Well, I couldn’t help myself. I had to make another Mila Shirt!
I love my red Mila and it turns out casual shirts are my jam. Structured yet good for everyday wear, which pretty much sums up my current style.
This time I used white cotton lawn and I’m so happy with the fabric choice. It’s light but holds shape well, giving me that “casual structure” vibe.
I also pre-washed my interfacing after the other shirt began to bubble around the collar and cuffs. Turns out interfacing needs pre-washing! Who knew? I just gave the lawn interfacing a gentle soak for 10 mins and then hung it up to dry after rinsing. A tiny amount of grit did come off on my fingers (so don’t be rough when washing!), but it still fused as usual and hasn’t bubbled at all yet.
Changes
This time I extended the button placket all the way down to the hem. Just for a more structured feel. It was really easy to do too. I understood from my first version how the placket went together and essentially cut that in half and made it the same length as the shirt front.
I also reversed the pleat at the centre back out of personal preference and I love this about sewing. We get to tweak the tiny details as well as the big ones.
I’m seriously loving this pattern. Maybe I’ll try a fun little print for the next one, like polkadot. Or wide stripes. Ah, the options!
Katrina x
Offsquare 
Gotta love a good shirt!
Absolutely! I love your spotty Dottie, by the way. So cute!
Thanks! Very happy camper.
This looks crisp, chic and beautifully sewn. Love it!
Thanks! I’ve finally got my machine sewing great buttonholes too, which helps immensely. Turns out I was missing a step! Oops 😬
Perfect shirt. I also love collars, cuffs and a bit of structure to my casual clothes. More shirts I say!
They’re great, aren’t they? A bit more work than a t-shirt to sew, but well worth it!
Don’t you just love a pattern that not only fits well but that you can hack to suit your purposes? Great wardrobe staple here.
Absolutely! It’s always a treat and I love having good, reliable patterns in the stash. This is a feel-good make too 😊
I’ve been enthused lately about making shirts too! I just signed up for a combination pattern/online video course on making a shirt pattern. I still need more hand holding through the process than you clearly! Your shirt is beautiful. I used to own several of these types of shirts when I was much younger (RTW) but somehow got away from them – I think the fit was just not quite right (now that I’m making my own clothes I know much better why!) so I’m excited about wearing them again but actually having them fit right! Plus all those fabric possibilities…cotton lawn like yours for light structure, linen, silk…the possibilities are endless 🙂
Hi Kathleen. I think when sewing shirts, it’s all about confidence. Just walking each step through without getting too ahead of yourself. I have to say though, my first ever shirt attempt (about 15 years ago) was a miserable failure and immediately binned. The button placket was awful! I’m not sure what’s changed, but maybe Indi patterns are just better written/illustrated than the Simplicity one I first tried? Maybe I just have more experience now? Could be both, perhaps. The course sounds like a great idea though and I hope you find the skills you need to make a perfectly fitting shirt! Once you’ve made one, you’ll be set to make plenty more 🙂