Saturday, September 08, 2007

Calico Shirt

Calico shirt on clothesline

I got my sewing projects out yesterday. Last spring, I'd gotten so tired of drafting patterns, testing them, altering them, trying them again, and again, and again, that I put everything away for a while. Yesterday, I sewed up this little calico shirt I'd already cut out. It's my oft-revised version of Jalie 2322, "Women's Shirt."

Jalie pattern 2322: Women's Shirt

In its current form, I've narrowed the shoulders, added a full-bust adjustment, lengthened the sleeves, substituted in a favorite cuff pattern from an out-of-print Kwik-Sew shirt pattern, moved all the darts, and shortened the body. No wonder I got tired of alterations. It fits pretty well, although the real test is to wear it a few times, wash and iron it. If I still like it, I'll be in business. I can make any number of style alterations to the basic shape if the fit is good. I can even size it up a bit and make a blazer of it.

Faux French cuff

This is a faux-French cuff that I find more comfortable to wear than a real one.

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