I had an amazing group of testers for the Pierce Shirt. Everyone’s feedback was thorough and well thought out. I am grateful for their hard work and willingness to help me bring this pattern to life. It’s always a bit nerve-wracking to begin the testing phase after you have spent months working on a pattern. My anxious brain is thinking – Do the instructions make sense? What if the shirt doesn’t fit everyone? Will the testers like it? etc. It’s such a relief when testers start to finish and I can see firsthand that things are coming together.
Below you will find each of the tester’s versions of the Pierce Shirt, along with sizing & fabric info and if any modifications were made to the pattern. Please note, that a few changes were made to the pattern after testing, such as the shape and width of the patch pocket, along with the depth of the back inverted pleat and neckline facing.
Before we get into everyone’s makes, I wanted to send a special thank you to Surge Fabric for collaborating with me on this testing phase. A few testers used fabric purchased through Surge and I also have a pattern hack planned in the next few weeks using their fabric. I’m looking forward to working with the chambray that I have lined up for that project – stay tuned!
Emily | Bust/Chest: 82cm Waist: 74cm Hip: 97cm | Size C
Emily’s measurements put her between a size D and E, but she chose to size down to a C for a closer-fitting garment. She used a linen blend to make her Pierce Shirt and she stitched her pintucks together adding an extra textural element to her shirt.
Ros | Bust/Chest: 145cm Waist: 150cm Hip: 168cm | Size Q
Ros selected her size based on her bust/chest measurement. She used a cotton twill fabric to make her Pierce Shirt and she needed to adjust the pattern layout to work with the fabric width.
Bean | Bust/Chest: 36″ Waist: 31″ Hip: 36.5″ Height: 5’5″ | Size B
Bean made her Pierce Shirt out of lightweight woven cotton from the Warp and Weft collection by Alexia Abegg. In regards to size selection Bean said, “I went with B because I wanted a closer fit, and with 10″ of ease at bust/hip, as well as the armhole opening of almost 16″, I thought this size would be just right. I also knew that a shorter sleeve would be better for me too, so sizing down seemed better for not than having to shorten the sleeve.” She also adjusted the pattern layout to accommodate the narrower width of her fabric. To do so she had to shorten the length of the shirt by 2″.
Cynthia | Bust/Chest: 39” Waist: 33” Hips: 40” | Size G
Cynthia sized down one size. She modified the pattern layout to shorten the sleeves by 2″. She also lengthened the back by 2″ and raised the side split by 1″. Cynthia used thrifted table linens to construct her color-blocked Pierce Shirt.
Mel | Bust/Chest: 50″ Waist: 43″ Hips: 51″ | Size N
Mel selected her size based on her bust/chest measurements. She used a washed rayon to make her Pierce Shirt. She didn’t make any changes to the pattern layout.
Jules | Bust/Chest: 39″ Waist: 35″ Hips: 41″ Height: 5’3″ | Size D
Jules made their Pierce Shirt out of 100% undyed linen. They sized down to allow for approximately 8-10″ of positive ease which is their preferred amount of ease in a garment. The sleeve length was shortened by about 1″ to accommodate fabric width.
Hayley | Bust/Chest: 38″ Waist: 30″ Hips: 42” | Size H
Hayley sized her size based on her bust/chest measurement. She used cotton chambray to make her Pierce Shirt and she didn’t make any changes to the pattern layout.
Jo | Bust/Chest: 46″ Waist: 48″ Hips: 56″ | Size L
Jo selected her size based on her bust/chest measurement and made her shirt out of soft, drapey linen. She reduced the width of the pattern layout to work with her fabric width – from 54″ to 52″.
Anniina | Bust/Chest: 116cm Waist: 98cm Hips: 112cm Height 155cm | Size L
Anniina made a size L based on her bust/chest measurement. She used a medium-weight linen and shortened the length of both the body and sleeves.
Erika | Bust/Chest: 32″ Waist: 25″ Hips: 35″ Height: 5’6″ | Size B
Erika chose to make one size down from the size that correlated with her bust/chest measurement as she wanted a little less ease. She used a light-weight linen to make her shirt and didn’t make any changes to the pattern layout.
Maggie | Bust/Chest: 120cm, Waist: 100cm, Hips: 125cm, Height: 164cm | Size M
Maggie selected her size based on her bust/chest measurement. She used a thrifted, 100% cotton duvet cover to make her Pierce Shirt and didn’t make any modifications to the pattern layout.
Kayla | Bust/Chest: 35″ Waist: 29″ High Hip: 38″ Full Hip 43″ | Size G
Kayla’s measurements put her in various sizes (size F for the bust/chest and size I for the hip). She made G – one size up from her bust/chest. She used Luxor Heavy Linen Slub from Surge Fabric. Kayla didn’t make any changes to the pattern layout.
Rebecca | Bust/Chest: 33.5″ Waist: 29″ Hips: 37″ Height: 5’3” | Size D
Rebecca’s bust/chest measurement fell between a Size D and a Size E so she sized down to a Size D. She used Limerick 3.5oz linen from Surge Fabric to make her shirt. She also used a contrasting bias binding to finish her neckline and hem.
Toni | Bust/Chest: 38″ Waist: 32″ Hips: 42″ | Size H
Toni selected her size based on her bust/chest measurement. She didn’t make any changes to the pattern layout and she used Robert Kaufman Lisbon brushed Melange (100% cotton) in gray from Surge Fabric.
Fred | Bust/Chest: 107cm Waist: 107cm Hips: 109cm Height: 168cm |Size J
Fred selected his size based on his bust/chest measurement and didn’t make any changes to the pattern layout. Fred used a medium-weight linen/cotton shirting to construct his Pierce Shirt. He also used a contrasting bias binding to finish the neckline and the hem.
Dorina | Bust/Chest: 90cm Waist: 86cm Hip: 109cm Height: 160cm | Size F
Dorina used her bust/chest measurement to select the size for her Pierce Shirt. She used Japanese cotton shirting that is roughly 80gsm in weight. Dorina adjusted the length to accommodate for height difference (she is 5’3”). Also, she omitted the pocket and used the pieces to create sleeve straps and used the neckline cut-out to reinforce the bottom corner hems at the back.
Lee-Ann | Bust/Chest: 50″ Waist: 46″ Hips: 56″ Height: 61.5″ | Size N
Lee-Ann selected her size based on her bust/chest measurements and didn’t make any changes to the pattern layout. She used a lightweight polyester to make her Pierce Shirt.
Mandy | Bust/Chest: 44” Waist: 36” Hips: 49” Height: 68.5” | Size K
Mandy used her bust/chest measurement to select her size. She used cotton poplin fabric to make her Pierce Shirt. She used narrower fabric than the pattern called for, so she cut the largest pieces out first on one strip and then prioritized the collar and cuffs, etc.
Kerry | Bust/Chest: 36″ Waist: 29″ Hips: 40″ Height: 5’6″ | Size F
Kerry sized down by one size when making her Pierce Shirt. She used a lightweight cotton and adjusted the pattern layout to accommodate her fabric width.
Jessica | Bust/Chest: | Size B
Jessica chose to size down by two sizes to achieve her desired amount of ease in the garment. She used a lightweight linen/cotton fabric to make her Pierce Shirt. The only pattern adjustment that she made was the change length of the sleeves.
Aria | Bust/Chest: 40″ Waist: 34″ Hips: 43″ Height: 5’9″ | Size H
Aria sized down when selecting her size. She used the finished garment measurements as a guide to determine how much ease she wanted in her Pierce Shirt. She used a woven cotton fabric to construct her shirt and changed the length of the sleeves.
Marlies | Bust/Chest: 37″ Waist: 28.5″ Hips: 35.5″ Height: 5’5″ | Size G
Marlies selected her size based on her bust/chest measurement. She used lightweight cotton to make her Pierce Shirt and didn’t make any adjustments to the pattern layout.
Clotilde | Bust/Chest: 80cm Waist: 68cm Hips: 90cm Height: 160cm | Size A
Clotilde chose to size down when selecting her size. She used a ready-to-wear shirt that she liked the fit of and compared those measurements to the finished garment measurements to help with size selection. Clotilde used a very lightweight cotton fabric to make her Pierce Shirt.
Courtney | Bust/Chest: 47″ Waist: 40″ Hips: 45″ | Size K
Courtney sized down by one size because they prefer a closer fit. Courtney used a cotton bedsheet to make their Pierce Shirt and didn’t make any adjustments to the pattern layout.
Katie | Bust/Chest: 32″ Waist: 26″ Hips: 35″ | Size B
Katie sized down by one size when sewing her Pierce Shirt. She used a drapey rayon blend and didn’t make any changes to the pattern layout.
Cristina | Bust/Chest: 39″ Waist: 35″ Hips: 46″ Height: 5’5″ | Size K
Cristina selected her size based on her bust/chest measurement and didn’t make any changes to the pattern layout. She used lightweight linen fabric to make her Pierce Shirt.
Antje | Bust/Chest: 82cm Waist: 68cm Hips: 94cm | Size D
Antje selected her size based on her bust measurements and she didn’t make any adjustments to the pattern layout.
As you can see, this testing group knocked it out of the park. I’m blown away by their hard work and dedication to testing the Pierce Shirt. Thank you!
I hope seeing everyone’s versions is helpful. When I am thinking about a new sewing project, I like to be able to look at other sewists finished garments (I do the same if it’s a knitting project). Seeing the garment on different bodies, in various fabrics, and different sizes, helps me figure out the direction that I want to go when making my version. If you have any questions when selecting your size or fabric, please don’t hesitate to email me any questions – emily@goldfinch.limited
I look forward to seeing more Pierce Shirts out in the world!
