A little while back, the Instagram algorithm decided to show me a photo of the Eddy Shirt by Mimoi Patterns with its pleated front detail.

And I purchased the pattern instantly.

Instagram Algorithm 1. Free will 0.

The Eddy Shirt by Mimoi pattern is a modular pattern. It comes with a variety of sleeve, collar, placket, back and front options. There are also a range of ruffles that can be placed in various locations. Plus, for a few bucks you can also buy an add-on option which gives even more variety: adding more collar options and sleeve cuffs.

I’m a bit foggy on the precise details. But you get the idea.

You end up with a smorgasbord of interchangeable details from which you can craft the version of the Eddy Shirt which works best for you.

The only word of warning to offer for most of my readers is that the Eddy Shirt (Chemise Eddy) is only available in French.

If you’ve made a few shirts, it’s definitely acessible even without understanding French. Due to the shirt’s modular design, I actually found it a bit annoying to use the instructions. Because there is one book for the front, one for the sleeves etc, you end up with several instruction books to refer to and I found it all a bit too much.

So I actually ended up making this without using the instructions. The instructions also come with good diagrams, so you can muddle along based on that too if your French isn’t totally up to scratch. In short, I think it’s totally accessible if you don’t know French but do know basic shirt construction.

My Chemise Eddy

My Eddy Shirt is a size 46.

This is the largest size in the size range, so this pattern is, well, absurdly non-inclusive in terms of sizing.

My options on this version are the pleated front (version C), the simple button placard (version A), the pleated back (version B), the simple collar (version A) and the simple sleeve cuff.

Although I did also purchase the “add-on” pack, all the options I ended up using came from the original Chemise Eddy modular pattern, so nothing you see here requires the add-on.

My body measurements had me at a 44 at the bust and hips and a 46 at the waist. As I’m always a bit scared of French sewing patterns being too small, I decided to just go with a 46. I’m glad I did, as I wouldn’t want it to be much smaller.

Since shirts are a bit on the “formal” side in terms of dressing, I’ve been finding myself increasingly enjoying keeping them a little oversized.

On my body, I actually find the fit of the shirt to be really good and I can see myself using it again in the future. Such a pity the size range is so exceedingly narrow.

I like that my version is roomy enough to be comfortable. The sleeves are nice and billowing – no need for my full bicep adjustment. I like the gentle curve at the hemline.

(Which, as I see here, still requires another decent pressing!)

For my back, I think I may have inverted the pleat – I can’t quite remember and, ever so usefully, did not make notes on this point!

And the pleated deatil on the front, which attracted me to this pattern in the first place, definitely lived up to my imagination!

For the pleated front, you have a pattern piece which is a rectangle. You cut it out and then follow the instructions to pleat it. Then you use a second pattern piece to trace the shape of the piece you actually need for your shirt. You then sew around the edge of your drawn shape to hold all your pleats in place before cutting out the pleated piece.

I found this a really fun and satisfying step.

Speaking of fabric, I used Crispy Crepe from Meter Meter for this project. I have used it before for one of my Oversized Shirts, so I was confident it would be a good match for what I was trying to create.

Start wearing purple

And, in case you haven’t noticed, I have gone in hard on the purple trend.

I’m all in!

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Any Gogol Bordello fans out there? It’s hard to think of a more apt refrain than those words of: “Start wearing purple, wearing purple; Start wearing purple for me now; All your sanity and wits, they will all vanish; I promise, it’s just a matter of time!”

Purple has been a bit of a thing for a while now and I’ve been resisting. I’ve really enjoyed keeping my colour palette pretty stable and didn’t feel a need to add anything new to it.

But when I decided I wanted to sew this Chemise Eddy I was trying to decide which colour to sew, I found myself saying, oh but I have a white collared shirt already. And a pink one. And a navy one. And a mustard one. I also wanted to make a garment that did something slightly different in my wardrobe, so I ended up going for the purple.

Perhaps the Pantone Colour of the Year status has sucked me in.

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BTW, a recent blog post by Crafting a Rainbow totally blew my mind – this colour, which I cannot help but think of and refer to as purple, is probably actually violet.

And did you know that violet is an entirely different thing to purple?

Say, what!!

It’s a really great blog post. Much more interesting than this one – you should go check it out!

So, all in all, I really love this shirt. Yes, it is a product of an instagram algorithm and constant messaging on current trends. And it is only available in French and in a limited size range.

In a way, there is a lot to hold against it. But I can’t bring myself to do so.

It was a well-drafted pattern that was easy to construct.

Even more so, I now have a shirt that I find unique and that makes me smile! So far, I’ve gotten comments each time I’ve worn it. And while “start wearing purple” is a great refrain, is there any better refrain in the world than the sewist’s badge of honour “thanks, I made it”?