Pattern Review: Colette Patterns' Negroni
This is a pattern review for the Colette Patterns Negroni PDF pattern.
I've made this button-up shirt twice from Colette Patterns and I have to say, it truly is worth every minute spent taping together all 45 infuriating pages.
I made one in a size large, and another in size medium. The size medium Negroni ended up with 5/8" buttons instead of 1/2" because I struggled to find good looking ones in the right size locally, and this caused no issues (see crappy photo of great shirt at the end of this). I used a middle-weight flannel for both shirts.
I followed all instructions, seam allowances, pressing, and interfacing EXCEPT the sleeve & side seams - I don't have the patience for flat felled seams inside sleeves :) Below are my changes that I would make to the pattern.
The sleeves were far too long for both men I made the shirts for. I shortened the sleeves on the large by 3", and 2 3/4" on the medium. The sleeves were also far too wide - I tailored them in by 1" - from the underarm to just 1" above the cuff. Since I had to do this for both sizes, I made this change permanent on my pattern trace.
I followed instructions and interfaced the shirt front liner for both shirts, but I won't be doing this again. Even the lightest interfacing made my flannel shirts just too stiff for my liking in this use case, but I believe it makes sense for lightweight fabrics. It lead to a stiff feel that caused the shirt to flip outward until the entire shirt front liner faced outward. I used the thinnest fusible interfacing available, and I think it was too thick based on the shirt material I chose. I'd recommend skipping interfacing in the shirt front liner piece if you're using a middle to heavyweight fabric for your Negroni.
The cuffs were slightly too tight for comfort for both shirts. For my third (and future shirts, I'm going to lengthen the cuff by 1/2" and grade the end of the sleeve to accommodate the change.
I closed up sleeves & sides with a French seam, because I'm far too lazy to follow the pattern and do all that pressing. It worked out great with a 1/4" French seam. This isn't a pattern issue and more of just my take on the pattern :)
So that's it - not too many changes at all! I'm really happy with this pattern - considering how great the fit is, and many options there are for modifications, it's a steal. What made me happiest is not only that the style is modern and not frumpy, but every single piece matched up perfectly after darting, seam allowances, etc.
Just make sure you've penciled in a few hours of taping together those individual sheets of paper to get your pattern!
