A Deer and Doe Melilot

I’ve been crushing hard on the Deer and Doe Melilot Shirt since it came out almost 2 years ago. I finally kicked my butt into gear to make it!

This is a result of more stash-busting as I’ve had this purple chiffon from GirlCharlee.com for a good while. The Melilot seems to do well with fabrics that have good drape, so I thought this would be a good match.

Overall, it’s a very successful shirt and was fairly easy to sew once I starched the chiffon. The only issues I had were with ironing and the button holes.

The fabric has delicate gold dots that don’t do well with a direct iron (don’t ask me how I know…). I had to have my iron set on medium-low heat for the chiffon anyway but I also had to Press. Every. Seam. with a pressing cloth. Yeesh. The good news is all of the visible dots are still in good shape!

The button holes were easy enough to put in, but for some reason my machine didn’t listen to the size button hole I wanted. Even though it was set smaller, it still made these huge holes for these tiny buttons. Oh, well. Not like anyone can really notice too much! At least I hope not….

I used little gold buttons that were salvaged from a tired, pit-stained RTW work shirt. As a result, I didn’t make the million button holes as directed since I only had 8 of these. I used a 9th small clear button for the collar stand for whenever I get a wild hair up my arse to button this shirt up all the way. 😉

I made a size 40 on top, grading to a 42 at the waist/hips. I think I should stick with a straight 42 for next time since the shoulders bunch a little. It’s not too uncomfortable, but it’s definitely noticeable to me.

I am OBSESSED with this hemline! I enjoy the full booty coverage but also like the peek of hip on the sides. Seeing how I adore my Grainline Alder Shirt Dresses (1 and 2) and have made a “mullet” dress, I think it’s safe to say I have a thing for unconventional hems. I haven’t tucked in this shirt yet, but I imagine it would stay put!

P.S. See the beginnings of denim wear/distressing on my Ginger Jeans? Exciting! 😀

The hem wasn’t too difficult to do, considering the crazy curves and chiffon. It’s actually a lot smoother but I didn’t press this shirt after I washed it, so pretend the hem is perfect. 😉

I have some plans for another Melilot in an expensive rayon I’ve been too scared to use until now. I think it’ll be easier to manipulate than the chiffon and it will be more breezy than polyester!

Have you tried the Melilot before? I highly recommend it and it’s a very fast sew compared to most button-down blouses!

‘Til next time,

-RED