The pattern and scraps.
I don't know about you, but I'm kinda getting bored with the Cook's Illustrated reviews. Let's take a break, shall we?
I've been working on my most ambitious sewing project to date: a classic shirt. The pattern is from the Built By Wendy "Sew U" book.
This shirt is a long time in the making. Two summers ago I started taking apart a blue flannel shirt with the purpose of re-sewing it into something Erin-sized using this pattern.
I finally got around to fully deconstructing the shirt in the past month or so, and on further inspection, I realized I needed some accent flannel because there wasn't enough fabric in the blue shirt to cover all the pattern pieces. To compensate, I recruited a fun flannel print with oversized roses from Fabric.com.
The shirt is slim fitting, courtesy of front and back darts.
Here's what I'm planning for this garment:
- The shirt front will be the rose print with blue yokes.
- The shirt back will be the blue flannel with a rose yoke.
- The sleeves will be the blue flannel.
- The cuffs will be the rose print.
- The shirt will be collarless (i.e., no pointy collar) — just the collar stand.
- I plan to use pearl snaps (think Western shirt) instead of buttons.
I've only been able to work on the shirt in 45-to-60 minute increments, which I think has been good for overall quality. It's just long enough to feel like you're getting into it, but not long enough to feel burned out.
The blue flannel is a deep royal blue. It's from a thrifted Lands' End shirt, and it's fairly heavyweight. The colorway of the rose flannel works nicely with the solid blue fabric — a serendipitous happening considering I ordered it online without seeing it in person!
Have any suggestions for me? Know any good instructional vids or books on shirt making? I'm all ears.Labels: flannel, sewing, shirt, Under Construction
