Birthday shirt
Douglas has been requesting a handmade item from me, so for his birthday I made him a summer shirt. There's not a whole lot of exciting vintage patterns for men, but this one was fun and easy to make (Simplicity 2081, from Lanetz Living). I picked it out because of its similarity to the casual warm-weather shirts worn by Sean Connery in the 1965 film Thunderball. Douglas and I both like certain '60s styles and this happens to be one of them. The pattern is actually from 1957, but it could just as easily be from 2009! It's that classic.
I used a navy and white chambray shirting from Jo-Ann Fabrics, and did all my topstitching with white thread. I flat-felled the seams at the sides and armholes (a first). Next time I make this, I think I'll omit the interfacing in the collar and down the front openings -- more casual that way, and I don't think the shirt would suffer from the lack. This is the first pattern I've ever sewn where the sleeves are attached to the body before the side seams are sewn, which saves the annoyance of setting in the sleeves! I wonder if all men's shirts are made that way. It certainly made it easier to finish the armhole seams nicely.
I used a navy and white chambray shirting from Jo-Ann Fabrics, and did all my topstitching with white thread. I flat-felled the seams at the sides and armholes (a first). Next time I make this, I think I'll omit the interfacing in the collar and down the front openings -- more casual that way, and I don't think the shirt would suffer from the lack. This is the first pattern I've ever sewn where the sleeves are attached to the body before the side seams are sewn, which saves the annoyance of setting in the sleeves! I wonder if all men's shirts are made that way. It certainly made it easier to finish the armhole seams nicely.
posted by Laura at
2:34 PM
13 Comments:
Beautiful. er...handsome work! :o)
You are quite the proficient seamstress. :o)
jAne
ladyjanesjournal.blogspot.com
tickleberryfarm.blogspot.com
I really like what you've done with this!
I also wanted you to know how much I enjoy your blog!
This is my first time here, I was doing a search on google for flour and sugar canisters because I don't have any and am tired of keeping flour and sugar in ziplock bags. I found your picture of the canisters you got and I really like them. Where did your hubby get them from?
Nice shirt by the way and great site. I added it to my favorites. Also,where did you learn to sew so wonderfully? My mother passed away and I inherited her sewing machine. I'm so intimidated by it that I am scared to start. Did your family teach you to sew or did you teach yourself or take classes? You have a gift.
What a great shirt! Definitely a classic!
Kwik-Sew is a pattern company that tends to have you put the sleeves in that way, whether it's for man, woman, or child. The first time I used one of their patterns, it totally threw me. It seemed like cheating or something because it was so easy!
What a great shirt! I love the fabric and the style. It's amazing how long men's styles stay "in fashion." Of course, with your sewing skills, just about anything you made would look great! :-)
Yours in Christ,
Shannon
What a wonderful shirt! I love classic styles like this. I just started making David's "everyday" (versus reenacting) shirts over the winter. I'll have to try that about sewing in the sleeve before stitching up the side seams. That would, indeed, make it so much easier!
Thanks for the inspiration! I need to get working on hubby's short sleeve shirts and now I'm anxious to start! :)
Thank you so much, everyone!
Kiamae, I believe my husband got the canisters from Amazon, so you could try a search there. Thanks for the compliment on my sewing! My mom taught me to sew. Don't be intimidated -- start with something simple and you'll soon be on your way!
Believe it or not, I had thought about getting him a blue shirt for his birthday; yours is so much more handsome! : )
Hi Laura!
Great job on the shirt. It looks really nice on him. I've been thinking about making my hubby more clothes, especially because he is a hard-to-fit size and custom fit clothes would be so much nicer for him. Men's clothes are much scarier to sew for some reason, though. ;)
Don't you love the flat-felled seams? It's such a nice finish.
Happy Friday to you. :)
Interestingly, I nearly always sew my sleeves in before sewing the side seams. For years I refused to do nothing else. =) Now I do both, depending on the pattern and sleeve style.
Excellant work, as always, Laura. =)
Nice work. My hubby is a XXL and its really hard to make him shirts - I always have to lengthen them significantly in some area or another so that they'll fit.
As for your comment about interfacing...from personal experience, if there's any shred of cotton in a shirting, both collars and fronts will kink up and wrinkle horribly without interfacing. So, if you want to avoid extra ironing and starching, I'd recommend using interfacing ; )
Ah, thanks for the tip, Michelle! I thought about not using it after examining some of his store-bought shirts and noting the lack of interfacing. Now that I think about it, perhaps they all had buttonhole plackets instead. I will have to check...
This shirt looks exactly like James Bonds shirt in Thunderball. Is that what it's supposed to look like?
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