Surprisingly, this Jalie Patterns Florence is the first button-down shirt I’ve ever sewn myself. I almost cannot believe that’s true because, as a tall, busty woman, button-down shirts have been the bane of my existence since I first grew boobs. Shirts pull at my shoulders, gape open at my full bust, taper at the wrong spot for my waist, and hit too short. This Florence shirt makes the perfect first foray into button-downs because the boxy fit is a guaranteed fitting success.
I have a lot of shirts in my wardrobe, but lately I’ve been feeling like I have nothing to wear. Before the pandemic, most days I would go out in something professional for networking or something extra stylish for making an impression as a creative entrepreneur. Now, most days I go outside I am dealing with mundane errands like walking to pick up my CSA food share. On those casual walks through Brooklyn I want to be cool, comfortable and covered up. It’s that balance of looking effortlessly put-together at all times. My self-drafted woven tees fit that order. I just need more.
I’m happy to wear this drapey linen shirt around the neighborhood and the pretty waves inspire me to wear it by the ocean. This would make a sexy bikini cover up or even a gender-neutral shirt to share with a partner. I suspect the boxy shape isn’t great for layering under jackets for transitioning to fall, though it could layer well over a knit top. However I choose to style it, if I find myself taking another vacation to Florence, Italy, I’ll definitely pack this namesake top for sightseeing at the statue of David and escaping into the Tuscan wine country.
Pattern
Jalie Patterns Florence Shirt, View A
Sewing Difficulty – 2/5
- Sew topstitching, a stand collar and button placket with this pattern – a little bump in difficulty for the beginner sewist.
- The unordered sewing steps and illustrations were clear but the paper saving layout was difficult to follow.
- No directions were given for finishing the seams. I used an overlocker for the center back, shoulders and side seams after each was sewn.
Fit Difficulty – 1/5
- The boxy fit is very forgiving and the pattern instructs that no grading is required if you hips are 1-2 sizes larger than your bust measurement
- No lengthen and shorten lines are provided on the pattern for #sewingtall, but the finished garment length is provided in a chart to easily add at the hem.
I love the finished look of this shirt and I’d like to experiment making it in more fabrics.
Fabric
- Medium-weight, drapey printed linen from Rainbow Fabrics Kilburn
Fit & Modifications
- Based on my 39″ Full bust, I cut the Size X pattern.
- I added 3 5/8″ to the hem to hit mid hip and shortened the hem from 2″ to 1 1/2″ to balance better with topstitching along the button placket.
Tips
- For straight and pronounced topstitching, use 2 threads in the needle and use an blind hem foot to keep the distance even
- See more of my tips for topstitching and contrast stitching here.
- Always, always test your buttonholes before sewing on your garment.
Tutorials that were helpful
- Not a tutorial, but this pattern included a clever chart for button placement instead of including a pattern piece for the buttonholes. It advised where to place the top and bottom buttons then instructed to evenly space the remaining buttons. This made it much easier for me to place the buttons with my length adjustments.
