A Blue Shirt

Maybe I have enough shirts now?

January 2006

Explanation

Let's recap on the shirts I have made so far:

1. Starry Shirt - My first shirt
2. Light Blue Oxford - Attempt to see if I could make a "normal shirt
3. Gray - Try out a new pattern
4. Burgundy - Try out a third pattern
5. Aeon - Make a subtly costumy shirt
6. Red Pocket - Try making a heavier shirt with extra pocket

So, you can see that each one of those had some kind of ulterior motive behind it. The motive for this shirt was that I saw the fabric and decided that I really wanted a shirt that color. This marks the first time that I made a shirt for its own sake. That's not a big milestone, granted, but it's a milestone.

Materials

The fabric is a medium blue 65/35 polyester/cotton blend sold by Jo-Ann under the name "Symphony Broadcloth". The color makes it look kind of like a work shirt, but it's really very lightweight. The buttons are from the "Slimline" line from the Blumenthal Lansing Company. These buttons come six to a card for less than a dollar, which is a good buy. They're nothing fancy, but they're reasonable buttons and come in nice colors.

The Process

Again, I used the Kwik-Sew pattern for Men's Shirts (View A, Small) that I love so well. I made some minor variations to the pattern, though. I folded the facing on the left front to the inside, which makes the shirt a little dressier. I also stitched across the pocket beneath its facing, which is a detail I like on purchased shirts. I lengthened the sleeves by a half inch for comfort, and the collar stand by a quarter inch, which still wasn't enough. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.

I actually messed up a few things, but you'd have to examine the shirt pretty closely to find out what they are. I only mention it to demonstrate that sewing is more fault-tolerant than many people think.