Sewing for Friends Continues: the Doug Edition

Doug's beloved Pendleton silk aloha shirt had run it's course. And the idea of making a new shirt for him has percolated for a long time.

That shirt has been hovering on the rack in the back of a lot of photos.

The black floral on the rack.

It's time came this spring.

I took a million photos of fabric in stores (redacted here for brevity).

We shopped the stash. The red cowgirls almost made the cut, but the barkcloth is too heavy for this.

We went to the store. Pacific Fabrics is open after work so this stuff can get done.

He chose the Japanese double gauze. 

The measurements were taken, a style was agreed on. A pattern was dug out and altered.

I may have four thrifted copies of this one pattern, Simplicity 5581. The bucket hat is lost to time, sadly, but the cargo shorts (not pictured) found their way into another envelope. 

Kind of a "one stop shopping for summer" pattern set. To add to the envelope space crunch, both mens and boys sizes are included. And they never all make it back into the envelope when you take them out - they just expand.

But this photo made me really look at the stripe option for the first time. Huh.

That could be very cool. 

Because there is not going to be a chest pocket.

This is where I admit to you, dear reader, that double gauze looks really frumpy to me, and no more so than with topstitching.

You know the classic 70's topstitch with the deep trench of thread, compacting the puffy fabric and giving that fat sloppy edge?

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK
this image taken from
http://kathyloghry.blogspot.com/2016/08/thats-so-70s-pantsuit.html

This is also whyI hate hate hate stretch denim patch pockets. They always look dodgy to me. Same reason.

And IG followers will notice that a lot of the inprogress questions were resolved on that platform.

So it did, indeed, get a front and a sleeve turned.

After all that, it's just a men's shirt.

Buttons auditioned. Still can't find those white pearl buttons.

The one in the lower left is from a huge set (20?) that looks like clear yellow plastic with straw bits. They don't go with anything, but they always get another audition.

One good thing about double gauze is you can catch stitch through one layer to secure the facings or the hem.

And it does not show. 

I hate my buttonholes.

I want one of these dedicated buttonholers from the dry cleaners. Or I want them to make my buttonholes for me.

I did grade out a lot of the seams (lotta layers in double gauze, awfully lumpy). 

As well, I did fake flat seam the side seams.

Which are easily hand sewn down.

And it's a shirt.