OK, I didn’t spend a ton of time and effort deciding how to hack my TNT pattern. No muslin. Basically I just threw some pins in an existing shirt. Like this….

 

 

 

My TNT shirt pattern has very long tails. No way it’s ever gonna come untucked! The Hello Kitty shirt, however, is meant to be untucked. So I hiked it up a little bit, and settled on a point where the bottom panel will start. I felt this proportion was best for me. Just for the heck of it I tried the “Today’s Man” dimensions and hated it. It seemed to cut me right in half, which was visually awkward. After looking at some RTW shirts in my closet that are meant to be untucked, (yes, I still have some RTW, but not for long!), I noticed that none of them had a back pleat. So I’ll be eliminating it.

End of pattern adjustments.

 

I decided that there was NO sense in trying to match this pattern. It’s just all over the place. Instead, I just tried to find a balance between the two fronts. The green gingham has been placed at the right front as a contrast. Ultimately, it will only be visible at the neckline, since it’s covered by the placket. I love figuring out how to make these little tweaks.

 

 

 

Here is the finished front placket (sans buttonholes). I think having it unmatched is actually best.

 

 

I have never worked with Tana Lawn before. It’s feather light and very finely woven, but it tends to be a little on the sheer side, especially with an ivory background. I’d definitely be more comfortable with a couple of chest pockets on this shirt. I matched the pockets and added buttoned flaps.

 

 

 

This completes the shirt fronts. Next I’ll move to the back and the yoke. See you then!