New Shirts, New Fabrics, Not For Me

 Doug wants a new shirt

Doug went to New York with the bride and they went to Mood

Doug brought home fabrics and buttons.

Took new measurements, they aren't much different than three years ago

and traced off new pattern (because I just can't find the old one) from Simplicity 7030, mixing Small Medium and Large pieces

His wrists are smaller than mine, and he's a foot taller. Go figure.

The other shirt will have the long sleeves and cuffs (roll-up able)

Checking length - I traced the entire pattern this time, for future reference.

 Checking seams on the floor (also walking the armsceye)

Sewing action shots: 

the obligatory sewing the yoke/burrito facing roll

And a partial unfurl

Buttons. I like these better on this shirt, but I'm not the boss here

These are the buttons for the other shirt, but the same size. SO I trimmed one of the buttons down for the collar, just to see if it would work.

I need to reshape the sleeve. It should not tent out like that.

Needs a little more in the back. 

And he seems pretty happy with it.

The black buttons look fine. I will figure out how to work on that sleeve tenting out like that.

If you work with me and were wondering what the entire box of cookies I got for this work had in it:

Because the ex ate half of them overnight before I could bring them all in.

Sweater Remodel Number Christmas

You can alter an intarsia knit sweater. Really.

You pick the seams apart, and it's hard to see and very boring. I unraveled enough of the collar to have enough to sew it back on after altering, and I'm glad I did: yarn has more flex than thread, and why go look for more when I have more right here?

My fashion neck line template, which I thread traced

I did this before with an Edgar Allan Poe sweater from Archie McPhee's and it's held up well. Also lighter so you can see the details better on it than the present project.

The body has a little extra from where I moved the armseye down and did not want to cut into the knit on the vertical. It feels fine with this extra flap in the armpit.

I just trimmed off the cuff and rolled the edge up and secured it. I push my sleeves up a lot, and left cuffs off the sweaters I had knit for myself before.

The Interior of the neck line has held up very well.

And here's the exterior front

The yarn is not cotton. It's also not itchy, and it hasn't shrunk or needed blocking, so it's absolutely perfect.

So here's the shoulder/neckline of Santa Abe in process

And then you cut off the extra. It worked on the Poe, it will work here. I do two rows of stitching before I cut it though.

I am attaching the collar by hand,in this photo picking up the stitches and putting them on a waste yarn in a contrasting color on the open side to tack them down.

Test to make sure it's going to fit over your head

Not quite

...and you can buy your own....

https://mcphee.com/collections/clothing-accessories/products/santa-lincoln-sweater

or

https://mcphee.com/collections/clothing-accessories/products/edgar-allan-poe-sweater

 

Fashion Doll Stylist Goes To See Thierry Mugler

 https://fashiondollstylist.blogspot.com/2021/12/thierry-mugler-couturissime.html

Oh just go read this and look at all the beautiful photos

Put a Hood On It: Or maybe not.

I am not sewing for me right now. I have a lot of work, and much of it paid because I like living indoors and eating. So I am going through the blog posts I started and finishing them up. I have a couple of hundred of orphans, and my hair is going to change color in them. LIKE MAGIC.

I made this short robe for Son from an Ikea duvet cover (as one does)

So I took some measurements off the original and did some mathing

And then I gave it a hood.

Oooookay.

This was more a 'do ya think this could work?' exercise in sewing. I cut my hair shorter and shorter, and I don't turn the heat up very high in my house, so the back of my neck gets cold. Not the front.

So, hoodies. And it would be nice to have a hoody for work that isn't advertising something else than my organization. And we don't have a hoody.

Shame.

So I was looking at how the facing/collar works on this jacket and ...well, when you are into something (hoods), you want to put them on everything?

The continuous front/neck facing is twice the height of the body plus the width of the opening, sewn all the way around in one go. It's doubled in width, to fold over that edge.

 So, if I were to add the hood, I'd be extending those facings (and adding a piece at the back for the head width).

I think you're always better with a higher hood than what I'm mentioning here. You could measure your whole head height from shoulder to shoulder over your head. That is why the tape measure is flexible, right?

I try to make muslins I don't want to keep (I got too attached to makes that were almost good enough, and I wouldn't bother to take it further). I make parts of stuff; when I know what works, I just work on the part I'm unsure of. Get enough to get a good proof of concept before I commit to the fancy fabric.

This might not have been the best choice for this project, but it did work for the toile. I can't even remember what this sample fabric was for. I don't buy grey stuff much (even if it is delicious).

This kinda works. Hood should be deeper...

My ultimate fabric choice is a Kokka knit, semi deep stash, 40" wide.

Hug Snug as a seam finish (preventer of future stretching) at the shoulder/neck seam.

Oooh. Sewing.

Awkward selfie before the sleeves, with derp face.

Now, looking back, this is the point where I should have put sleeves on the muslin. 

The original does not have a hood, and it hangs fine.

The finished item has a hood, and it is less than pleasing, at least in this version, with these proportions and this fabric.

So I took off the hood.

Better.

Now if the black was actually black. Next to black, it's kind of green.