Shirt Reveal - Part 2, The End

Should I write words?

Do I need words?

Pretend these are very interesting words...

Fascinating words, in fact.

I just said something to make you go hmm...

And wonder a little bit.

Then I have a new idea...

You can tell by the look on my face...

It may be funny, or a little surprising.

Made you smile!

Whoop-Whoop Friday - Shirt Reveal Part 1

I am 98 percent done with the shirt for the Men's Shirt Sew-Along.  It still needs buttons and buttonholes in front.  And a live model, after a desperately needed shower.  

(How do all of you brilliant overachievers do it, week in and week out?  Something's gotta give.  For me this week, it's been personal grooming.  And to think there was a time when I hesitated to answer the doorbell if I wasn't wearing a full face of makeup.)

For those of you visiting for the first time, I took a vintage men's shirt pattern circa 1943 and made it into a shirt that I, a woman, could wear.  

Three muslins and numerous tweaks later...whoomp, there it is!

I've said it before, but this has been an exercise in patience and persistence.  I was ready to throw in the towel (or the shirt, as it were) several times, but then I'd try one other thing (sometimes out of desperation).  It often worked.

It's not perfect...I could have paid more attention to matching the pattern at the back yoke, for instance...but it's much better than where it all started.

One of my favorite things about this shirt—a last-minute decision—is the inner yoke and inner sleeve placket in a different fabric... 

...a Kaffe Fassett print I bought recently.

It's loud and proud, that's for sure.  You'll be able to spot me all the way across Walmart in this thing.  And you'll be wondering where the Grateful Dead concert is, and if you can hitch a ride in my VW bus.  Or perhaps you'll be wondering if I'm the bus.  

I don't even want to know.

I promise to post pictures of me modeling the 100 percent finished shirt this weekend.  Until then...

Peace, man.

Third Time's a Charm

Yesterday I sewed Muslin #3 of the shirt I'm making for the Men's Shirt Sew-Along.  This has turned into somewhat of a Frankenstein project, as many alterations as I've made to the original pattern (and as many crazy floral fabrics I've cobbed together).  But I am happy to report that after a bit more tweaking on the third muslin, I'm finally ready to cut out the actual shirt!

It was hard to get a photo of myself wearing Muslin #3.  Norm was gone to a rally at the state capitol, so I was on my own.  The self-photos didn't work out, so instead I'll show you my first ever full bust adjustment (FBA).  <--That link, by the way, rocks as far as FBA tutorials go.

I was happy I had the cardboard dressmaker's mat I'd thrifted last summer.  There's probably an official name for the thing, but I don't know it.  Anyway, it was great because I could pin right down into it, and the grid lines helped in lining things up.

I wasn't sure how much to adjust the shirt front in the bust.  I guessed somewhere between a C and D and went with 5/8 inch.  I think the recommended adjustments may have applied to a standard women's pattern to start with, which is sized for a B cup.  I dunno.  Brain hurts.  Long story short, it worked fine.

In summary, these are the changes I have made to the original pattern:

- Added 3 inches to length of front and back.

- Added 2 inches to sleeve length.
- Decreased sleeve width by 5/8 inch from shoulder to wrist.
- Redrew point of collar.

- Decreased back yoke width by 3/4 inch.
- Decreased collar length by 3/4 inch.

- Removed gathering in shirt back below yoke

- Sway back adjustment.
- Decreased width of shirt back and re-cut rear armhole.
- Altered side seams of shirt back, removing 5/8 on each side from under arm, tapering out to hip, and adding curves at waist/hip.
- FBA/darts added to shirt front.
- Lowered front neckline 3/8 inch.
- Removed gathering of lower sleeve and added pleats.

- Raised side slits by 1-1/4 inches.

Many of the alterations were by trial and error, but I did find some helpful general tips in two books I'd picked up at a thrift store last summer:  The Busy Woman's Fitting Book and The Bishop Method of Clothing Construction.

And with that, I'm off to cut out the real shirt.  Fingers crossed!

P.S. - I cannot wait to get back to making quilts! 

Sunday Sundry - Vol. 27

Look what greeted me outside my kitchen window this morning!  

I laughed and wondered who would have sneaked into my backyard in the middle of the night and painted this lovely heart in the snow?  The mystery was soon solved when Norm woke up, trying hard to stifle a grin.  Those of you who know us in real life may be in a mild state of shock right now (as am I).  What a sweetie!

More Pleasant Surprises

There was a package on the porch when I pulled in the driveway late yesterday morning.  It was my whirlygig Christmas quilt that Angie at 5 Little Monkeys had finished longarm quilting.  Squee!!  It's so pretty!  

She quilted it in little vintage Christmas ornaments, which is perfect with the retro theme of this quilt. Now I just have to bind it and it'll be done.  If you need something longarm quilted, I highly recommend Angie.  She was fast too!  

One Gal's Scraps is Another One's Pleasure

Jenny wanted to get rid of scraps, and I offered to take some off her hands.  She packed a flat rate envelope and sent it on its way, and I tell ya, getting it was just like Christmas!

I was giggling and squealing like a two-year-old  when I started to pull out the various scraps and strings.  I love scraps!  Oh, the possibilities!

Pioneer Woman, I am Not

I have been trying to clean out the pantry and freezer this month, inspired by Shay at Quilting in My Pyjamas and her Frugal Grocery February. It has made for some interesting, but decent, meals.  For instance, there was lentil stew on a bed of quinoa.

And chicken a la king.  I had some baby spinach that needed to be used, so I sauteed that and threw it in too. 

I am no Pioneer Woman when it comes to food photography.  It is what it is.

Today I'm making a turkey, which was a freebie at Thanksgiving, but I didn't have to cook dinner then.  We've invited my daughter and her boyfriend and my dad over to help us eat it and celebrate Valentine's Day early.  Dad's bringing the wine.  Yay!

P&P

The Pride & Prejudice marathon began yesterday at my friend Kathy's house.  We had a nice breakfast and then watched two episodes.  

This is the version with Colin Firth as Darcy.  Kathy's our resident expert on all things Jane Austen.  She prepped us beforehand on relevant historical and social nuances.  Good to know.  

Even Zack watched along with us.  Good boy!  The marathon continues in March.  I'm enjoying it immensely.

Kathy's son is in a band that just released a new CD.  They're called Book Club.  You can hear the songs on their website HERE.  Awesome!

Aw, Shirt!

I'm working away on Muslin #2 for the Men's Shirt Sew-Along, and it has been a learning experience.  Despite the frustration and exercise in patience it has been, I think it's worth the effort to give time and thought to the various fitting issues.  How will I ever learn, otherwise?  Even though it's basically involving remaking a men's shirt into a women's shirt.  

You know the tightness across the seat in back that I mentioned?  I figured something out.  It's not originating from the lower part of the back.  It actually is happening because the front is too tight in the chesticular area, and that is causing it to pull across the seat (and make the front hike up).  Here is what I mean.  

This is the front.  See those diagonal creases?  They point from the boobage to the hipage.  This is a men's shirt, which is cut flat in the chest, whereas I am not.  I believe the solution would be to do a FBA (full bust adjustment) in the shirt front, and that will hopefully also take the pressure off the side seam at the hip.

And the new collar turned out great (yes, those are two different fabrics...this is not a wearable muslin).  Happy dance!

That's all the news that's fit to print this Sunday here at TWISI.  Have a great week, all.  And Happy Valentine's Day!

Does This Post Make My Butt Look Big?

It has been a much busier than usual work week for my fingers at the keyboard, and ugh.  All this work is cramping my style.  Kicking my butt.  Also?  Making my butt larger.  I didn't measure, but I swear I could feel it expanding as I sat on it all day.  Okay, that's kinda gross.  I guess the plus side (and I don't mean my rear end now) is that I have earned a little extra to cover my recent fabric buying spree.  I think that's called karma.

While I sat here working at the computer all day, my mind did wander.  Often it wandered to mulling over the fitting issues of the men's shirt I'm sewing along on. 

Let me stop here and tell you something very important that I have learned so far on this Men's Shirt Sew-Along.  Are you ready?  Here it is.

If you're thinking of sewing a men's shirt for yourself, you need to perform this test first:   Look down the front of your pants.  If you can answer the question, "Boxers or briefs?" go ahead and sew yourself a men's shirt.  If not, BUY YOURSELF A WOMEN'S SHIRT PATTERN, ALREADY!  And preferably one from the current century.

Trust me on this one.

Anyway, tonight I cut out another muslin, Muslin #2, as it were.  I am not even going to show you how it looks because it's just fuglier than heck—I had to use two different fabrics because I ran out of the vintage sheet, so the sleeves and collar are from a different but just as crazy-grandma-looking fabric from stash.  Then, instead of walking on the treadmill this evening, which I should have done after all the butt growing today, I sat some more, this time at the sewing machine, sewing enough seams on Muslin #2 to be able to try it on and assess the fit.  Verdict:  Better in some places, different issues now in others.  I got rid of the gathering below the yoke and that part looks much better.  Except now I can tell that I apparently have a sway back (the old mare ain't what she used to be), so I have to pinch some fullness out of the shirt back horizontally.  And speaking of the back side, guess what?  I could use a bit more room across the seat.  Go figure.

I apparently also took a little too much out of the sleeves on Muslin #2, because now it's a bit tight at the sleeve cap.  I really don't know what I'm doing with the sleeves.  In fact, I'm sort of making it all up as I go along on this shirt, period.  Speaking of which, check out the very unscientific method I'm using to adjust the collar.

The collar on Muslin #1 is big and wide and pointy and kind of scary.  Other than that, it's fine.

I wanted the collar a little narrower, so I grabbed the painter's tape and taped off the shape I envisioned for it.

Then I drew inside the line of the painter's tape in pencil.

Tonight, I placed the collar pattern piece over the actual collar and transferred the pencil line to the pattern piece. 

Then I traced a new pattern piece based on the new shape and cut it out.  I'll sew it onto Muslin #2 tomorrow.

If the new collar works out, I'll do a happy dance!  

I've heard it can make your butt smaller.


PS - There's still time to enter the giveaway. I'll draw the winner tomorrow at noon.

Sunday Sundry - Vol. 26

It's Super Bowl Sunday, and I have just three words—GO PACK, GO!

It's a beautiful (albeit gray) day in the neighborhood...
We are doing our part to maintain the frozen tundra image of Wisconsin with the blizzard of last week.  On Saturday, I had a chance to thank my neighbor personally for snow-blowing me a path along his side yard.  I also took some pictures to show you what a difference that makes in my 100-yard commute to work.

Here is the beginning of the path.  This is an empty lot, basically, with no sidewalk.  The snow is not deep until you round the curve and head west.

Now you can start to see the cut he made through the snow drifts. 

And here I've turned around so you can get a glimpse from the opposite direction, facing east.  In the five years I've been trudging this way to work, this is the most snow I've ever seen there.

The only problem is that at the end of the neighbor's lot line, the groomed path ends, and I have this obstacle to contend with...

...a snow mountain, courtesy of the guy who plows the parking lot.  I'm guessing it'll be mid-April before this thing disappears completely.  Meanwhile, I have to get to the building on the other side.

As I turn left (south) here, this is the view...more snowdrifts.

But there's a fence (and this is why I can't just cut straight through my backyard to go to work).  The snow is the least deep right next to the fence.  You can see my footprints from when I walked home the other night.

It's only knee deep in those footprints (I have long legs, so that's basically two feet deep). 

I have no idea why my lower leg looks deformed in that picture; I just stepped into one of the old holes.

So there you have it.  I kind of like this commute, snowdrifts and all! 

I Believe I Can Fly...
At least it looks that way, as I'm standing in my kitchen after trying on the muslin for the Men's Shirt Sew-Along.

It's missing the collar and cuffs (and pockets and hem and buttons), but I wanted to get an idea as to how it was going to fit.  Obviously, this is a men's shirt pattern, meant to fit more of an inverted triangle upper body physique, whereas the sand in my hourglass is mostly at the bottom, if you know what I'm sayin'.

I'm not sure how to fix the bagginess in the back, or if I should even worry about it.  I think the sleeves may have to be taken in, yet I want to allow room to wear a shirt underneath, because the plan is to wear it open, jacket style. So I'll probably go ahead and put the cuffs and collar on and then reassess—and, oh boy, the size and shape of that collar scares me. 

Elvis's mama called and wants her collar (and her sheet) back.

Here's what the front looks like, so far.  And no, I'm not that much taller than the fridge, it's just the perspective (standing closer to the mirror than the cupboards behind).

In the days ahead, I'd like to do a more thorough post about the construction of this shirt and some things I've observed in sewing from a vintage pattern versus a contemporary one. 

Until that riveting post (hee!), be sure to come back tomorrow, which will be my one-year blog anniversary.  I don't want to spoil the surprise, but it rhymes with shmivaway!