Next up--The Negroni Shirt! And my RANT about "Self-Drafted"

Yes...I know that I am the last one in "Sewing Land" to make the Negroni men's Shirt Pattern (www.ColettePatterns.com). I took a quick look at it several months ago, but when life got in the way I put that project aside.........and then I lost the pattern!  I ordered a  new one and now that it is here, I can compare it to Vogue 8800 .  Since I can already see that the patterns have significant differences, my comparison will merely be to define those differences rather than make a big declaration that one is better than the other.  And then after the Negroni, I will be showing you a  Victoria Jones Men's Shirt pattern,  the authentically classic "Hawaiian Businessman's Shirt"!

The Negroni will be made from the blue cotton batik print you see pictured.  Because it is a commercial pattern, my husband Roger will be the lucky recipient of the new shirt.  Someone recently asked me why I don't use commercial patterns for the shirts I make for my clients. There are many reasons, here are a few--

-- My clients pay for shirts that are personally designed for them by me, from patterns that are custom hand-drafted to their measurements.

-- It takes me less time to draft a shirt pattern from a given set of measurements than it does to alter a commercial pattern.

-- And speaking of drafting and time, it takes me much less time to sew a shirt from one of my own custom patterns.  That is because I add different amounts of seam allowances to various pattern pieces so that virtually no trimming is needed while the garment is being sewn.

And now a little rant (feel free to add your opinion in "comments").....

 I get excited when I read on a blog or sewing forum that a garment was made from a "self-drafted" pattern..I love when people design their own clothes! But nine times out of ten when I click the link, I find out that the "Self-Drafted" garment was made using parts of commercial patterns that someone  Else,  not  "Self"  drafted!

A hand-drafted pattern ,"Self-Drafted" pattern, or a Custom-Drafted garment, should mean that NO parts of the pattern existed before the point of a pencil met a blank sheet of paper (unless we are using a pocket or cuff, etc, that we...all by ourselves...have drawn from scratch.)  A self-drafted pattern is not a "FrankenPattern" where pattern pieces that  someone else designed  have been re-arranged, or when more curve has been taken to a seam of a blouse that someone else drafted, or when a so-called Self-Drafted pattern started with a bodice piece or any pattern piece previously in existence that someone else designed and drafted !

 It would be like me making a copy of a photo of the elegant Erica B or gorgeous Mimi G,  pasting my head over theirs, and saying, "This is what Pam wore today".  Of course nobody would fall for it, and I would be a called a fraud and a deluded old fool...while you all laughed hysterically.  Yet others blithely claim "This is what I self-drafted today" when they have essentially "photo-shopped" existing patterns.

Sure, we all have taken  a sleeve from a Simplicity pattern, sewed it to the bodice of a Vogue pattern, onto which we sewed the cool pockets from yet another commercial pattern, etc, etc...to make a garment look the way we want it to look. But c'mon, that is NOT a "Self-Drafted" pattern, and most of us know it...we might not know just what we should call it (I sure as heck don't know). But most of us would not have the temerity to claim it as "Self-Drafted".   On the other hand, when we see a a RTW dress and we use the shape of the bodice and skirt as inspiration, and then we draw a pattern (all by ourselves) in an attempt to mimic that garment...in my opinion that qualifies as a self-drafted pattern. Certainly not an original design idea, but I am not talking about design here...that is another kettle of controversy.  I have been talking about "Self-Drafted" Patterns....that often are anything but.

Don't Miss This Video!

Like the Costume Fairy...only Taller !

Thanks to my friend Alethia at  www.SewMuchTalent.com for pointing out this sewing clip to me... We've all been there, haven't we?

OH NO! A Shirt I will Never Sew, because...

 OOPS!  I totally misread Vogue 8759 pattern's online photos and diagrams!

You may now give me 10 lashes with a wet noodle...be gentle.

 And  I should know better...that's why I started drafting my own shirt patterns in the first place...sigh.

Once I had a chance to really examine this pattern up close and personal...well...there were some design details I was not expecting.  Not they are necessarily BAD details...just different than the way most mens shirts are drafted.

I compared V8759 to my own hand-drafted "slim-cut" shirt pattern with a shoulder-sleeve seam line that stops just a tiny bit below the arm/shoulder joint. This Vogue pattern has a longer shoulder seam..in other words, the sleeve will be more dropped than I prefer.

Then there is the yoke. At first glance in the online pattern catalog, it seemed to be fine..though I did notice that the front "yoke-drop" seemed a bit shallow...and that can be OK.   However, until I looked at the pattern closely and measured it.... I didn't realize that the yoke seam only drops a very scant 1/4" down into the front. In other words, like a ladies blouse, the shoulder-yoke seam on this men's shirt pattern will virtually ride right along the exact shoulder line, instead of dropping/sinking down into the front the way most mens shirts do.  Additionally, the overall width of the shirt body is larger than my hand-drafted "slim-cut" shirt, and also larger than other printed patterns in my stash.  I do realize that these are the decisions that the Vogue pattern designer made, and I respect that. But it is a look that I do not prefer.

The Vogue 8759 sleeves seem fine...narrow enough, and the armscye is as high as my own "slim-cut" draft. They are 2-piece, and the sleeve plackets are reminiscent of the way casual sport coat/blazer vents are drafted.

So...am I going to take the time and fabric to sew up a test garment of a pattern with style lines I do not like?

No.

Sure, I could re-draft the parts I do not like....but I already have slimmer-cut men's shirt patterns that I have drafted by hand...why take the time to change this one?

Should you use this pattern? 

It's up to you. It is not a "classic" men's shirt...and that's not a "bad" thing. But it is not as slim-cut as the envelope photos seem to show, and the yoke is not the "standard" angle or depth...and that may be fine with you. I know that my husband Roger would not like that yoke-shoulder seam as high as it is on this pattern...he is a classic-cut shirt kind of guy. I can design, draft, and sew a shirt with a narrow body for him, and add design details like funky pockets, angled seams, and even bias cut sleeve hem bands...but a yoke that rides that high on the shoulder?  For Roger?  No.   And I cannot use this pattern for my clients, because it is a commercial pattern (and besides, I really do not like that high shoulder).   Your man might be different...in fact he probably is!   Mine is very picky about yoke depths and things like that because he happens to be married to a classically trained Shirtmaker who has strong likes and dislikes..and opines about them often ;)

So while this pattern is not "horrible"...I am not happy with it, so I am not going to use my time to make it. And please remember...this is just my opinion, for what it's worth. Your opinion about these things are probably quite different than mine...as they should be...because we all have different tastes.

V8759...A New Vogue MEN's SHIRT Pattern !

I am so pleased that Vogue has decided to introduce a new mens shirt pattern!  And at first glance, it looks like a winner. I have ordered it, and will make it up as soon as it gets here...but in the meantime, here are my first impressions of Vogue 8759--

As a shirtmaker, the first things I noticed about this shirt are the slim sleeves, the over-all slim cut delivered by curved side seams, and shoulders that are not dropped.  That's the good news. But the design has alot of details going on in the back, and not much happening in the front (see line drawings below). That unbalance can be easily changed by adding another pocket, or adding a separate front button placket rather than the "French" front placket shown. Remember, that's just my opinion...many men prefer a very "clean" shirt front.

Here is the back view--

Details to notice are back seams instead of pleats, and that the back yoke appears neither too narrow or too wide. A yoke that is too narrow causes a shirt to ride-up in back when the wearer is seated, and a yoke that is too wide (deep) looks boxy gives a shirt a sloppy look.

Here are the pattern line drawings--

  

Something interesting to note is the back sleeve seam that incorporates the placket..here's a closer view--

I am going to reserve comment until I see how (or if) the inside of the placket is clean-finished.

So, as soon as the pattern arrives, I'll stitch it up and give you my thoughts along the way :)

BE LINEN...a fascinating short film....

...with wonderfully beautiful photography that follows this amazing fiber

from field to fabric to fashion. I will never take linen for granted again.

BE LINEN MOVIE from Benoit MILLOT on Vimeo.

Why I will NEVER sew this Shirt...

 I recently bought a  McCalls Mens Shirt Pattern that I will never sew.  While I hand-draft most of the shirt patterns I use, when a pattern company comes out with a new menswear pattern I usually buy it to see if it has anything interesting to yield.  However, if I had taken the time to look at the envelope of this one more closely, I would have put it back in the drawer !

At first glance, it looks like a perfectly "OK"  shirt pattern, doesn't it?

 

 Silly me...I didn't look closely enough at the front sketch or the back envelope pattern diagrams...which would have kept me from spending my money. Let's take a look at the pattern diagrams, below.

 I know you are already ahead of me here. Yes, you are correct, this shirt pattern does NOT have a back yoke!  The yokes you see in view D and E are merely shaped pieces appliqued onto the front and back. But there is no separate back yoke piece.

So What? 

Well...while omitting the back yoke can be called a design option, in my opinion it is not a good one.  A yoke on a man's shirt is quite important because it forms the "foundation" that allows a smooth shoulder line, along with supporting the front and shaping the back of the shirt.

A "back" yoke is also important because it is also is part of the "front".  It extends over the natural shoulder-line and that extension becomes part of the shirt front. This extension is important for the front of the shirt to hang straight, to keep the button plackets from "twisting", and to add a touch of support to the pocket so that it doesn't "droop".

In my opinion,  a back shirt yoke is vital for adding enough ease to lay smoothly over a man's shoulder blades and so that the shirt does not get "hung-up" at the waist or hips. The back can still look smooth, providing this ease without pleats or tucks. The ease is virtually invisible when the back is drafted with a curved upper edge, and the yoke drafted with a straight bottom edge. The cut fabric pieces are then carefully eased together when sewn. The patterns for a "smooth-but-shaped" back often look something like this, one of my original drafts.

 This is how you can still have a smooth back with no pleats or gathers, because the ease in incorporated into the curved edge of the upper back. When a menswear shirt is drafted without a back yoke, there is no way to add the necessary ease to glide over the shoulder muscle and shoulder blades, aside from making the back wider at the side seams. When ease is added that way, you often see bunching at the armscye and the upper sleeve..never a good thing.

As you can see, I am very opinionated about the importance of a shirt yoke. A shirt yoke needn't be very deep..I often draft them for a finished back depth of only 3", but this shirt-maker thinks every man's shirt needs one ! 

_____________________________
----------------------------------------------
Judy asked  my recommendation  for a casual Hawaiian-Style shirt pattern with a back yoke.
 
The best one that I have personal experience with is the 
Men's Islander Shirt Pattern. I've made it a few times, and really like the way it is drafted. Click here to see the one I made from Distressed Silk.
---------------------------------

Ann asked, "...if a pattern I have doesn't have this [a yoke], is it possible to just cut & draft one from the pattern or is it better to just get out my pattern drafting software and start fresh?"   

That depends on your level of drafting expertise.  You can merely cut the pattern to make a yoke (don't forget to add seam allowance!), and then expand the back (at CB) to add a pleat for ease (don't forget to add seam allowance !)...Or if you have more advanced pattern drafting experience/skills, you can slash and spread the back *slightly* to form a gentle curve to add ease to the lower back piece (I know I am a broken record, but...don't forget to add seam allowance :)  
----------------------------------------
I sincerely regret that I cannot give complete fully detailed lessons on drafting a pattern within the limits of a blog post. Any pattern drafting book will have this information.
------------------------------------------

Japanese Shirt Journey....the "Fitting Muslin" Results

Oh how I wish I had better news....

The tracing of the pattern was uneventful , as you would expect.  Cutting the fabric (oxford cloth), was equally uneventful.  The good news is that all the pieces of the shirt fit together beautifully, quite easy to sew...even with the unusual seam allowance widths. However, that said, I have sewn hundreds of shirts over my many years as a Shirt-maker. Perhaps some less experienced sew-ers would need to constantly refer back to the pattern and sewing diagrams to understand some of the sewing methods.  For instance, these patterns are drafted to use a version of the felled-seam technique that I showed you last summer in this post,
Felled Seam Technique.

Now, the not so good news.  While some aspects of the way the shirt fit were happy surprises, some important ones were not.  Take a look at the shirt muslin from the front--

Before I go any further, it's plain to see that I only did a very light pressing of this fitting garment...a full press was not necessary for me to evaluate any broad fitting issues. Had the garment fit better, I would have given it a proper press and done another fitting.  This shirt is a size X-large, straight from the tracing, without any changes. Now a few words about my ever patient model. Roger is 6' tall, about 178 pounds, and wears a size 15-1/2 neck, 34-35 sleeve sized shirt "off the shelf" from a store. He has a long torso.

Interestingly, the shirt fit perfectly at the neck, and the shoulder length was good. The fit through the chest was close, but with enough ease for him to reach forward and back without straining the fabric. Also, the sleeves were a perfect length. They may look long in the photo, but that is because I forgot to trim the seam allowance from the single-layer cuff...sorry about that. But take my word for it, the sleeve length is perfect.

But unfortunately that is where "perfect" ends.  As you can see in the photo above, there is a drag line at the armscye, and the sleeve is twisting.  It was twisting more before I fiddled with a a bit for the first photo. But my fiddling was futile (lol), as you can see in this next photo, showing the shirt from the back.

Talk about major fit issues !  ..and such a shame when the neck fits so well...sigh.  First of all, the yoke is not deep enough for a man of  Roger's height, as you can see from the drag lines.  The sleeve is twisting because the armscye is not deep enough, and the curve of the armsyce is wrong for the width of Roger's upper back.

These problems can be resolved by redrafting the yoke and reshaping the armscye, redrafting the sleeve to reflect those changes, and then making more fitting muslins to check the changes.  Am I going to bother doing that? No. Why?  Because I already have several shirt drafts that fit him perfectly. I also will not use this book to make shirts for my clients...unless they are very slight men. And even then, quite frankly it is easier for me to just hand-draft a pattern from scratch using their measurements.

What I might do is use some of the collar-stands, collars, cuffs, and pockets from this book, altering them a bit for size to use on my hand-drafted styles. But again, it is easier to draft my own than to "retro-fit" another designer's draft.  And after comparing the collar style, stand, cuff, etc options in this book to David Coffin's book "Shirtmaking"...well,  if you have David's book there really is nothing much new to be found in this Japanese book.

So...should you buy this book?  Well, I bought it because I am a collector of books on menswear pattern-making. Perhaps if I read Japanese, I would be able to get more from this book.  The sewing-sequence diagrams are good, but a bit confusing since for 20+ years I've been professionally constructing shirts differently. There are no "A-Hah!" moments regarding collar construction, etc, in this book. So for me, it's just nice to have among my collection of menswear sewing books. However it's not one I am likely to use often, if ever again.  No doubt others who have this book will have different opinions. But for me this book will likely remain a novelty and nothing more...it's going back on the bookshelf as soon as I finish editing this post.

Honored to have authored the ASG Magazine Cover Article

I was honored to be asked to write the cover article for the Fall 2009 edition of the American Sewing Guild's Magazine. 

Titled "Shirt Chic", the article includes my take on Choosing Fabrics, Fine-Tuning Construction, and Adding Designer Details.  

I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing 

it for you !

The Elegant Touch of Contemporary Menswear

I have long admired the brilliantly designed menswear of Cerutti.

Have a look at some of the runway show. Bear with the few moments of "behind-the-scenes"...then enjoy the fashion. I especially like the cut of the jackets and coats..the longer shirt silhouettes, the interesting narrow collars, and the "mesh T over dress-shirt" look.



Video: Cerruti Fall/Winter 2009/10 Men's Wear during the Paris Fashion Week on 23 January 2009; by ErichBen youtube.com/user/ErichBen.

From FashionOffice.org:

CERRUTI
fall/winter 2009/10

During the Paris Fashion Week in January 2009 Cerruti presented the second men's wear collection created under the art direction of the Belgian Jean-Paul Knott and the new Cerruti president Florent Perrichon.

On the Cerruti website you will find an interview between both men about the founder of the luxurious ready-to-wear concept Nino Cerruti, men and women...

"How did you define 21st century Cerruti man and woman?

Florent Perrichon: I haven't made a distinction between man and woman, they are a common concept, a global citizen.

Jean-Paul Knott: Man or woman, each is contemporary."

Probably that's the reason why this collection has the elegant masculine touch of contemporary men who have raised above making distinctions between gender, race...

The Cerruti man fall/winter 2009/10 is defined as "... approachable and caring, treasuring uniqueness and individuality. He is active, easy with an aesthetic and natural elegance and always sensitive to his surroundings. The values of details, quality and feel are essential for the Cerruti man."

Jean-Paul Knott has created the Cerruti collection around three feelings that reflect the various moments in live and define dress mood: dawn (morning, bright colors), noon (colors of fog and stormy greys), and dusk (wine red, dark brown - the colors of the sun, just before night begins).

One of the highlights of this collection is the 'Caviar'-fabric: a classic plain weave with contrasted colours, which gives the visual effect of regular dots. You will find out that this collection offers two edgy trousers styles: the drainpipe trousers influenced by the Beatnik Generation, and pants with bell-bottom combined with a narrow cut jacket.

About Cerruti

In 1881 the spinning and weaving label Cerruti was founded. In the 50ies Cerruti began to cut and sew the fabrics.

The first men's wear collection designed by Nino Cerruti was presented in 1957. The concept was to create 'luxury ready-to-wear'.

In 1967 the first 'Cerruti 1881' boutique opened in Paris.

In 1976 'Cerruti 1881 Femme' premiered.

Since 1978 fragrances accompany the Cerruti style; often inspired by the fabrics Cerruti is famous for.

In the 80's Nino Cerruti has made the costumes for Hollywood celebrities like Robert Redford, Jack Nicholson, Clint Eastwood...

Since 2007 the Belgian Jean-Paul Knott is the artistic director of Cerruti; Knott founded his own company in 2000, was creative director of Krizia (2002), Louis Féraud (2004)... Check out more on his own site jeanpaulknott.com.

In 2008 Florent Perrichon was named the president. More about Cerruti www.cerruti.com.

WOW! MY Garment in Claire Shaeffer's NEW BOOK!

I LOVE my Fed-Ex Man!
He dropped this off today...

Claire Shaeffer's newest Book !

Since the first edition in 1989,Claire Shaeffer's Fabric Sewing Guide has been a one-stop resource for sewing and quilting enthusiasts, with answers to the most common fabric sewing questions and details about the latest advancements in sewing.

This NEW, full-color, second edition has been completely revised and contains everything sewers need to know, and will surely reference again and again.

In addition to an extensive glossary with answers to the most common sewing questions, this must-have guide includes easy-to-read charts for needle sizes and thread, interfacing types, the addition of 225 color photos and a fabric and fiber dictionary.

And of course I am beyond thrilled that my Acrylic Sweater Knit Tunic is featured...where else...but on the "Acrylic" page (page 97 to be exact) of the "Fiber Content" section!

Not only does Claire show my garment and mention my name and Design Studio, (thrill! thrill! thrill!) she also references my line of custom Sewing Interfacing in the "Interfacing" section of the book and again among the source listings. As so many of you know, my interfacing can be found at ~Fashion Sewing Supply~

Thank-you SO much Claire...for writing such a wonderfully comprehensive book that will soon become a "MUST HAVE" in everyone's Sewing Library!

And Thank-you for including me...which truly is an honor!

Seven GREAT Blogs!

Lori...a most talented sewist who authors the very popular blog,
Girls In The Garden, has nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger Award.

I am delighted to be included among this group of very talented people...thank-you Lori!

Rules and Responsibilities--

1. Copy the award to your site.
2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.
3. Nominate 7 other bloggers.
4. Link to those on your blog.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominated.


So now....how do I just choose 7 blogs from among the many I enjoy? But choose I must, and here they are...in no particular order:

Ruth and Jessica at SEW CHIC

Liana at SEW INTRIGUING

Adriana at THE PRINCESS SEAM

Mardel at SEW DISTRACTED

Cennetta at THE MAHOGANY STYLIST

Faye at CUTTING EDGE DESIGNS

Erica at ERICA B's DIY STYLE

These wonderfully creative, stylish women are a constant source of inspiration...I highly recommend a visit to their sites!

BAN Boring BUTTONS !

There are so many interesting buttons available today. So why oh why do we see the same old boring, blah, ho-hum buttons on almost every shirt and blouse?

Economics is one answer. Large shirt manufacturers buy huge volumes of plain boring, ho-hum, blah buttons at an amazingly low cost, and therefore use them....over and over and over again.

Red buttons on a white dress shirt may not make the proper statement in the boardroom, but then again these days...who knows? The example photograph shows a mixed variety of buttons of different size and color against a background of glorious BLUE STRIPED Swiss Cotton shirting fabric.

Brown buttons with blue fabric? Why not? Pewter buttons? Fabulous! Feeling a little daring? Alternate white buttons with mottled gray/white buttons. Wooden buttons are such a wonderful unexpected detail.

Oh, you like white buttons? Well, so do I! So use white buttons but try using textured ones or buttons of a slightly larger than average size.

C'mon...take a walk on the creative side!

Sewing Notes: Buttons from Fashion Sewing Supply,
"Buttons by the Scoop"...check site for current offerings.

Shirts Against Isolation by Kateřina Šedá

From the pages of Trendletter at Fashion Office .org

Kateřina Šedá, Každej pes, jiná ves – Hemden, 2007. Courtesy Franco Soffiantino Arte Contemporanea, Turin

Shirts against Isolation Kateřina Šedá (born 1977 in Brno, lives in Brno and Prague) uses different media to initiate an artistic process. This exhibition presents several projects with installations, drawings, videos,... by the artist; one of these projects is titled after an Czech saying “Každej pes, jiná ves” (literally: “For every dog, a different village,” 2007). Šedá took an entire neighborhood as the object of her action, the “Plattenbau” concrete slab housing estate Nová Líšen in her hometown, Brno-Líšen, where the people live isolated from one another. Šedá produced 1000 shirts for 1000 households. She designed a pattern for the shirts showing the colorful concrete slab buildings in a repeating pattern - in the style of textile diamonds. She paired up the families according to a formalist diagram that she created, based on the ground plan of the development, and then sent each household a shirt “from” their partner family. Through this, Šedá sets in motion the possibility of a meeting, in which she is, however, not personally involved. She directs, but then withdraws, leaving things to take their course.

Read more about Katerina Seda here at the Exhibit Site

"Make These Shirts For Me!"

I opened my mail this morning to find these photos sent by one of my clients. These shirts are from the "Vivienne Westwood Man" collection.

(Click on photo to enlarge and see detail, use browser "Back Button" to return to Blog)

My client loves the funky look of these shirts (so do I), but wants me to "interpret" these styles to fit into his more conventional wardrobe.

This will be a fun assignment. I like many of the design details, but will lose the mismatched button/buttonholes while keeping the asymmetric shirt fronts with the V-shaped insets. Those funky back darts? Those will be going...going...gone! While cool for many I'm sure, they just look odd and rather contrived to me...or like a Home-Ec project gone way wrong!

Stay tuned for my shirt inspired by these designs....

A Man's Best Colors?

Wear your clothes, Don't let your clothes wear you!

While most women know their "best" colors...most men are in the dark about such color considerations. This article found on the Mens Fashion Tips site is a wonderful synopsis of color theory as it applies to men. In a clear and concise manner, the article gives a good overview of the concepts of blending clothing color to flatter the individual. Examples of contrast variations are given and examples shown. It's an article not to be missed by any man who cares about fashion and/or the women who dress them!

Oh My! New Shirting Fabric!

I get so excited when a new shipment of shirting fabrics arrives! The photo shows a few of the many shirt fabrics recently acquired from a few different vendors.

Many people ask me where they can find top-quality shirting fabrics. Let me share a few of my favorite sources.....






GORGEOUS THINGS , located in Massachusetts, is a wonderful place to find many high quality fashion fabrics at great prices , including many absolutely luscious shirtings!

The Philips Boyne Corporation , located in NY, specializes in selling fine shirting fabric. Check the website for their minimums, billing and shipping information.

HWA Seng Textile is located in Singapore and sells some of the finest shirt fabrics available anywhere in the world!

~Fashion Sewing Supply~ is the place to find Premium Quality Interfacing, designer shirt buttons, and more.

The Rocketeer!

A question was asked recently on one of the internet sewing discussion lists: Did anyone learn to sew using a 50's era Singer sewing machine?

Yep! I did! It's still my favorite machine....I use it every day.

The one pictured here is a model 503, nicknamed the Rocketeer because of it's (then) ultra modern design. My father bought it as a gift for my Mother, who loved the machine, but procalimed, "....Don't ever get me another household appliance as a gift again. " Mom was a diamond/silk kind of gal, and although a wonderful seamstress and tailor, she none the less considered a sewing machine as a needed household appliance, not a gift to be associated with romance. LOL!

Now her daughter on the other hand (that's me), would love if her husband (that's Roger), would get me a new TOL sewing machine for our upcoming 10th wedding anniversary...he has until June to gather my hints and link them all together.....

Want Fries With That?



So....McDonald's is looking for a hip designer to create new uniforms for its staff? Well I vote for Dries Van Noten! Wouldn't both boys and girls look spiffy in this little number?

I am rather insulted they didn't contact me...after all, I design with hemp..and we all know how hemp, in general, has the reputation for inducing hunger...or so I've heard.

Shirt "Mold" ...It ain't pretty!

Shirt "Mold"

Disclaimer: The poorly sewn shirt shown is from a department store, It is NOT one of the custom shirts from my studio !

It's sneaky, it's insidious.
Oh yes dear readers, it's another incident of ugly "shirt mold"! Shirt Mold? Well, not actually mold...but still ugly. Lint has collected between the folds of this shirt's front button-band. Because the fabric is thin and not of the best quality, the trapped lint makes it seem as if the shirt is soiled.

What can be done? A tailor or seamstress can top-stitch on either side of the buttonhole along the inner and outer edges of the front band. This will stop lint from collecting in the folds. Otherwise, you have no choice but to try to pick that ugly "shirt mold" out by hand.

To prevent this dreaded situation from ever happening again, BUY BETTER SHIRTS...or learn to make your own!

Vintage Pattern Drafts

These are vintage shirt patterns drafted circa 1940-1959. Notice the subtle shaping of the pattern pieces.