It's Not So Bad

I finally, finally got the shirt done for the BF using McCalls 6044. And now that it is complete, I can say that I spent way more time agonizing over it than I did sewing it. I spent Sunday getting the collar sewn on using David Coffin's instructions in his book, Shirtmaking. At one point, I thought I had done it wrong, unsewed it, then sewed it back, and only then I discovered I did it right the first time! I really think that part of my confusion stemmed from Mr. Coffin's instructions which are so detailed, I sort of get lost about what I'm doing next. He's extremely thorough, but sometimes I just need basic, overview instructions about what we are trying to accomplish here. I will say that it resulted in the best collar I have ever sewn:

Certainly, the collar stand is way better than the ones I sewed using conventional instructions in my Amy Butler tunics:

On Sunday, I also got the buttonholes done. I took Monday off of work and finished putting the buttons on and I hemmed it. The Carpenter came over that night for dinner and he was anxious to try it on. It wasn't near as small as I feared it would be:

Hallelujah!!!! It fits perfectly as long as he doesn't move around a lot. : ) For the next shirt that I make, though, I'll probably make a bigger size since he likes his shirts loose fitting, and I'll probably go with a more traditional pattern that has a yoke. I know he likes it though, because he left wearing it!

So this was definitely a learning experience, one that I probably need to repeat soon so I don't forget all the lessons learned. But the holidays are coming up, and I've finally learned not to line up sewing projects for Christmas - I don't need that stress, since I apparently can make sewing stressful enough without a deadline!

I will say that this shirt, along with my last few dress projects, in rayon and silk, have taught me the advantages of using a rotary cutter in the cutting out process, rather than just using scissors. You can cut way more accurately with rotary cutter on the rayon and silk since the scissors distort your fabric as you cut. And the rotary cutter came in very handy for the shirt since the pattern pieces were large and mostly straight edged. Anyway, I'm getting better at using the rotary cutter on curves as well.

Parting Shot: The Carpenter's dog. I expected him to have a "manly" dog like a chocolate lab, but he loves his foo-foo dog, Lucy, who is a Pekingese:

I've Mastered Cuffs!

Well, not mastered, but I've achieved cuffs based on David Coffin's instructions in his book and video entitled, "Shirtmaking":

The first cuff took me an hour and half to make, consulting with both the book and the video; the second cuff only took 30 minutes. Hopefully, I'll remember how to do it on the next shirt. I went head and sewed on the front plackets as well and I'm pretty pleased with my matching:

REALLY pleased with the pocket which is below:

Now for the collar; there will be more reading and video watching, and while I think this will be too small for the Carpenter, this is building up my skills. If the collar goes well, I might as well put the buttons on it and hem it up. Maybe I can at least get a photo of him wearing it! It's the thought that counts, right?

On on a non-sewing note, I'm extremely thrilled to be invited to do a guest post on Seraphic's blog for single Catholic women which is published here. Seraphic is a big proponent on waiting for the right man and I couldn't agree more!

Parting Shots: The Carpenter and his brother, the Forester, chopped wood yesterday near the Nottaway River and I got to go. Here's the Nottaway - not a big river, mind you:

Here's the beginning of the cutting. I think the men just like using chain saws:

Brothers, always:

All done:

I'm Sorta Bummed

I think the shirt I am making for The Carpenter is going to be too small. Sigh. It has been my dream to make a traditional man's shirt and I picked two patterns to make this a reality, an easy one and a harder one. The easier one was this one, McCalls 6044: What made it the easier pattern was that it had no yokes and no sleeve placket. I figured easier was better. I used a cheap brown homespun plaid I got at Joanne's for a very good price and painstakingly cut it out, making sure to match all the fronts, the front plackets, the pocket, and even the sleeves. The sleeves, by the way, are made up of two pieces - which is definitely different. The bottom part of seam where the two sleeve pieces join is where the sleeve opening is located - normally this is where the sleeve placket would go. But since there is a seam there instead, the instructions have you just fold under the seam allowances to finish them.

I'm not completely unfamilar with shirts. I've made at least a dozen men's shirts from this Kwik Sew pattern:

This Kwik Sew pattern does have yokes (which really aren't that hard to deal with), but has no collar stand, front plackets, or cuffs. I made my first collar with a collar stand when I made the Amy Butler tunic. Really, the only thing I haven't done on a shirt is flat-felled seams, cuffs, and sleeve plackets. I pulled out David Coffin's wonderful book "Shirtmaking" which I have had for years and read up. I also rediscovered that I had his video which demonstrates his techniques from the book. (I borrowed this video so long ago from VickiW that I owe her a fortune in late fees for its return!)

I decided after reading Mr. Coffin's instructions on flat-felled seams, I was going to have to do them without the special flat-felling foot. Using the foot requires a different seam allowance for your edges. For example, the piece that folds over requires a 7/8 seam allowance and the other side requires a 1/4 seam allowance. I don't have the patience to redraw all the pattern pieces to accomodate these seam allowance changes.

So I did all my seams with the standard 5/8 seam allowance, then I trimmed one edge to about 1/4 inch, then I folded the other edge over the smaller by hand and pressed to one side. To hold the seam allowances in place while I top stitched them from the right side, I used 1/4 inch wide Steam-A-Seam which was much better than pins. I got to practice this on the shoulder seams, the sleeves seams, and the side seams. Pretty cool, although kind of time consuming. The top stitched seams looked awesome, especially since I took Mr. Coffin's advice and shortened my stitch length considerably - probably to 22 stitches to the inch. Also, on the shoulder seams and sleeve cap seams, I edge stitched them as well. This definitely made it look more ready-to-wear and provided a very strong seam.

At this point I had The Carpenter try it on and I think it is going to be too small. His chest is 39 1/2 inches, and the size chart indicates that he would be a medium, but I still think it is going to be too small. I know what I should do: finish this shirt using David Coffin's techniques on the shirt cuffs and collar, and chalk it up to a learning experience even if it doesn't fit. Learning on this shirt will make the next one (the REAL one) go so much easier. That is what my brain is telling me to do. My motivation, however, has plummeted. I hate working on garments that won't actually get worn, otherwise known as muslins. No matter how much I learn from them.
Any advice, y'all????

Parting Shot: We went to New England a few weekends ago and we had GLORIOUS autumn weather. Here is a shot somewhere off the coast of Massachusetts, between Gloucester and Rockport: