Readers,
For me, one of the pleasures of making a shirt is not having to squint and keep finding my place in the instructions. Many shirts ago I realized I could put instructions for all the separate parts on index cards and exercise much more freedom in the construction sequence. If I’m in a pocket mood I flip to the pocket card for reminders of a neat trick or two to making one. Same for plackets, sleeves, and so forth.
If I devise a better technique I can replace one card rather than scribble in the margin of the instructions.
Monday I cut out all the pieces. I was glad this wasn’t a plaid so there wasn’t all that matching business this go-round. (I continue not to feel very industrious.)
What I did next was all standard procedure:
- Made a pocket and attached to the left front.
- Pressed in the long edges of the front band and edgestitched it to the right front.
- Made pleats in the back, then sandwiched it between the yokes and stitched the seam. Pressed seam, graded seams, pressed yokes up.
Forgive me–I think I just reached a new low for sewing blog-writing (as I suppress a yawn).
However, it is so gratifying to get these simple parts done and see a shirt taking shape from what was so recently yardage. And the next step is, to my structural visualization-deficient eyes, anyway, rather magical.
I learned a nifty technique from shirtmaking teacher Steve Pauling for neatly and accurately enclosing the fronts in the yoke seams. I’m not sure this is his invention, but I learned it in one of his shirtmaking classes. I know so few sewing tricks, I feel triumphant every time I perform this one.
In my notes I wrote “It will look weird. If it doesn’t, it’s wrong.”
Now stand back and admire what you hath wrought. Nice!
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Wow…no need to be “forgiven”! Those are the best instructions/pictures I have seen on this yoke technique. Definitely will give it a go on the next shirt. I’m liking the index card idea too. We must think alike. I have been sewing my own clothes since I was 9 years old and still like the instructions right in front of me for all projects . I always get a kick out of the people that love to claim they never look at instructions. In fact, it’s fun to read the instruction sheets on the vintage patterns. Will use your card idea too!! So see…yawn or no yawn…your blog is informative!
Thank you, Marguerite! I need instructions, whether written by others or, in many cases, rewritten by me so I can understand them. And, index cards: a favorite tool of mine, as you will see.