Challis Print Shirt

In my last post I mentioned I was sewing a shirt from a piece of challis I found in my stash.  I believe I purchased the fabric from Fabrications in Richland, Michigan.  I loved the fabric and knew I had to sew something with it.  There was not enough fabric to make a skirt, so I decided to make a shirt.  I used Kwik Sew pattern K3555.  I knew the pattern had already been fitted to me because I used it to make a cotton shirt two years ago. 

Before I cut into the fabric, I considered whether or not it would actually be appropriate to sew a shirt from it.  Although one pattern can be used to make articles from different types of fabric, the results will not always be the same and may or may not be the result you are hoping to see.  The fabrics that were recommended on the pattern envelope were cotton, cotton types, shirtings, silk-like fabrics, rayon & blends, chambray and broadcloth.  Challis was not mentioned, but I knew it would probably work.  I was not looking for a crisp shirt like the one I made from 100% cotton.  Instead, I wanted a soft, easy-to-wear, blouse-like shirt. 

In a shirt class I took from Bill Voetberg in 2017, I learned how to change the placket of a shirt pattern to a more professional-looking one.  I chose not to use that method for the placket on the challis shirt because the fabric was soft and not crisp.  I decided to stick with the regular placket used in the Kwik Sew pattern.  I think that was a good decision based on the fabric.

When I sewed the first buttonhole, I realized I had a problem.  It puckered a little bit.  I think it was because the fabric was so light and soft.  I ripped out the buttonhole and tried again.  This time I added some water-soluble topping on the front and back of each buttonhole.  It made a big difference! 

Below is a picture of the challis shirt and the one I made two years ago with 100% cotton.  Hopefully, you can see the difference you get when using different types of fabric with the same pattern.  Don’t be afraid to experiment, but review your options carefully before cutting your fabric.

Good luck with your sewing projects.  I hope you will try something new soon!

Judy