I was recently asked to do a pattern review for an Aussie designer,
Felicity patterns, so of course I said yes!
After perusing the many boy options on the site, I settled on the Kieran Shirt. This pattern had several things
that appealed to me. 
The first is that I was a woven pattern. I have a sizable stash with lots of woven
fabrics and…. well, I’ll be straight, my four thread overlocker was broken and
I was avoiding knits! The second was the
neckline. Both of my boys are, how shall
I say it? Top heavy? I like to say they
have big heads to fit all the brains (it probably has more to do with the fact
they are destined to be tall). I endlessly have trouble with clothes that
simply do not fit over their heads. The
open neckline is fabulous for this.
Finally, (and probably the most important) I think this pattern is
pretty cute. Mr 2 and I are very happy
with the results.
Initially I was planning to make one shirt with a pair of
matching Rascal Pants, but as the weather is starting to get warmer, I thought
he probably would have grown out of them by the time the weather is cool enough
to make the most of them. So, I decided
to make two shirts using different options instead.
I raided my stash and came up with some aeroplane fabric and
a robot themed fat quarter. Luckily I
had a blue to contrast with the robot fabric, but I had to make a trip to the
fabric store (oh no!) to match the aeroplanes.
The pattern itself has clear instructions with lots of
pictures, so it is beginner friendly.
The finishes are simple and effective.
I enclosed the edges of the facing instead of just stitching it
down. This is a personal preference
rather than a necessary change and I clipped the curves to ensure that it sat
nicely.
I made the size 4 as Mr 2 is currently about 100cm or 40”
tall (he is 2 ½ - I think he is going to be VERY tall). The sizing is spot on for his height. He is a
skinny boy, so it is a bit roomy, but that is not bad for an active boy.
The robot shirt was made true to pattern and I love that it
the yoke, pockets and facings were all cut from one fat Quarter. You may not be able do the facings in larger
sizes, but it is handy to have a project to use some of my fat quarters and
scrap pieces.
For the plane shirt I left off the pockets and added piping
to the bottom of the yoke and arm scythes.
I think the effect was good, however, if I added piping again I would
use piping on the shoulders and neckline.
There is a great tutorial for adding piping to sewing projects here.
You can get the Kieran shirt pattern here.
Happy Sewing! :-)
