I decided to sew Michael a shirt for his birthday, coming up soon. I chose Butterick 4712, one of my favorite vintage shirt patterns. I made version "A" -- the long-sleeve blue shirt -- but without the epaulets.
Last week I made this Western shirt intending it for Michael, but I was using a pattern I hadn't used before and even though it was also a 36" chest, it didn't fit Michael well in the shoulders. So I kept it for myself.
I decided to use the striped print on the lower right, part of my $2-per-yard stash. It's actually very nice cotton shirting.
Sides, back, and yokes attached, pockets (barely visible) on.
Michael tries it on as it takes shape.
Sleeves on, now needs cuffs, buttons and hemming.
The back looks OK.
Now with cuffs.
Close-up of pocket topstitching.
Close-up of left collar point.
I used these old buttons Michael had bought at a street fair in Chelsea. I would have chosen light buttons, but hey, it's HIS shirt.
Close-up of cuff.
This is the collar band at the edge of the right collar. One of my better collar bands.
One of the sleeve plackets. I used David Coffin's method for making that little "house" shape at the top and it helped a lot: he basically just folds the top over like you would a paper airplane and folds that side back again, if that makes sense.
Close-up of collar, now with buttons. In retrospect I wish I'd used a stiffer interfacing on the collar and collar band; I used knit interfacing for some reason and it's a little soft on the finished shirt. That's my neck you're looking at -- it fits Michael's much better.
Button.
I used an old high-shank rolled-hem foot that came with my old Necchi 555 -- wider than the snap-on one I used on my plaid wool shirt -- and it worked much better.
Finished shirt from the back. No pleats on this pattern. I also decided to re-cut the bottom so it was curved like a regular shirt, rather than straight and with side vents, as the pattern calls for.
The finished shirt.
Front view.
The soft-focus glamour shot.
My Singer buttonhole attachment makes some nice buttonholes.
Button placket.
I overcast the arm scyes and topstitched the seam against the torso side.
Cuff.
Collar.
Enough already, right?
Arm scye. I only did this because I was very anxious about having enough room in the shoulders so though I cut for 5/8 seam allowance I tried to use as little of it as possible. I prefer a flat-felled or French seam.
French seams on sides of sleeves and torso.
More hem shots.
The high shank rolled-hem foot I used.
Except for those hems and attaching buttons, I did this job on my 3/4-size wonder. Thank you, Singer Spartan!
And speaking of 3/4 size: this is MY present for sewing Michael's present. Should arrive next week. Keep your fingers crossed.
