Charlie Shirt by Zonen 09

/

Welcome back readers, today I have the  pleasure of introducing what may be a 'new' designer to you.  Zonen 09 is a European designer focusing on fresh looks with a retro vibe just for BOYS!  They have only recently started translating their patterns into English to reach a broader audience, and we have had the pleasure of Reviewing one of their two translated patterns, The Charlie Shirt.  Zonen is offering one of our readers the chance to win both the Charlie and the Jacob Pants PDF Patterns!!!

  • This review was completed by a 3rd party objective reviewer who received a complimentary copy of the pattern in order to complete the review. Neither Pattern Revolution nor the reviewer received any additional compensation for this review. 

Now we have Kara and Melissa to show you the versatility of the Charlie Shirt...  

------------------------------------ 

Charlie by Zonen 09 Review

Review by Kara Orr

I'm always looking for patterns to make for my son, he feels left out sometimes.  I jumped at the chance to review the Charlie long sleeve collared shirt by Zonen 09.  You can find the pattern here and be sure to check out all the other cute boy patterns on the Zonen 09 website!  I love the swim trunks!  Let's talk about the Charlie shirt though....



It's going to be about 90 degrees at my house today but my son INSISTED on wearing his new shirt despite the rather warm temperatures!  I told him the playground this afternoon is going to be rough but he didn't care.  He was so excited I made him a new shirt and he could wear it to school (we have a collared shirt dress code).




The shirt is a fairly easy sew but you are using knit which can be tricky at times.  It only took a couple of hours to sew up but takes some additional time on the front end.  This pattern comes from a European pattern designer so all measurements are in cm, so be ready to make your conversions.  I have a measuring tape that has cm on the opposite side of the inches side, so it really wasn't a big deal at all.  I also have an app on my phone for conversions so when it came to deciding on the size to sew, I just entered the cm to have it turned into inches for me!  No math skills needed!!!

The other "extra" you will have to do is make seam allowance for the pattern because it is not included on the pieces.  No need to fear, there are multiple ways of adding a seam allowance.  In the photo below I used a Lego to butt up against the line of the pattern to extend my pattern out about a 1/2 inch, which creates the seam allowance.  The slashes just above the pencil are the lines I drew and eventually cut on.  (And yes, I used a Lego because that is the first thing I found laying around that happened to be about the right size!)


You can also use the side of your measuring tape to give the same result.  Follow along the pattern making slash marks to extend the pattern out.  There are many other options as well; you can tape 3 pencils together in a row and then trace the pattern, or use any object that is the desired width to mark the pattern, etc.  I suggest on curved lines making your marks very close together so that the curve stays true to the pattern.



This pattern is really designed to be used with knit fabric because it needs to stretch over the head.  No fear, if you are concerned about sewing with knits I have a tutorial with everything you need to know about sewing with knits here.



This shirt is perfect for school and church or anything in between.  There is an option to make short sleeves, I am just hoping for cool weather any day now!  If my 4th grade son is eager to wear it to school, it's a winner in my book!





I had a photo bomb by my youngest during our little photo shoot!  Stinker!





Happy Sewing!

XOXO,

Kara

https://www.facebook.com/leighleebykara

http://leighleecollection.blogspot.com

-------------------------------------- 

Hello! I'm Melissa, mom of 4 kids (two teens, a tween & a toddler), and woman behind the scenes at Sassy-Fras. https://www.facebook.com/sassyfrasdesign  I've been sewing for what seems like forever, but only steadily for the last 10 years, as my children became self-sufficient & shouldn't need "MOM!" every 2 minutes (notice I don't say DON'T holler for mom, they just shouldn't!) I'm also a lucky lady who was able to review the Charlie shirt by Zonen 09 www.zonen09.com - a comfortable, yet stylish & trendy top for the boy in your life.


The pattern includes sizes 92 (2T) through 134 (size 9) all in one pattern, with sizes nested on the pattern sheets. For two pieces, which are rectangles, measurements are given. It is translated into English, is easily understood, with lots of clear directions making it approachable even for the "knit-phobic". There is a short & long sleeved version making it a shirt that can be a staple year round. See, that makes a person happy!! 






One point to be aware of, the designer has license agreements for items which will be sold from this pattern.Depending on your intended use and your belief in such agreements...just an item to be aware of.
 I made a size 5 for my quickly growing 3-3/4 year old - he is between a 4T & 5T in most items. As I used jersey knit, this shirt is more close fitting, but fits perfectly. (Both he & my husband said "it looks small" - thee of little faith!) If I were making one for him to grow into, I'd use a knit with more "give" or size up. Still plenty of room to relax in.

 Although I've been sewing for years, this made my husband say "Did you make that?" as he walked past the shirt...quickly followed by "that is really cool". Major kudos to the pattern & style for those comments from a usually oblivious spouse!  I consider this t-shirt with lots of wow-factor. It's as comfy as a t-shirt (and nearly as quick of a sew) but with added details & styling to make it a very fun top.

Hands down, the most difficult part of this project was getting a picture of a not-quite four year old that didn't look like this. Apparently this shirt makes a guy want to do a "TAH-DAH!"