Completed Shirt!

Well, my first shirt is completed.  It was a great learning experience.  Some things I am happy with and others are on the list to be done either differently or better next time around.  I did the seams with a flat fell foot and am mostly happy with them.  One thing I did want to share was David Page Coffin's method for putting on a cuff.  (He uses this same process for the collar band and I wish I had known it at the time because I think my band would have been better had I used it).  He puts the outer cuff onto the shirt first, right sides together.  He then adds the interfacing and the inner cuff and stitches the top only, ending before the curves.  He then folds the shirt sleeve so as not to catch is while the cuff is sewn along the around the curve and a couple of inches into the pleated area where it attaches to the shirt.  The end result is a perfect fit, with no fudging fabric that doesn't quite fit.  For a really, really good explanation, his book is a great reference.

Monogrammed, of course....

And, finished.....

The sleeves are a little too full and I will take an inch or so out next time.  I found the process a lot of work, but rewarding, and DH is happy!

Slan

Men's Shirts

DH has been patiently waiting for over a year for me to begin to work on a sport shirt for him.  The impetus for it is that he doesn't like a standard shirt that he can buy in just any color.  What he loves is the shirts he sees in more cutting edge shops that have vibrantly patterned collar bands, cuffs, plackets (you get the picture).  But, they cost considerably more than he will allow himself to spend on a non work shirt.  He's always looked at me with those sad eyes and said you can do it, can't you? 

And, for good reason, I've dragged my heels.  A well made shirt is not something that you can pull off quickly and the shirt I'm working on for him now is making me feel like a beginner sewer again.  I've had David Page Coffin's book on Shirtmaking for a while now and have read through it.  Carolyn has also made some beautiful shirts for her boys. 

So, with trepidation I have begun.  I'm using an older Vogue pattern because I had trouble finding a more classic shirt with the back pleat and fuller cut.  And, my fabric combinations are below.  The brown paisley will be for the inside of the collar band, the placket and the inside of the cuff. 

I have mostly followed the instructions that came with the pattern since it is my first time out, but in some instances, I have deferred to Coffin.  For instance, Coffin has you attach the shirt to the inside of the yoke, fold  the outside of the yoke over the seam allowance and stitch it down in the same size edgestitching as the yoke back.  I have to admit I did like that finish better.  (The pattern instructions called for attaching shirt front to yoke front and stitching the back over the seam allowance by hand). 

I've just done one of the sleeve plackets and I used the Vogue pattern piece and instructions.  I will definitely defer to Coffin for my next shirt.  When you look at the two pattern pieces you will see why.  On Coffin's placket piece you will see that the tall narrow piece has a square shape so that when you form the triangle, you have a little 'roof' over it that keeps everything neat and professional looking.  On the Vogue piece you folded over a 1/4 hem on both sides of the triangle -- a little messy and more room for error.  I am thinking I don't like my placket very well, but since I'm treating this first shirt as a test, I will leave it.

That's all for now -- more will follow.

Slan

A Little Home Decorating

 We have been in a new condo for 2 months now after 28 years in the same house.  So, I have really been 'gone missing.'  And, I haven't been sewing clothing, my first love.

But one of the reasons we chose our new home was the huge, bright space for my sewing.  I'll share some photos of that later.  But, that same space has a sitting area that I needed some extra pieces for.  Luckily, I find it difficult to part with things.  This green chair started out as ivory corduroy 35 years ago and was the first good piece of furniture we purchased when we were married.  It was later reupholstered in the fabric shown here which definitely didn't match.

I am lucky enough to live within an hour of a Crate and Barrel Outlet and they sell Marimeko fabric for $5.99 a yard which is a real bargain!  This may not have been my first choice for a print, but it works. And, slipcovering is not my favorite activity.  It is very hard on the hands and things don't fall quite as neatly into place as a beautifully drafted pattern, but sometimes it's a necessary evil! The pillow is done with an embroidery from Hatched in Africa called African Jewels and it is finished with some interesting trims that are very rough and reinforce the sort of 'jungle' look. 

Slan

Updates on Melibea's Costume

 Just some final pics from Melibea's costume for those who wanted to see it finished!

Dressing Melibea

A friend has asked me to help with the costumes for her theatre company, TKapow.  They are putting on The Illusion by Tony Kushner and I am working on one of Melibea's costumes.  Honestly, I agreed to do it because I had no experience making costumes beyond a giant felt pumpkin thirty years ago and the occasional princess.  And, of course, I like and admire Carey so I felt I could take something away from this adventure.  The pattern is Simplicity 3782, which may be out of print, but seems to be readily available on the internet and it has two versions of an Elizabethan costume.  For those of you who are true costumers, we are taking some liberties as this is community theatre.  

 One of my first challenges was boning.  Between the three bodice pieces there are sixteen channels of boning!  I had never put boning in before so a good deal of yesterday was spent reading up on it, especially how get it to lay flat!  I know now that there are many kinds and that steel is probably the choice of most professionals, but I only had featherweight available to me and decided that since this was, in fact, a costume, I would make do.  I struggled initially with tracing off the sixteen channels which were sewn into the lining and interfacing which had been basted together (I did not use fusible, of course, but rather a nice piece for sew-in from Pam at Off The Cuff).  I really didn't want to do tailor tacks for these sixteen channels so I put my light box to work and laid the pattern down first on the box with the lining/interfacing on top of it and was able to trace off the channels easily with an iron away marking pen.

 I then stitched the channels and inserted the boning which had been ironed flat.  I had to remove the casing for the boning first in order to fit it into the channels.

Voila!

The costume consists of an underskirt and an over dress which opens to expose the skirt.  Between both pieces there are about 12 yards of cloth.  Only the front panel of the underskirt is done in good fabric in order to cut down on cost.  The remainder is done with a simple cotton as it will not show.  This is attached to a grograin ribbon which snaps in the back.

 The sleeves come in two parts -- upper and lower -- which are seamed with contrasting piping inserted between them and a ruffle at the end.


 More to come as I'd like to wrap this up in the next day or two.

Slan

Does Anyone Not Look Great in A White Shirt?

A Bit of Fabric Manipulation

 Scarves made from Japanese obi silk and silk dupioni.  For the dark grey dupioni, I wanted to recreate the lovely organic lines of the branches so I randomly pleated the fabric in multiple directions, crossing each other on occasion and then crushing them a bit with iron.  I've always loved the look and feel of fabric manipulation so I am pleased with the result.