Will I Like the Pockets and Neckline or Not?

We all know I love pockets. Big pockets. Pockets you can shove anything and everything in. Here's what you may not know though; I kind of prefer for my ginormous pockets to be almost invisible. Hidden in side seams, or somewhere else in a dress design. At least I thought I did. I shied away from vintage re-print patterns feature huge statement pockets, because I didn't think I liked them. Then I decided to test the Brijee Patterns Casey Skirt at the beginning of the summer.

With that skirt, I decided to give the big statement pockets a try, though I honestly wasn't sure how much I would like and wear the finished garment. My decision to test the pattern was more "Hmm, this style sort of intrigues me, maybe I'll enjoy wearing it" than "Oh my goodness! I love that design and must make it now!!". Well, after a summer of wearing my Casey skirt almost non stop, I was converted. I loved the skirt, big, visible, patch pockets and all. And I needed to make myself a second just like it - one was not enough!

The thought that I might just need to make myself a second Casey Skirt was solidified while I was on vacation. If I thought I wore the skirt a lot at home, that was nothing compared to how often I chose to wear it on vacation - 4 days in a row? Yes. The day after I returned from vacation, I drove to Joann's and bought 2 yards of a plum-colored linen/rayon blend I'd had my eye on for some time. My second Casey skirt was happening. I needed another large-pocketed skirt in my life!

So, that very week, I made the skirt. As I'd already made the pattern once before, I was familiar with the construction order, and the skirt went together very quickly - which was good because I really wanted to be able to wear it as soon as possible!

And wear this skirt I have! Being made from a linen blend, my new skirt wrinkles way easier than my green polyester skirt, but that's to be expected. Wrinkles are what you get with linen, there's no way to avoid it. Other than that minor detail, this skirt proves to be just as wardrobe-friendly as my first. It turns out purple goes with just as many things as green does. Blouses, tank tops, and t-shirt, I've worn it with all of them. However, my Outer Banks Boatneck (pattern by Winter Wear designs), is one of my favorite shirts to wear with my new Casey Skirt (and my old one too for that matter).

This shirt is another example of "this style sort of intrigues me, maybe I'll enjoy wearing it". I'd never made or worn a boatneck garment prior to this pattern. I appreciate the aesthetic of the neckline, but the style is much higher than the necklines I'm comfortable wearing. So I never made a one. Or bought one. Or wore one. Nope. I tend to avoid high, wide necked, garments. I just don't feel like style flatters me. That said, when Suzanne of WWD offered me the Outer Banks Boat neck pattern to go with my Real Deal Jeans for the blog tour this spring, I decided to give the style a try. 

So, I made the top one evening, tried it on, and no. I didn't like it. It looked like I had my shirt on backward. It looked like my bust had fallen over halfway down to my waist. Nope, I was not a fan of the neckline. I was not going to wear the shirt as it was. But. . . I liked the idea of the shirt. And I liked the fabric I'd made it from (A multi colored striped knit remnant scored for under 50 cents at an Amish fabric shop). I even liked the overall shape of the shirt. Literally the only thing I didn't like was how the neckline looked on me. Thus, I was going to salvage this shirt somehow.

After a bit of thought, salvaging it turned out to be ridiculously easy. I just decided to add a short center front slit to the neckline. Throw on a few eyelets, add a bit of lacing, and done!

The neckline is finished with a facing, so I just cut down to right above the bottom of the facing, flipped the facing to the outside of the garment, stitched around the newly cut slit, then flipped the facing back to the inside of the garment, where it belonged. There, slit finished.

I added the eyelets and lacing for a bit of visual interest and texture to an otherwise plain garment, and I love the result!

The finished neckline is still rather high, but I feel it's much more flattering than the original - and I'm much more comfortable wearing it!

The shirt actually gets worn regularly now - and I enjoy wearing it! I might just have to pull this pattern out again for a second go. I've already got ideas on how else I can have fun with the neckline! There's lots of room for creativity here!

So, as it stands, I have now come around to large statement pockets, rather than just large hidden pockets, but I'm still against boat necks on me (not in general though!)

And that concludes this blog post about my experimentation with different styles. Sometimes, you actually like something previously untried. And sometimes you don't. You never know until you try. 

*Also, I feel like I should mention I received both of these patterns for free, but all thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog post are all my own.