Create a Butterfly Embroidered Linen Shirt
Ever since I taught myself embroidery with my BERNINA 790 PRO, I’ve wanted to embroider everything! I started with simple projects like linen zipper pouches with embroidered messages and monograms, and once I mastered that, I wanted to move on to more ambitious projects. While scrolling through Pinterest, I saw a beautiful image of embroidered blue butterflies on a piece of fabric, and I was immediately inspired! I knew I wanted to make the Simplicity S9952 shirt with colorful freestanding embroidered butterflies for a bold, dimensional take on a classic button-up shirt!
I wanted to build on the idea of taking these embroidered butterflies and applying them to a garment like a top or a button-up shirt. I had previously looked through the OESD website in search of embroidery files and found these stunning Luminous Freestanding Butterflies that I knew would be perfect for the project, so I downloaded the files and uploaded them to my B 790 PRO. I chose these freestanding butterflies because I wanted them to look like they were resting on my shirt and ready for takeoff instead of being flat and one-dimensional. They turned out to be the perfect choice!
When looking for fabric, I chose this crisp white linen I got at my local fabric store and narrowed down the pattern to Simplicity 9952. This has quickly become one of my favorite shirt patterns to make. I love that the shirt has a collar stand to really make the collar pop. I love the exaggerated sleeves and button tabs. This shirt has so many cute details that make it a favorite! I’ve made it quite a few times, and it is always one that I will keep coming back to.
Constructing and sewing the shirt was really easy. This is a simple pattern to sew, but it still has a lot of good technical details that will keep even the most experienced sewist entertained and enjoying the sewing process. The pattern features buttons and buttonholes, of course, but also has a collar stand attachment, gathers on the sleeves, and working with interfacing. The pattern is only a few pieces and sews up in about 2 hours. I first started with serging all of the edges of the shirt using my BERNINA L 890. There are so many ways to finish your seams, but this one is tried and true and one of my favorites!
One feature of this shirt that I love making, and that is new to me, is the collar stand! It’s a really easy feature to add to the shirt and makes the collar stand up more and really pop! Collars on shirts can be really tricky, but I’m able to do them easily because I use the BIG Book of Fashion Sewing.
The BERNINA BIG Book of Fashion Sewing is essentially an all-in-one reference guide for anyone who loves sewing their own clothes. Instead of focusing on one specific project or sewing pattern, the book walks you through the techniques, tools, and skills that go into creating beautifully finished garments.
It covers everything from choosing the right fabric and understanding garment construction to perfecting seams, installing zippers, sewing buttonholes, adding closures and embellishments, and creating those little finishing details that can make handmade clothing look much more professional. The instructions are accompanied by full-color photos, helpful tips, and step-by-step guidance, making it useful whether you’re still learning garment sewing or you’ve been sewing your own clothes for years.
One of the things that makes the book especially useful for this button-up shirt is the section on how to get the best collar for any shirt! It gives so many tips and pointers on getting a crisp collar every time. It’s information like this that is included in the book that makes the book help connect those tools and information to real sewing techniques that work every time.
I like to think of it less as a book I read once from beginning to end and more as a fashion sewing encyclopedia that I keep next to my sewing machine. When I come across a technique I’m unfamiliar with, or I want a cleaner, more professional way to do something, I can pull out the book and use it as a reference.
This shirt has quite a few buttons and buttonholes. Both down the front and then two on the sleeve for the sleeve tab. That’s where the buttonhole foot comes in handy! This Buttonhole Foot with Slide #3A has made sewing buttonholes so much easier for me. I’ve already written a previous post about my love of this foot and a tutorial for using it. It takes so much of the guesswork out of getting clean, consistent buttonholes, especially when I’m making garments with several buttons like this shirt. I love being able to set the size I need and create professional-looking, evenly sized buttonholes every time. It’s one of those presser feet that makes garment sewing feel faster, easier, and a lot less intimidating.
