Makyla Creates Camille Top

This is such a quick and satisfying make - I've made 3 so far. I'm not inclined to wear it bear chested (as in the cover shot), but all three are great holiday tops. The pattern is easy to follow and adaptable and uses a scant amount of fabric. I lengthened the sleeves 3 inches, and the body 2 inches and added a little cuff to the sleeves. I've also decided that I prefer 3 sets of shorter ties. The weight of the ties means that a bit of interfacing is called for on the neckline. That sounds like quite a few changes, but they really aren't a chore. I have plans to make another in something medium weight which I expect will also work well.

This is the first garment I've sewn that's actually good enough to wear outside the house! It's a slightly oversized boxy shirt and most of the sewing is straight lines. Directions are straightforward and easy to follow. With this pattern, I learned how to shirr and how to gather fabric to make the puffy sleeves, as well as zig zag stitch to finish seams/raw edges. The most challenging part (for a beginner) was attaching the sleeves to the body. Overall I'm quite pleased with my finished product and it's given me the confidence to try making more challenging garments. I spread this project out over 3 days (Day 1: cut fabric. Day 2: sew body. Day 3: sleeves + hemming). I went super slowly because I wanted to make sure I did it correctly and double checked each step as I went along. But a more experienced sewer could probably whip this up in 2-3 hours.