Charlie Shirt: a pattern review

Not too long ago, I came across the European pattern designer Zonen09. When I saw her patterns, I seriously could not peel myself away from her site. Not only are her patterns unique and stylish, but she designs for BOYS!

So when I contacted the oh-so-sweet Sharon who is the designer behind Zonen09, she was so gracious and sent me two of her patterns to review!

The first one I sewed was Charlie. This was the first of her patterns that caught my eye, actually. The style reminds me of the vintage clothing that I tend to gravitate toward at the thrift store, that late 70s/early 80s style that my brothers used to wear.

This collar!

The cuffs and waistband, well, I always love a shirt with those features. When you sew for boys, you aren’t going to be adding ruffles or lace, so contrasting fabrics give your garments interest.

The main body of the shirt is lined, so it’s nice and sturdy. All of the pattern instructions and pictures were really clear and easy to follow, so I really think that if you’ve sewn a couple of things with knits [or like to challenge yourself a bit!], you could easily graduate to this pattern.

Also, argyle. I mean, seriously. [I don’t know where the fabric is from, sorry to say. I got it from my lovely friend Alida, who has amazing style and taste in fabrics]

The only thing challenging about this pattern that a beginner might balk at is that seam allowance is not included. So keep that in mind if you don’t want to go through that extra step. This pattern and Jacob [which I’ll be blogging about soon!] are both on my list of 15 must-have patterns for boys. These are also the only two patterns she currently has in English – so know that before you buy! Two of her patterns are currently only in Dutch.

I’ll add a bit of length to mine next time, as my two-year-old seems to have gone through a recent growth spurt. If your kiddo has a longer torso, I’d recommend that. But other than that, the fit was spot-on and was a really quick sew… you know, other than my forty zillion interruptions.

You can find Zonen09 here or on Facebook.