Made up, it looks good on the hanger, but lays kinda funny on my husband, but that may be due to his posture?
I used a cotton sateen so it is very soft. I incorrectly machine stitched everything, even more than I normally do, because I didn't want to spend the time hand sewing. However, I guess to make up for it, I did the gussets by hand (guess there's no other way to do those than by hand anyway), and I even did all 5 of my buttonholes, which is a first for me! I did a few practice buttonholes, got a few tips from Liz Clark on how to do them better, and I think they turned out okay! I think I gained some confidence in doing them when Liz said you need to do about 100 to get them right. I did tons of hand sewing/embroidery when I was a kid, so I figured that had to count for something, and I think it really helped.
I'm really excited to try View A because it's more like the shirts in The Workwoman's Guide which I hope to also figure out later and put up as a tutorial. But first, I need to make a Christmas stocking for the baby (she didn't even get one last year!) and make a baptism dress for our daughter. After that, I think I'll hit men's shirts again.
See how the pleats don't lay flat up by his collarbones? Does it need to be bigger?
Hand sewn buttonholes. Not too shabby. I ordered some shell buttons on E-Bay and was really excited about them. Originally I thought wood was the way to go being a natural product, but no, shell and China are authentic.
Gussets. Actually, I put the other one in backwards, but I think I'll leave it incorrect. You know, make it like those Amish quilts with a mistake? It won't be too hard to fix if it starts to bug me.
And yes, the biggest mistake. Because I shortened the shirt, somehow I did not shorten the front and back to the same length! So instead of buying new fabric, I just pieced.
4 comments:
I can't stand making gussets but they really add to the movement and look don't they? I wonder if you cut the section for the pleats a bit shorter? That is odd but maybe it'll lay better when under a vest? I really like the shirt.
You officially Get Credit for the earlier embroidery practice. :)
I think the issue is shoulder-slope; his is more squared than the pattern assumes. If the collar were off entirely, you could test-pinch and see taking a wedge out of the shoulder seam (more in front than in back most likely), with nothing removed about half-way out on the shoulder, to about 1" or even a bit less removed at the inner neckline edge, will lift the whole thing into his shoulder slope.
Then you'd re-cut the neckline curve to sit at the base of his neck in front, and re-attach the collar. Because you're getting rid of fabric that isn't needed for his body, it won't actually shorten the overall shirt, which is handy.
And I love your piecing in the back; it's a great period-thinking solution!
Well done. I think it looks fine. I think its a case of once you've done a few shirts it'll come naturally. And you can sew more of it by hand as you'll know what to expect it to take time wise.
I made myself a shirt last week (with detachable collar) and totally messed up the sleeve/cuff placket. I'm hoping no one will notice. lol!
I just now found your blog, and love it! Very historical and helpful. Now following your blog :)
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