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Since I finished my rayon Mélilot, I have worn it a lot. It is super comfortable, and goes well with both high-waisted skirts and pants. I wanted to make another one, and I decided to try version B, the one with the cuffs and mandarin collar.

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I also had wanted a chambray button-down for a while, in the hopes that it would be a basic top that I could associate with most of my skirts without resorting to the eternal white/black/navy triad. I had in my stash just enough of this mystery fabric that I got in a local shop called Scrap Exchange – a “creative recycling” association which sells absolutely everything, as long as it can be reused for craft projects: wooden boxes, plastic bottle caps, broken bits of mirrors, as well as fabric scraps and a very limited selection by the yard.

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Actually I’m not so sure this is really a chambray. It has the classic color, but the weave is very dense and I can’t tell if the warp and weft threads are the same color. I don’t know what fibers it is made of either, but I’m sure it’s mostly synthetic.

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The issue with this fabric is that it has no drape at all, and the loose cut of Mélilot really requires something more fluid. It’s even worse with my sway-back: the rayon one sat on the top of the lower back in a supple and natural way, but the fabric on this new shirt creates harsh, massive fold lines.

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I don’t mind it too much to be honest: the folds are not as visible in real life as they are on the pictures, I think the shirt looks great from the front and I can’t see the back when I’m wearing it 😀 However, there is no way I can tuck it in a high-waisted skirt like I wanted, it is way too rigid, so I can only wear it over these black jeans.

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I feared that the rigidity of the fabric, associated with the dropped shoulders, would limit my movements too much, but I can move my arms in every direction without feeling restricted. Though again, a drapier fabric wouldn’t have all these folds.

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Another aspect to take into account is that I made this shirt like I usually make Deer&Doe patterns: 38 at the bust, 36.5 at the waist and 40.5 at the hips, lengthened by 3/8” above the waist (that’s what fits my body the best). I graded the pattern for my first Mélilot and used the same pieces, but with the drape of the fabric on the first one I didn’t realize that the hip curve was too exaggerated for my body. As the largest point of my hips is pretty low (i.e. saddlebags, or in fancy French “culotte de cheval”) I shouldn’t have graded to 40.5 so high on the pattern piece, and I ended up with too much fabric at hip-bone level. Since the hem curve goes up pretty high at the sides I could actually have stuck with a 38.5 or even a 38 at the hips.

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One thing I really like though is the buttons: they are small flat metal buttons, with a very raw feel. I think I “borrowed” them from my mom’s button box last time I visited, but I’m not so sure… Anyway they are perfect for this pattern.

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So this shirt is a pretty big fabric fail, but I’ll wear it anyways. Mostly it reinforces my idea of making another Mélilot. I thought maybe I would make another short-sleeved one in a Liberty of London lawn, but after fighting with this dense, rigid fabric I really just want to make it out of rayon. It’s a bit of a pain to sew, but it’s so great to wear…

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“Chambray” Mélilot
Mélilot – Deer&Doe
Size 36,5 / 38,5 / 40,5
Lengthened by 3/8” aboved the waist
Mystery Fabric from the Scrap Exchange

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