I had a friend tell me that whenever she asks me what I’m working on, it always seems to be a new shirt for Ian. It’s simple really, my love for shirt making runs deep. And after finding how well this pattern works, I am filled with determination to make him a closet full of things he will love. Vogue 9220 fits Ian like a glove, and all the fine shirt-making details make it relaxing to sew. Combined with my love of this linen, which presses beautifully and allows for precise sewing, this was a lovely shirt to sew up!
My alterations have continued, and I’ve found my ideal dimensions for the box pleat in the back. When cutting the back on the fold, I move the top of the pattern piece over 1 inch, but allow the hem to line up at the normal point. I mark the center of the fabric for both the yoke and the back, and when attaching the yoke I add a box pleat with 1/2 inch folds on each side. By expanding only the top of the pattern piece, it adds room for shoulder movement without adding too much to the hips and maintains that RTW look I’ve been after.
One of the construction details that gives me joy is flat felling. I take the cheaters route to flat fell by serging the seams together, ironing down, and top stitching. It adds stability and the beautiful flat felled appearance, but greatly reduces the amount of time spent with an iron. And lets be honest, I’m happy to take a short cut to reduce my quality time slaving at an ironing board.
I think this is going to be the last of Ian’s shirts for a while. I’ve made about 4 in the past few months, it’s time to move on to new projects! That is, until I find a fantastic fabric that would suit Ian and I can’t resist.
Bonus pictures of our helpers that interrupted while we took photos!