Here’s my latest reason for looking forward to cold weather. Instead of another disastrous attempt at self photography I decided to just display it on the floor.

Yes, those are dinosaurs.

I saw this flannel in Wal-mart’s little fabric department* and immediately had to have it. The two ladies working there and another customer all thought it was just so funny that I, a grown woman, was buying dinosaur fabric for myself. Of course I didn’t have to admit that but it was fun. One of the Wal-mart employees commented that it was “a fun fabric for a little boy,” in an obviously fishing manner. I didn’t mind that at all. It’s what fabric people do – talk about sewing projects and invite others to talk about their projects. So I told them it was going to be a shirt for me and we all found it quite entertaining though probably not all of us for the same reasons.

Anyway, I used an old pattern that I haven’t used ages. Once again my pack rat tendencies served me well. I still have an old shirt that I made with this pattern at least 20 years ago that I haven’t had the heart to throw out even though it’s faded, falling apart and I haven’t worn it in over a decade. I got it out of the far corner of the closet and tried it on for fit. It was a loose fitting style so it still fit great except for being too snug around the hips (Now how the hell did that happen?) – an easy adjustment to make. It was a short sleeve pattern only so I borrowed sleeve and cuff pieces from another pattern.

The back is gathered, which is unusual for a flannel shirt and I was a little worried about it but it worked out fine. Having gathers in the back helps make it fit comfortably without looking like a fracking maternity top. This is one of my all-time favorite patterns. I used it to make several shirts back in the late 80′s to early 90′s. It’s in rather delicate condition, having had so many pins stuck in it and being refolded and stuck back in the envelope so many times, but I think I’m going to start using it again. I’m thinking about tracing it onto new tissue paper.

* The Wal-mart nearest us is one of the few that still have a fabric department. It’s tiny but they actually have some pretty nice stuff there sometimes.