Using precious fabric (Irish Linen)

I put all the buttons and buttonholes on even though I'll probably always wear it with the top two open.

There's a challenge doing the rounds at the moment to use your precious fabric. After a bit of thinking I decided to pick this linen and make one of my TNT shirts.

This was a gift in 2008. It's Irish Linen, and was originally its natural colour, a warm beigey brown which did not flatter my skin tone.

In 2013 I included it in a dyeing session using Dylon Flamingo Pink machine dye after which it came out this lovely dusty pink colour.

I still hesitated because I wanted to make a shirt and wasn't sure my skills were up to it. I made a test of a pattern I wanted to use and it was not a good outcome. I parked that idea.

Time has passed now and I've made quite a few shirts from a Prima shirtdress pattern so I feel happy my skills with that pattern are OK.

My alterations to the pattern are:-

cut the dress down to shirt length

add a continuous bound placket to the sleeve.

replace the gathers at the cuff with two pleats

make the cuff deeper

add patch pockets with buttoned flaps.