’ve made. As they are drafted for an hourglass figure and a C cup they always seem to fit with minimal adjustments.

When the Melilot shirt was released I ordered it straight away. I’d been looking for an alternative shirt pattern to my TNT Grainline Archer and judging by the photos the Melilot seemed to fit the bill.

A couple of months ago I entered a giveaway on Instagram from Fabworks Millshop for a bundle of fabrics. I was over the moon when I found out I’d won, particularly being on a stash diet since the New Year. Opening the parcel was amazing and I was mentally matching patterns to each piece as I went through. They were nearly all blue too so it had to be destiny! This was the first piece of fabric I used, a Navy cotton with little pink arrows embroidered into it.

Looking at the pictures I decided to shorten the bodice by 2 inches, a usual adjustment for me being 5 foot 2 inch and short waisted. Going by the finished measurements I cut a 46 which is the largest size.

The instructions are quite brief but if supplemented with a couple of online tutorials could be tackled by an advanced beginner.

The button band had me puzzled for a while, I couldn’t figure out how it folded together. It was only when I looked at the picture on the envelope that I realised view A has a concealed button band which accounted for the excess bit of fabric. As I had some pink Mother of Pearl buttons in mind I went with the exposed one.

I opted for a mix of both views, using the collar of view A with the button band and sleeves of view B. I left off the pockets due to a combination of laziness and feeling they would upset the print if I didn’t match them perfectly.

I used Andrea of Four Square walls tutorial for attaching the collar. This is arguably the best tutorial ever written and I use it every time it comes to attaching a collar, Her method makes it so easy.

As I was making the short sleeved version I didn’t need the sleeve placket. I did however look over the instructions and if you’ve never done one before it would be difficult to follow. There are some good tutorials out there though, such as the one Tasia did for her Sewaholic Granville Shirt.

I checked the final measurements of the shirt and they correspond to those given on the envelope. It’s so much easier to pick the right size when looking at the finished measurements, I really wish more pattern companies would include these on the envelope.

 

Overall it’s definitely a winner for me. The rounded collar and darts give it feminine silhouette which will work well on curves. It’s also versatile, with the different variations and the potential to work with a wide range of fabrics. I’m glad to have found another wardrobe staple, especially as I have so much fabric now to choose from!