When Charlotte from Cha Coud releases a collection, I always struggle not to rearrange my sewing list... anyway, you get it, I gave in again!
Yes, but who wouldn’t fall for that big ruffled collar 😂 I couldn’t help myself!
Plus, I had a "good commercial reason," I had to show you what we can do with the 3m joly coupons we just cut... you know, the incredible Japanese batch...
So, who wants to see what this Paula shirt looks like in floral Japanese cotton poplin?
Alright, let's go!
The model
Paula is therefore a shirt model from the French brand Cha Coud.
Paula is a sleeveless shirt designed to be both comfortable and dressy, perfect for summer.
Its gathered collar adds a touch of whimsy, but it is also possible to make it without for a classic shirt, for those who don’t like frills. You can also make a maxi collar without adding the small ruffle.
Its small side slit adds ease to the design.
Paula closes with buttons down the center front, under a very chic hidden placket.
Practical information for sewing this model
The Paula pattern is available in printed and PDF formats in our shop.
The pattern sizes range from 34 to 52; it therefore fits a bust measurement between 82 and 129cm.
Paula is suitable for intermediate-level sewists.
In the seamstress's basket
Paula uses little fabric.
Charlotte recommends:
- 1.6m of fabric with a 1.40m width from size 34 to size 40
- 1.8m for sizes 42 and up
For fabric choice: a poplin or cotton satin, a tencel poplin, a poplin or a viscose crepe, a linen, a linen/viscose blend, an English embroidery, a pretty embroidered cotton…
There are many possibilities!
For haberdashery, we will need to add:
- Fusible interfacing suitable for the chosen fabric for the collar and button plackets
- 6 blouse-type buttons (about 11mm in diameter)
- 1.6m of bias tape
- a matching spool of thread.
My supplies
As I was saying, it's always the same when cutting the joly coupons, I can't resist! So I chose a bright blue Japanese poplin with small white flowers adorned with a heart in burgundy tones.
I really like the color contrast.
I chose white H200 fusible interfacing, Gutermann blue 310 thread, buttons from my stash, and bright blue bias tape.
Technical points
Paula contains quite a few technical points:
- assembling the button plackets (including folding the placket that receives the buttonholes)
- creating the collar and its maxi gathers
- attaching bias tape on the collar and armholes
- creating the slits and the bottom hem
- creating the buttonholes
- attaching the buttons
Nothing insurmountable, however, it is necessary to be precise and rigorous to get a satisfying result.
My sewing experience
I chose to sew Paula in size 36. It’s my "usual" size with Cha Coud and I must say the size chart fits well, so I allow myself not to make a toile anymore.
Charlotte’s explanations are clear and I appreciate that they are concise.
Charlotte has a knack for summarizing the sewing step well without "adding unnecessary text." It’s clear, concise, and precise, and I must say it’s appreciated, so thank you Charlotte!
I encountered no difficulty assembling this shirt. I would say the most difficult steps are: folding the button plackets and sewing the maxi collar with its gathers.
For the timing:
- I spent a good hour assembling the PDF pattern and cutting my fabric.
- 10 minutes to fuse the collar and facings
- about 3 to 4 hours to sew my shirt
To be completely honest, what took me the most time was gathering the collar ribbon! Mamamia, it’s long 😂 but it was worth it!
I recommend sewing the collar in two steps, that is, to baste the gathered ribbon on one part of the collar. This allows you to have a clear view of the gathers and distribute them well during sewing.
Then sew the other part of the collar on top.
Note that you need to add more gathers at the collar points if you want to see as many gathers at the points as elsewhere on the collar when you turn your work inside out.
Well, there’s nothing to complain about, I love it! So I think a second improved version will come to life!
Will you dare to try the ruffles?
In any case, find all the charming patterns by Cha Coud here
Get your needles ready!
