Monday, July 1, 2013

A New Shirt for Mr. SDSC

I have been promising to sew a shirt for Mr. SDSC for as long as I can remember.  He really is a good sort.  He built me some great units in my sewing room to house my fabric collection/patterns etc., he doesn't complain when I disappear into said room for hours at a time, he is the main photographer on my 'shoots', and even helps me pin garments in areas I can't see/reach.  So, after many pleas from him, I splashed out the cash on the Tailored Shirt Class from Craftsy which included Kwik Sew 3422.


I dipped in and out of the Craftsy class (I haven't seen it all the way through yet!!) and also referred to a fabulous You Tube video by a great lady called Jacqueline Johnson.  Her way of attaching a collar is fabulous - I had really 'tight' edges.  Thank-you Ma'am!

A request was made for this shirt to just have a collar stand - no actual collar, so I was happy to oblige  I also decided not to add the front pocket.  I'm like that!!  The fabric is a woven cotton that I bought from Marshall's when I was in Edmonton on a business trip.



I am really pleased with this shirt.  It came together surprisingly easily and looks rather professional.  I used the seam allowance that the pattern had built in - 1/4" and my 1/4" foot - easy peasy!  Some of the seams (adding the sleeves to the armholes and the side seams) I serged and then sewed down those seams.  That gave a 'faux fell' seam look that is great for this wearable muslin.




Comments from the man himself?  He loves it (phew)!  He likes that it is longer than most of his other shirts - which is good as he is just over 6ft and needs the length.  The thought that the sleeves were a little baggy in comparison to his RTW shirts, so I will take a look at them and try a slimmer sleeve next time round.

My thoughts?  I would like to try fitting the yoke to his shoulders and upper back.  I think that would make the shirt hang better.  I need to be more aware of lengths - for example the plackets were fitted, the cuffs added and then I realized that the placket lengths were a slightly different - not enough to cause a problem, but I just need to measure the length prior to attaching the cuff.  Other than that, I can't recommend strongly enough Kwik Sew 3422, the Craftsy class, the Jacqueline Johnson video and also David Coffins' Shirtmaking book.  I will certainly be making this again and although this took quite some time, I am sure that I can shave a lot of time off the process next time round.  I have a lovely black cotton poplin with just a touch of lycra in it and I think that would look great.

Outtakes

This was Mr. SDSC's first photo shoot - he is usually on the other side of the camera, so he found it kind of hard to concentrate . . .




More info can be found on Pattern Review and I've loaded and more photos on Flickr.

Final view:

Mr. SDSC asked for a label to be inserted.  Your wish is my command, Sir :)

16 comments :

  1. I love this, so impressive! But I'm not showing it to my husband. He would love for me to do this, but I'm not quite ready:)

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    1. The pattern is really easy to use, and the description of when & where to add top stitches really made it look professional. Go on, give it a go . . . you know you want to!!

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  2. Fantastic.. You did a great job.. And your hubby looks nice and how sweet that he makes your shelves for your sewing room, and helps you too.. Great hubby!!!

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    1. Thank-you. He is a good'un (but don't let him know that!). Now I have him hooked on shirts, we can go fabric shopping for more shirting!!!

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    1. I really enjoyed the technical fiddliness of sewing it. A lot of my sewing is pretty quick - down and dirty - but this was quite soothing!

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  4. Wonderful job and I love your brand label! :)

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    1. Thanks! It is fun adding them. I was quite touched when he insisted on having one!

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  5. Great job on this shirt. It looks great on him. And you did a fabulous job on the collar stand.
    I make some of the Spousal Unit's shirts and he loves the fit and the longer length of the body. He also requested two pockets and bigger cuffs for his large wrists.

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    1. Thanks - the collar stand was totally down to the YouTube link and Jacqueline Johnson. It look as though a pocket will be needed on future shorts - he had nowhere to put his shades this morning!!

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  6. The shirt is wonderful - and I adore the model! Especially in the more relaxed mode...
    Janice @ theviviennefiles.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks - all these comments are making his head swell!! PS. I love your blog and am stalking it for ideas as I am traveling to Australia for a month in September!

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  7. I am very impressed with your foray in to shirt-making. It's one of the things I am a little scared of, although years ago when I was a student I used to make them, so maybe I could get it back? Anyway I love men's shirts without a collar, I always think it looks kind of relaxed and arty!

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  8. This is great. Fantastic sewing, love the shirt. I love the no collar collar!!

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  9. Great looking shirt! Thanks for the tip about the You Tube video. I am struggling with collar stands right now. The video was a great help but she does not press.
    I am following you now.
    Thanks,
    Jan

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