The Big White Shirt - Burda 6908.

 I am back from my much needed mini-blog break.  I really needed it - for some reason I was really tired - as you can see from the photos in this post.  I'm starting to pick up energy again - I guess with life demands, energy for blogging will wax and wane from time to time.

Anyway, on to more important things than my energy levels for blogging - sewing :).

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I have had a yen to make a big, boyfriend style shirt for a long time.  I don't know why, but I don't think there has to be a why.  So, as I need to brush up on my shirt making technique, I decided to make Burda 6908:

Of course, one big advantage of this style of shirt is that there is no fitting needed.  It is big,baggy, ,unfitted and a shapeless straight up and down shape.  It also has slightly dropped shirt shoulders.

 I checked the measurements and decided to make size 8, which had a finished bust measurement of 42 inches, which I thought was more than enough - in fact, that is 8 inches larger than my bust.  As it turned out, it was the size was just right for my neck size.

As this shirt was really for the purpose of practicing technique, I decided to use a piece of white calico.   For house/garden garments, I am quite happy to wear calico - I save linen for out of the house garments.  And I would not refresh myself on how to do a collar stand and collar band on a piece of expensive linen.  And lets face it, practice costs time, resources and fabric, and I like something to wear at the end of the process.

And I also choose to use a cheap fabric when I have never used a pattern before or do not intend to make a muslin.  I would hate to make a pattern that I found I didn't like and use a piece of treasured and possibly much more expensive fabric.

I chose shirt A, and did not alter the pattern except for the sleeve length. As this is a hot weather shirt, shortened the sleeves to around my elbow - I do want some coverage.  And I inverted the back pleat, as I prefer that look.

And then I made it up.  A simple and straightforward process, and I could even remember how to do the collar and collar stand.

First of all, I will show you a close up of some of the shirt details:

The inverted pleat - I also topstitched the back yoke seam.

The shirt front, with pockets.

The collar and collar band

The hem.

Now, bear in mind this is a bit of cheap, cotton, calico, so I think that the results in a fairly rustic fabric are quite good.

Before I go further, I must also tell you that I set myself a challenge with the buttonholes.  For years I have done my buttonholes on a basic machine using operator skill.  It took ages, by the time I measured and practiced and then finally made them, with a lot of skill and concentration.  I used to have a sore neck for a few days afterwards.  I was grumbling to my husband about this, and told him that there were machines available that did this automatically, and he said that he would like to get one for me.  It took me a while to accept this offer, and of course I made sure I waited for a sale.  And this is the little electronic machine that was such a thoughtful gift:

After much procrastination, and perhaps even some trepidation, I finally decided to make buttonholes with this machine.  And bingo, lots of lovely buttonholes.  MAGIC.  I did have trouble with the collar stand buttonhole, as I anticipated - there is a lot more thickness there, and I thought the foot would not tolerate this area.  However, it did much of the buttonhole, and I just went over the missed area with my big machine, on a small, narrow zig-zag.  It's good to know, right from the start of using this machine, how to fix a mishap.  And it happened on a practice, calico shirt :).

Okay, back to the pictures of the shirt:

Front view - big and baggy and shapeless, just as the pattern is!

Well, this is just like the pattern - a real, man-style shirt.  I do think size 8 is quite big enough for me though.

I can also see why the models on the pattern envelope are all carefully positioned to make the shirt look a little more stylish.

And I can do that too:

Will I make this again?  I probably will, one day, but in a nice lightweight fabric.  I would also give it just a little bit of shaping through the side seams.

But for now, I have got this shirt out of my system..

I'll be back next weekend with another one of my makes:

But for now, goodbye to all my lovely followers, and have a happy and healthy week, wherever you are.

Sarah Liz

A Preview of my next few posts...

I am taking a mini blog break at the moment, because I need to recharge my blogging batteries.  I have done that by doing quite a bit of sewing, and will be back next week with the first of my makes.  Over the next few weeks I will show and tell about all of them.  In the meantime, a sneak peak at what I have made: 

 A Big White Shirt:

 

Casual White Pants (McCalls 6568):

A Shirtdress, pattern now OOP:

Another Shirtdress, and this pattern also OOP:

 

A Little Top for Hot Days (we've just had a 40 degree day today):

 

 And a little lightweight skirt for hot days, View B:

All have turned out quite nicely, and I'm off to start something else now.  I'll show you the first of these garments next week.

Have a great sewing weekend everyone,

Sarah Liz

No Bubbles but Bubbly Pants at least...

 After a week of  making various pants muslins that told me all I needed to know, not know, and often did not wish to know, resulted in my sparkle defizzing.   The inner champagne is flat, devoid of bubbles.  So I made myself some pants with bubbles in them to buoy me up.

(In  a nutshell, the pants muslins told me that all the ways suggested to fit do not really work for me.  Choose your hip size - well, that is 4 sizes smaller than my waist, which leads to a lot of distortion in style lines - and the legs are still really baggy. Take in the legs, narrow into a small crotch, and then up over a tummy curve and you do not have a good look.  Disheartening, and opens up my old teenage figure wounds, of wanting curves - you know, defined waist, bust and hips, nice shaped thighs etc.   Never happened.    Still have my straight shape with tum and narrow hips and thin limbs. And, to rub salt into the wound, recently I have lost a kilo.  Been trying to put it back on, but it is stubbornly staying away at the moment).

So, to cheer myself up, I raided the stash and made some baggy pants yesterday.  Thoroughly fed up, I decided not to make a muslin - I mean, these looked like roomy pants,with an attached elastic casing.  So really, I thought, nothing much to fit.  And there wasn't, except these are the first pants I have come across with a very low slung crotch.  Just like trousers used to be years ago, with crotches down to the knees, big and baggy.  So in future I shall check the crotch depth.  The pocket bags are huge as well.  But at least they are comfortable, and they are hardly anything more than happy pants for weekend relaxing.

The pattern is Butterick 6137:

Yes, big, baggy, unfitted pants.  As you can see, the waistband is quite high, or the crotch length deep, whichever way you want to put it.  I made View D.

I cut size 8 with extra at the waist (size 10).  I made sure that the pants would slide over my hips, which they do easily.  I used slightly narrower elastic of 1/1/4 inch instead of 1/1/2 inch as the pattern suggests, as that is all I had.  And I think that is quite wide enough for me.  I made the waistband a little narrower to fit this elastic.

The fabric is a cheap craft cotton from Spotlight, purchased at the beginning of the year on sale.  It sort of had a bounce to it, and my overlocker didn't like it at all.  My big machine didn't like it much either, but we all managed.

I finished the casing by sewing the casing so I could topstitch on the front of the garment.  The pattern suggests a line of stitching at the top of the band, which I did.  Again, I remember doing these sorts of bands years ago:

I also turned in the hem by 1/4inch on the trouser hem, instead of overlocking.  It looks neat, and in a cotton, does not add bulk:

So, lets have a look at the finished garment (photographed in the evening again, and I am rather tired and grumpy ... and I think I should have combed my hair first...definitely debubbled...)

Front - see what I mean about the low crotch?  Baggy pants are supposed to have lower crotches, but it does feel a bit low on me.  I'll raise it next time, or shorten the rise, if I make these again.

Back view - I pulled these up for this photo.  Things always slide down on me.  Again, you can see a bit of bagginess from the deep crotch.

And side view.  And a half side view, with pockets:

I have to admit, the finished pants look remarkably like the picture published by Butterick, that I showed you at the beginning of this post.

The trousers are finished at the length suggested by the pattern.  Quite short, and I am not tall.  So if you want longer trousers than this, or are taller than me (I'm 160 cm approx - about 5'4" if I try and stretch myself tall.

I actually am getting around to quite liking these pants, for weekend wear.  I am wearing them with a top I made, Burda 7079. You can find my posts about this top here.

Well, I am going off now to re-carbonate by making a shirt.  I haven't made one for a while, so I am out of practice.  So I'll raid the stash for a fabric that can be sacrificed because my technique is going to be a little rusty.

And I need a break from pants...

Take care everyone, wherever you are..

Sarah Liz :)

Summer Sewing is About to Start...

There is something about a new sewing season that is always exciting - so many things to make, so many ideas, so many choices.  Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the sheer number of possibilities.

As  you know, I often sew  useful wardrobe workhorses- very serviceable basics.  Because that suits my current lifestyle, even though I sometimes wish it were otherwise, and also because I live in a very casual sort of town - which sort of intersects with my current lifestyle and why it is not quite what I would wish here.  One day though, I will move back to Adelaide.

I also want to sew some more interesting garments,  a few things to pep up the basics.

And then I think about sewing it all - and think about tracing all the patterns, which I always do - it means you have the master pattern if things go wrong, or you traced the wrong size and need the next one up - if you did this straight from the pattern, you would not be able to recut.  So I trace my patterns.  This is also a good time to think about how you would sew the garment.  A bit of thought at the beginning can save a few unpickings further down the sewing track

Now that is the step I hate. That and pre-washing fabric.  The bit I like is the sewing and watching the garment evolve.  But tracing patterns also helps the sewing process because it is a good time to look closely at the pattern and think about  how you would sew the garment.  A bit of thought at the beginning can save a few unpickings further down the sewing track

And over the next few weeks I have quite a busy time with work and things that need doing around the house.  And will  have limited time for sewing but will want maximum results.

So as DH was working yesterday and this morning, I decided to get a bunch of patterns traced.  A marathon session, and here they all are, each pattern and it's tracing in a separate bag:

A box pleated skirt, should be fun to make and wear.

Below knee culottes/shorts - can't wait to make these.

I need a throw on simple jacket.  Not sure what colour.

A happy mid summer dress.

A big white shirt. Just because I want to make one.

A Lisette princess line top.

Maybe these pants will look okay.

I like this jacket too - in something soft and drapey?

A classic shirt - love the black and white

This will keep me busy for the next few months.  I also want to make some casual pants, and a couple of skirts and tops.  So I guess I will trace these this afternoon:

 Then I can settle down and sew while doing the other  things in life that really are demanding my
attention.

Do you make plans as well, or do you just sew whatever you want to make as the idea arises? And how do you fit in sewing with other life demands?

Sarah Liz