Menswear in Progress
We are coming to the end of our two week Spring Break here in Vancouver. This was preceded by three days off for a teacher strike. None of which I am complaining about, but I haven't done much of any sewing in the last three weeks and I am starting to get a little twitchy.
Back in February I was sewing far more regularly thanks to the childcare help of several friends. Here are a couple of works still in progress from that month.
First we have a shirt for a friend of mine. I am using Vogue 8759, but I changed the collar and collar stand to one from David Page Coffin's book, Shirtmaking. This shirt still needs cuffs attached, hem, button holes, and buttons. The cuffs are the most logical next step, but that will require a good chuck of uninterrupted time (i.e. not something I can do with kids bickering). I have no idea if I am following Coffin's steps correctly or not, but I am pretty pleased with my work. Here's hoping the shirt fits!
The big idea for this shirt is to fit it and then use the resulting pattern as a block (of sorts) and make changes to the neckline, etc. Making it as a traditional shirt first also gave me more practice with the million little details that go into shirtmaking.
Secondly, I have made a vest for another friend. This is a gift to him in honor of his father's death. In his culture, 40 days after a loved one's death, friends give you white cloth to make new garments to signify the end of mourning. A group of people chipped in money to pay for the fabric and a portion of my time.
I used Kwik Sew 3662. It's looking a little rumply there on the hanger, but I think it just needs a good press. I need the fellow this is made for to drop by so I can feel better about the button placement. And check out this:
My first real attempt at double welt pockets! Not too shabby, though I can see that they are a little puckery.
In addition to these items, I also spent a chunk of time in February altering a nightgown for a friend and making five fabric flowers for folks in her wedding. These were more time consuming than I assumed they would be, but they turned out quite charming.
Back in February I was sewing far more regularly thanks to the childcare help of several friends. Here are a couple of works still in progress from that month.
First we have a shirt for a friend of mine. I am using Vogue 8759, but I changed the collar and collar stand to one from David Page Coffin's book, Shirtmaking. This shirt still needs cuffs attached, hem, button holes, and buttons. The cuffs are the most logical next step, but that will require a good chuck of uninterrupted time (i.e. not something I can do with kids bickering). I have no idea if I am following Coffin's steps correctly or not, but I am pretty pleased with my work. Here's hoping the shirt fits!
The big idea for this shirt is to fit it and then use the resulting pattern as a block (of sorts) and make changes to the neckline, etc. Making it as a traditional shirt first also gave me more practice with the million little details that go into shirtmaking.
Collar close-up
Sleeve Placket!
Secondly, I have made a vest for another friend. This is a gift to him in honor of his father's death. In his culture, 40 days after a loved one's death, friends give you white cloth to make new garments to signify the end of mourning. A group of people chipped in money to pay for the fabric and a portion of my time.
I used Kwik Sew 3662. It's looking a little rumply there on the hanger, but I think it just needs a good press. I need the fellow this is made for to drop by so I can feel better about the button placement. And check out this:
My first real attempt at double welt pockets! Not too shabby, though I can see that they are a little puckery.
In addition to these items, I also spent a chunk of time in February altering a nightgown for a friend and making five fabric flowers for folks in her wedding. These were more time consuming than I assumed they would be, but they turned out quite charming.
Comments
Impressed with your shirtmaking details!