McCall's 6964 - Red/Navy Stripe Knit

Have you had one of those projects that starts in one direction and then ends up a totally different way?
Well, this  knit shirt was just that.  I had this idea from I believe a JCrew catalog, a simple stripe shirt with a pleated ruffle on the bottom, about 1-1/2" wide.
I went to work creating this look with McCall's 6964 and Mood Fabrics' Red/Navy Stripe Cotton Knit Jersey
First thing I did was to make a FBA using the Palmer and Pletsch instructions, very easy to do but I might have added a bit too much.  Next time I will remove some of the FBA.  I have some extra fabric at the side seams around the bustline.
My next step was to work on the pleated ruffle and add it to the bottom of the shirt.  After trying this look on, this was a total fail.  The ruffle was too wide, the shirt too long, also, the pleated ruffle was too much and made the shirt really stick away from the body.

I thought well, I will just cut it off and make a shorter t-shirt and it will be fine.  Navy/red is a cute stripe and will be great for spring and summer.  I took a small break and looked at my Instagram and that is when I saw Sew Wrong's shirt from the same fabric.  One of the comments, from Miss Celie's Pants  pointed me to this shirt of Kate's Middleton.
A perfect solution to my shirt, add a pocket with vertical stripes.  I just had to work on the proportion of the pocket and the placement

Thanks to social media, I had a great idea for my knit shirt and I love the look of the simple pocket.
I have made this pattern before but somehow lost the pattern in the remodel.  I bought another one after wearing the orange and white one a few times recently.  One thing I will change is to make a smaller size through the middle and hips.  It is a bit too boxy.

I don't mind the boxy look for this shorter shirt but there are times I want a more fitted t-shirt.
One thing for sure, I am so happy it turned out so cute and even though I had to change plans in the middle I like this one far better than the one in my head!