Bookworm Button Up (Make Believe Collection)

In less than two weeks, my baby girl will be headed off to kindergarten!  I can't believe it!  I'm happy and sad all at the same time.  My goal was to make most of her school clothing for the year, and I started with the Bookworm Button Up!

I was provided all four top patterns in the new Pattern Anthology Make (Believe) Collection in exchange for my honest review of any of the patterns.  Here's what I truly think about Bookworm Button Up pattern! This post contains affiliate links.

Since Ella's school requires all children to wear standard school attire (solid color shirts with a collar and solid color shorts/skirts/pants), I'm trying my best to make these otherwise basic pieces a lot more interesting and exciting!  The Bookworm Button Up (affiliate link) pattern does just that!  It's a serious, unisex shirt with lots of options and fun details.

To make Ella's new shirt, I upcycled a dress shirt that was too large for my husband.  The great thing about upcycling a dress shirt is that I reused the button placket and didn't have to make a single buttonhole!  Upcycling is not a requirement for this pattern, and you can make the button placket and buttonholes from scratch! 

The pattern does an excellent job of explaining how to make a collar with a collar stand. Collars are usually hit or miss for me--either they work or they don't--and this one was spot on once I sewed the collar seam correctly!  The first time, I didn't pay close enough attention to the detail in the pattern picture and for some reason sewed the wrong side of the collar together.  Thank goodness for seam rippers!  

I loved learning a new sewing trick when making this back yoke and pleat. I've never sewn one together the way the pattern described.  This may be my favorite part of the entire blouse!

Oh, and check out that curved hem.  One thing I did that the pattern didn't suggest was to baste the curves of the hemline to help them turn up easier.  

See that little pucker on the hemline below? I found a long string before shooting this photo and thought it was loose. Nope! It was one of the basting string ends. I got it out, but apparently I didn't smooth out the hem completely before shooting the photo.  It's fixed now!

Ella's a tall girl for her age, but I felt everything about the size 5/6 I made fit perfectly. Since the fabric is an easy care cotton/poly blend, it was comfortable and soft and will hopefully be easy for me to wash!

I chose to make the bow sleeve option to the pattern which is a 3/4 sleeve, in my opinion, with a fun, faux rolled-up look on the ends.  The pattern also includes a basic short-sleeved option and a long-sleeved option with a button up tab in case you want to roll them up.

By the time I reached the bow sleeve during my sewing, someone else was occupying my computer, and I couldn't quite remember the instructions on how to sew them together.  I improvised in putting the facing on the end of the sleeves, in part to not having access to the instructions but also because I wanted the facing to be on the outside.  It's subtle and difficult to see, but the facing fabric is cut with the stripes running horizontally.  My bow detail looks slightly different than that of the pattern, but I really like it.  Plus, I didn't want to make a traditional bow center, so I came up with my own tab (there will be a future tutorial for it soon).

Now for my daughter's favorite part--the bow pockets! Aren't these just adorable? They were so simple to make and really make this otherwise basic school shirt so much fun and all her own.  I guarantee no one else in class will have a top like this one!

But like I said earlier, the pattern comes with several options for pockets since it is a unisex pattern. If you have boys and girls, then this pattern is a win-win for you since you make them both a Bookworm Button Up!

Ella loves her new Bookworm Button Up and is excited about starting kindergarten, too! Wish us both luck!

The Bookworm Button Up pattern one of the terrific patterns included in Pattern Anthology's Make (Believe) Collection that is on sale through today at 10 p.m. EST.  After the sale ends tonight, it will be available for purchase as an individual pattern at Blank Slate Patterns (affiliate link).

Have fun sewing!