New Clothes for Her and Him

A New Dress! Such a simple thing and it makes me feel so good.

It’s the oft reviewed Vogue 1224. I cut and sewed most of it yesterday and finished the hems and tie ends this morning.

I just turned the tips of the tie ends inside and took a few stitches to close them. I buried the thread knot inside the long seam, quilting style.

I am a 12 or 14 through the shoulders and upper chest so I cut a 14 and did an FBA, or my version of an FBA, I should say, since I don’t look these things up, I just kind of sew by instinct and who knows, maybe I’ve seen this somewhere, maybe not.

But here’s what I did to accommodate my DD bust and “wider than pattern sizing 14″ middle

I added 3/4″ to the length of the front and back bodice and 5/8″ to the underarm side seams. Cut the front and back skirts and extra 5/8″ on the fold, too. I also lengthened the dress and lining by 1″.

I have had this fabric in the stash for years and never liked it. Made up it is actually cute. The lining is not the recommended stretch mesh but a nylon lycra in nude from the lingerie stash.

A few thoughts about the pattern:

• When I do it again I will finish the lining so that the finished side is next to my body, not next to the skirt as the pattern has you do. Or maybe I got that wrong
• I will add 1/2″ extra width through the back skirt (unless I lose weight again).
• I will tack the elastic in the bodice neckline so that the shoulder seams will stay on the shoulders and the tie can be untied for the laundry.

A few other musings: Do pattern companies take into consideration the “fun” you have when you sew? Like do they have you take a narrow hem and have you trim off the 5/8″ turn up and think that’s fun? I don’t know, just wondering….

And for HIM: A New Shirt (a mix of Vogue 8759 and the OOP Vogue 8096 (image no longer available). The new version has princess seams down the back but not a full yoke like the old pattern so I started out thinking I wouldn’t use the new pattern at all.

It’s been 3 years since I have made work shirts, in part because I cannot find the denim-look chambray fabric I want to use. So I’ve made one from a new material and we’ll test how well it holds up to weekly washings and the hard work in the shop.

Mr Stitchery seriously likes his new shirt

We like how big the pocket is. I have some redesign plans for the pocket in the making. We want things to stay in the pockets but have no time for buttons or snaps. I’ll blog about my trials in a couple of weeks.

But I forgot how far away the pattern places the pocket! Oh DUH, I’ve monogrammed enough pockets to know that they should be about 1.5″ to 2″ away from the edge of the front placket. I had made no notes on the pattern. Gees, Mary Beth, Make Notes! Or at least read your old blog post….

He has an extra long back that requires a shirt longer than any I’ve found in RTW so we add about 4″ to the length. Next time I’ll make the sleeves an inch shorter, and raise the shoulder seam and sleeve cap, too. I’m thinking that there too much width across the upper chest as well. Hmmmmmm.

Mr Stitch has not been around very much to take measurements so I had to cut this shirt from a sort of “memory”, maybe you’d call it a physical memory? I knew the collar would be too short for his neck but he doesn’t button the top button ever, so altering for teat seemed a waste of time.

However I did remember the billowing fullness of his last set of shirts and taking an idea from the new Vogue Man’s pattern I cut the back into 3 sections and contoured them like this: (there’s a parralax (if that’s the right term) in this shot, the bottom edge is actually straight)

Somehow that turned out perfectly. I don’t really know how, it was just from visualizing his shape and how much ease I wanted in the shoulders. Yipppeeee!!!

I haven’t washed the shirt yet. We do not like work shirts that need ironing when they come out of the dryer. So we’ll see if this fabric is OK for another.

But we DO LOVE the new PRO-WOVEN Shirt Crisp FUSIBLE Interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply. I interfaced both sides of the collar and stand and used one strip in the left front button placket. Wonderful stuff. Thanks so much, Pam!

Happy to be sewing!

Musing in the Cold “They Did Not!” Category

Today is hopefully the beginning of the end to the cold snap that has kept me indoors and away from back porch photography. The porch is under the snow and I’m just not that kind of girl. Oh, the dogs demand that indeed I shall march through the frozen fields with them but modeling is just not a job I do out of doors in this kind of weather. There’s just not enough money in it, te-he!

So finished coat pix are coming…later this week.

In the meantime “They Did Not!”. Pendleton did not put all their current and classic styles on sale…oh noooo, just when my budget is completely snuffed by medical and insurance bills and the economy in general.

Oh but they did: Pendleton online catalog It’s a given that I’d snatch up any of the women’s garments in a heart beat. But, but, I’m not sputtering only for my own selfish interest, Dear Lord, the men’s sale is fabulous too! Please windfall me some cash really soon, like today?

I have lusted after iconic the wool robe for the Huspartner forever! His Sir Pendleton, Lodge and Board shirts have been staples of The Stitchery Christmas giving for the past number of years. These shirts are so gorgeous and they stay gorgeous for a very long time!

And now they are on sale.

sigh.

I’ll live through this lack of cash somehow…I’ve survived a severe curtailment of fabric money for the past year so I can survive this. But, but, sniff.

On the Good News side of cold musings is that in visiting Annika’s Atelier and Esty Shop and generally catching up with this productive and lovely lady I’ve rediscovered a blog I used to love: Beauty Tips for Ministers PeaceBang is back and beauty blogging again. She’s been back for a while so I’ve got lots of reading to do. I love her writing style and thrift consciousness. And she talks about Proper Fit. LOVE….

Could Spring be just a few months away?

Denim Work Shirts – Vogue Mens 8096

Production sewing, yes, but this time for personal use:

Here’s the pattern I used Vogue men’s pattern 8096. Great pattern (but read on for a warning), well drafted, decent collar shape.

You can cut down the seam allowances where 5/8″ is not needed (collar and stand, pockets top and bottom of yoke and the pieces it joins to) or you’ll be cutting down after you’ve sewn them.

I didn’t bother with fine details like cutting a smaller under collar, the pattern doesn’t have one either. These shirts are meant for working, not standing around looking pretty. But, thanks to good denim, they turned out pretty anyway.

I made the short sleeved version in a heavy weight (for a shirt that is) denim and did mock flat felling: stitched the seam on the sewing machine, serged together the edges of the seam allowance to 3/8″, turned and topstitched at 1/4″. The armscye seam is turned toward the body of the shirt and the side seams are turned toward the back of the shirt. Nothing fancy.

Taking a cue from a RTW shirt I adjusted the width of my automatic buttonhole stitch to a more narrow setting and used a finer thread than I used in the stitching on the band. I didn’t want too much off-white in the shirt’s details, just enough to play nice with the off-white buttons that were available in the stash.

One thing: the pattern’s pocket placement seemed all wrong. It was 10″ down from the forward edge of the yoke, which of course is dropped from the shoulder by 1.25″ or so and 5 or 6 inches away from the center front. I didn’t measure it. But it was almost under the arm. I moved it to 8″ below the point where the yoke meets the collar stand and 4″ from the far edge of the front band. It just looked right in that position.

Why did I do this bit of production sewing? Overlooked ink pens in the laundry. Need I say more? Thanks goodness only the light blue work shirts got hit hard.

So (darn) there goes that denim I had stashed for the Hot Patterns Denim Diva Camden Coat. Oh, the sacrifices that must be made in times of great need and suffering…. Hope I can find some more of this denim, it was a pleasure to sew up and had great body.

It’s good to have a stash!!!

Separate Collars and Cuffs: Separate Reality

Found at Manolo for the Men  

What a fantasy shirt!  It’s available from the Thomas Pink website and I so want to order one.

Oh, I know intellectually how to sew a detachable collar:  David Page Coffin discusses it in his book, Shirtmaking: Developing Skills for Fine Sewing .  He’s even discussed it with me personally on a sewing board.  But still, I want to hold this shirt in my hands, inspect how Thomas Pink of Jermyn Street London performed the construction and soak in the precision. 

With the collar and cuffs removed you have ”grandfather” shirt.  I assume that there would be a small band at the wrists to contain the sleeves and a short mandarian style collar.  The interchangeable collars and cuffs would have matching buttonholes.  The two pieces would be attached together by small, flat buttons sewn loosely together.  I have a shirt that uses this type of button arrangement as cufflinks on the french cuffs and I am constantly searching for my button links.  See?  I can’t find them to take a photo to show you (uh-oh)

But back to the fantasy shirt:  I want to see the shirt on a live, standing right in front of me, man.  I want to see the collar and cuffs exchanged and watch how magnificently the tone of the shirt is changed.  I want to study how the changes affect the wearer.  Surely the white collar and cuff set will be more dressy, more uptown smart, while the blue and white stripe will be more casual and approachable uninterrupted by a change in color.

 And what about the kind of man who would order this shirt?  He would be looking for quality in fabric and ease in care, as a perusal of the Thomas Pink website reveals that the fabrics they use will provide both.  He would also be looking for versatility in his investment of $175 so he would have the spare change available and he would have the need to look great.  He would be the type to take care of his body as the fit is cut for a slim fit and he would be attracted to the crisp blue and white strip.  He would want to look alert but laid back, ready for business, but not pushing it.  

He would also have to take good care of the shirt.  He’d have to be able to plan ahead and try to not have to change a tire in a torential rain nor fix a loose connection under the hood.   He would have to be very careful when dining on sauced pasta and unlike James Bond, he would have to forego leaping into a fray to save the day. 

Reality often hits hard above the belt as well as below.

The body of the shirt is not sold separately.  Are custom shirt makers to hear in the future:  “I have the collars and cuffs, make me a shirt that will match”? 

Collar Band Obsession

In contrast to the Overstock’s shirt, here’s my collar band. Note that I cut the band so that the plaid is on grain at the shirt fronts.

Now, that’s obsession.

RTW Shirt Collars and Stand

Here is a collar shape similar to the shape I used for a tie made with a Windsor Knot but the stripes on the collar band drives me nuts! BCBG Shirt for $19.99 At Overstocks.com. I don’t like the width of the collar. I like my proportions better. You will have to decide what is best for the tie for which you are designing.

A Collar of Substance!

At last! a man’s dress shirt collar with enough shape and crispness to handle a rich silk tie with authority!

In the wear test the collar fit smoothly over the tie. The stand and collar did not buckle nor bind even though the fit is close around the neck. The collar points curve downward and slightly under without needing collar stays.

My husband always uses a full Windsor Knot and I have to deal with that thick knot when I design his collars. It is unlikely he will change to a diffent technique when he’s busy getting dressed and thinking about other things. So be it.

I used a layer of the Pro-Woven Fusible on the collar, collar facing, stand and stand facing.

This time I cut the interfacing the exact size of the collar and undercollar, not .25″ smaller as usual. Next time I’ll go back to my old ways and trim the interfacing to the stitching line on just the undercollar, as I can see the thickness of the 4 layers inside the seam in this photo. The full layer of fusible on the collar will help in a smooth transition from seam allowance to body. The doubled layers are not noticeable under ordinary lighting, however, so I think I have a keeper anyway.

I shaped the collar over a ham, pinned it in place and steamed heavily, and let it dry before attaching it to the collar. This definitely helped with the satisfying shape of the collar. David Page Coffin suggests this in his book on Shirtmaking. The video is also worth purchasing and there seem to be only two left. I hope that more are going to be offered in the future as this is a valuable tool in learning how to produce great shirts.

I also used one layer of this same fusible in each of the front plackets, again cut the full width of the separate plackets, and yet the body is smooth, not too stiff for the fabric, just perfect. I am so delighted.

Now to apply the plackets and cuffs to the shirt sleeves, flat fell the side seams and armscye seams, finish the hem, buttons and button holes. Ah, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel: this shirt might be in the closet before the end of 2006!

You can buy this interfacing at SewExciting.blogspot.com

I also see that Pam has put up an excellent tutorial on her blog, Off-The-Cuff-Style showing how to make a tailored collar and lapel like that used in the Hot Patterns Plain and Simple Princess Shirt. This is very helpful for those who have never done a collar/revers combo before and will carry over into jacket making.

Happy Sewing!

I’m off to the Nashville ASG Christmas party today. I’m excited that I can meet with old friends. I haven’t been able to attend any meetings this year because of business trips. And when I have been home I haven’t been willing to get up at 6:00 am on a Saturday to drive almost 2 hours for a 9:15 am meeting. The party is being held at 11 and 30 minutes closer to my location. Yipee!!

Final Draft Collar and Stand

I am showing you these shapes because I get lots of google hits with the question of “shapes for collars and stand”. So, here’s what I’m using today.

This is a custom cut of the stand for a shirt with a shallow back neck and wide and deep front neck. Here’s my darling in a RTW shirt. The shape of his neck and shoulders is the reason for the custom cut.

This would not be a good shape for a slender younger man.

I believe my honey’s body type would be called “portly”. What a gentlemanly sounding word. Currently the word “fluffy” would apply to a well-padded female figure such as this but “fluffy” just doesn’t have the ambiance as “portly”. Oh well.

I have taken the rounded collar ends of this collar

and married it to a mix of these two collar and stand shapes.

But alas, as I was fusing the collar pieces a disaster struck. The under collar became stained with a faint blue black coloring. I have washed and placed between two white sheets, pressing again in the clamshell press and some color came out. It is the under collar so I may use the piece in the interest of getting this shirt finished some time before the end of the year.

I don’t know quite what happened. I had just washed my silk organza that I have used for pressing. I use cream for regular pressing and black for fusing. It must be that color that survived the initial washings, and fusings over the past two years and this time came loose in the wash and deposited on my white-white shirt undercollar.

Can you see it? Maybe it will come out in a future trip through the washing machine…Oh woe is me! Will this shirt ever end?

Collar Stand Drafted and Cut

I cut the collar stand so that the plaid would be on grain at the center front of the shirt fronts, meaning that there would be a seam at center back and the biasing of the fabric would occur in the back of the neck. Since I do not want biasing and stretching I used the Pro-Woven Fusible on both the collar stand and the stand facing.

I cut the stands extra long so that I could walk them against the staystitched neck edge of the shirt and add notches at the shoulder and center back.

Click on the image to see the details.

Pro-Woven Fusible Interfacing~SewExciting!

This is Pro-Woven Fusible interfacing from Pam Erny of http://sewexciting.blogspot.com, and also http://Off-the-Cuff-Style.blogspot.com. If you are making tailored dress shirts you need to give this source a serious test.

The shiny side is the adhesive. The adhesive is rolled on so the adhesive solidly covers the fabric. No bumps, and no prewashing necessary.

When you use your rotary cutter you’ll hear the satisfying sound of thread being cut through. It lifts cleanly off the cutting board and is very easy to work.

It is a professional level product so you do need to apply lots of moisture and press hard for 20 seconds, let dry, turn over and repeat. I did discover that my clamshell press has cold spot, Uh-Oh! And I learned to spot fuse the interfacing in place before I put the pieces on the steam press but the result is the best fuse I’ve ever had with any product. And I’ve ripped out more fusibles than I’ve left in a garment.

Great printed instructions are included in your shipment and are found on the sewexciting blogspot, as well.

It’s worth it if you’re a shirt maker. Ahhhh, just the right crispness for collars and cuffs! Finally I’m happy with the elements of the shirt-to-be.

Be sure to save the contact information so you can locate Pam when you realize that you need a professional quality interfacing fast. I ordered on a Friday afternoon, changed my “ship to address”, and had the interfacing on my cutting table by Monday. Wow! That’s the best possible customer service I’ve ever had with internet ordering!

The physical location and business name is
Fashion Sewing Supply
12901 North Road
Alden, NY 14004
United States
716-432-0221
Sew_Exciting@yahoo.com

I’m very happy with what I’ve seen so far and am expecting another shipment in today containing Pam’s Pro-Sheer and Pro-Weft along with some of the marking pencils.

Next entry, Thanksgiving internet holiday traffic and Blogger permitting, will be a tutorial on to how to properly develop and install a front placket for a dress shirt.