It’s officially the greatest season of them all – AUTUMN!!! I’m so excited to get cozy with thick sweaters and warm apple drinks, but I can’t just yet. Temperatures are forecast to be in the 90s this weekend, so I’m still rocking my warm weather clothes and knocking out my sewing to-do list. Next on my list? The Kalle shirt and shirtdress from Closet Core patterns. I sewed it up using Camelot Fabrics Cotton Poplin sent to me by Minerva and although there were some rocky steps, I’m happy with the result.
The Camelot Fabrics Cotton Poplin fabric is absolutely perfect for Kalle. This medium weight fabric has a bit of horizontal mechanical stretch, so it skims the body quite nicely. The geometric design is simple, but colorful and clean. Despite having vibrant pink, red and purple designs on a white base, there was no bleeding or fading after I laundered it. There was no fraying or weird warping and wrinkles disappear easily if you use a hot, steam iron. I was a little concerned that I needed to line this fabric, but ultimately there was no need. It’s just opaque enough to feel light and breezy, but keep your bits covered!
After staring at Kalle for months, I finally broke down and purchased it (along with the Sienna Maker Jacket) during Closet Core’s Spring sale. When I got the pattern and cut out all the pieces, everything looked pretty straightforward, but there was a glaring omission that I just didn’t understand. There were no pocket pieces for the dress version. I was so sure that there were pockets and I’d somehow missed them, that I studied the instructions like I’d be tested on it. Alas, there were no pockets designed in this shirtdress. A shirtdress with no large, usable pockets didn’t work in my reality, so I just swiped some pocket pattern pieces from another pattern and added them myself. The second hiccup was the popover placket. This was my first time making a popover placket, so I made sure to read the instructions carefully. I even watched a few YouTube videos to make sure I knew how to do it. While the placket looks great from the outside, the inside is a bit of a mess. The placket doesn’t match up the way the instructions say it should, so my buttons are slightly hanging off the inner placket. Again, not something anyone else would notice, but annoying to me, nonetheless. There was also a bit of wonkiness in the size/placement of the collar, but it’s possible I was just tired after the placket saga and was just rushing to finish up the dress.
On a happier note, I really like the sleeves and the finishing of the hem with the bias tape. I also made a matching cloth belt, but after trying it out, decided that it wasn’t necessary. I’ll definitely sew this pattern again, although next time I think I’m going to try some pattern matching using the hidden placket.
