An October "T"

 What an ammmmmazing fall we are having!!!!  I have said this before, but it bares repeating....I am a huge fall fan!  It is my favorite time of the year, especially here on the west coast of Michigan.  The orchards are full of apples, the wineries are busy putting up the next vintage, the days are warm and sunny and the nights are cool and perfect for sleeping.  Ahhhhhhhhhh!  This fall has been exceptionally warm.  I am trying to decide if this is always how it is here and I have just never been around for it, or if indeed it is actually warmer than usual.  I guess I will have to experience a few more falls to really figure it out.  Anyway, it is glorious!

I was thinking my October white shirt would be something wooly and cozy, but it has been very summery and a new white T-shirt seemed much more appropriate.  So out came the linen...again!  I also grabbed some of the lace that I did not use for my Isabel Marant project.  I am not sure when I will use it all up!

The shirt is really simple but figuring out how to insert the lace between the lower linen and the upper sheer linen was just enough of a challenge to keep it interesting.  I am pleased with the outcome and know it will be in heavy rotation until the cold weather finally settles in.

I also tried a new pattern from Merchant and Mills this month.  It's called The Ellsworth Shirt.  A sewing buddy and I made it together and it was such a fun day.  It ended up being a looong day, but there was a lot of chatting along the way.  We are going to have to call each other before showing up at the same party!

I liked the way the pattern came out so much that I immediately made another one.  I love the Japanese cotton I used from Marcy Tilton's website and I think it looks great in the pattern...but...it doesn't have the weight of the polk-a-dot linen so it doesn't hang quite as well.  The sleeve length is also and inch shorter which puts the sleeve placket right at my elbow.  I'm not quite sure how that happened because I cut it the same as the first one.  It might be that the linen is just enough stretchier that it hangs longer.  In any case I like that length better.   It is always interesting how much the fabric influences the outcome. You would think these two shirts would be pretty much identical, but I know I will reach for the first one more often.

The fabric for the second round was only 45" wide so I ended up putting a center back seam to get the pattern to work.  I also used a coordinating cotton to line the cuffs, collar, placket and hem facings.  I might have been able to squeak out a few of those pieces, but I thought it looked more "intentional" if I did all of them with the second fabric.  I like the way it turned out.  

As I finished my October white shirt I pulled out all the shirts for the months I have been in Michigan.  I have a couple others in Florida that will add to the total.  It was kind of amazing to see them all together and realize how different they are from each other.  It is getting harder and harder to pick a favorite.  When I picked this challenge for myself I thought I might end up with a couple of shirts that I liked and the rest would be fun exercises, but not necessarily wardrobe staples.  I think I was mistaken!  I love them all!  I will have to decide whether my November shirt will be a Michigan shirt or a Florida shirt, since we will be heading out around Thanksgiving time.