I'm so pleased with how it turned out! Of course, the majority of the credit must go to Heather Ross for making such dang cute fabric. (And to my Mom, for picking out the perfect vintage ribbon trim!)

The pattern is from Built By Wendy's book, Sew U. I had to make a few modifications - the main one being to reduce the sleeve length by almost two inches. Do I just have short arms, or is orangutan the norm? Geez!

Instead of a regular hem, I opted for a custom-made bias binding with a vintage ribbon accent. Again, this is because I never wear my shirt tucked in, because it makes me look short. I am not, however, short. I just seem short. My great-grandmother was 4'10". I am a towering 5'3 5/8".

A word about the pattern: I wouldn't recommend it for beginners. You will have more than a few temple-tapping moments while working through it. Wendy provides general directions, but it's up to you to figure out how to make the exact shirt you envision. You can always look back through the book for tips and techniques, but the directions are not step-by-step. The thing I found frustrating was that she didn't note the seam allowances to be used. (It ended up being 1/4" for the collar and 1/2" for the cuffs.)

Overall, however, I am thrilled with my shirt! I will definitely make many more using this general pattern, adding my own touches and trying out some more of Wendy's suggested modifications.

I'm thinking about purchasing some more Built By Wendy patterns. I'm eyeing 3835, 3964, and 4112.

Happy sewing,
Meg