Directional Fabrics Are Challenging!

I am enjoying working with my mint and gray paisley a lot.  But it has presented some challenges.

The large paisley motif is on a diagonal, so I have had to be careful about how I cut my fabric.



The fact that my shirt will have a covered button placket makes things a little bit more complicated, but not much, since the center front of the shirt will still be in the same place.

Since I know where the center front will lie on both front pieces, and that there will be 3/4" of fabric beyond it (from the CF to the front edge), I can figure out where break in the design is going to happen and how to cut my pieces so that the design will be continuous when I lap the left front over the right front to button the shirt.

The width of the left front button placket (1 1/2") is the same amount that the right front will be covered when the shirt is buttoned (and the two center fronts are aligned).

I want the paisley motifs to look like this, maintaining the diagonal:



 And not like this:



I am happy to say that it worked out fine.



On the sleeve placket, I decided not to try to match the paisley at all.  It's not a very visible part of the shirt.



The seam connecting the back and the back yoke is curved, but the curve is only on the back piece and not the yoke (to accommodate a sloping shoulder adjustment).  I decided to match the motif that's most prominent (the one closest to the center) and forget about the rest, since they can't match perfectly.



Another challenge is that the paisley design motif is directional: it has a clear up and down.  The heart shape must come to a point at the bottom, and not the other way around.

I thought I'd made two beautiful cuffs until I finished topstitching them and realized they were upside down.  I'll have to make another pair tomorrow.  Pity.



I haven't cut the collar or collar stand yet; I'm still deciding what shape I want for the collar -- maybe a rounded (club) collar this time.  I also think I'm going to shape the bottom of the shirt so it has traditional shirt tails, as opposed to a straight-across hem.

In closing, if you have any great pattern-matching tips, I'd love to hear them (and I bet others would to).

Speaking of which, I remembered I'd made this plaid Pendleton wool shirt the very first year I started sewing.  I'm still surprised I was able to pull this off. 







I wouldn't want to have to face a plaid like that today.

Have a great day, everybody!

May Sewing Projects in the Pipeline

Readers, I can't believe it's almost May -- in part because today's weather feels like March.

Nonetheless, the calendar tells me May is just around the corner, which means it's time to plan my May sewing projects.

I can almost guarantee you that May will be 100% lace-free.  Instead I see paisley, lots of paisley.



I have to make a final shirt for my Menswear Sewing class (which ends in three weeks) and, as I think I mentioned already, I'm going to use this delicate minty green and gray cotton paisley.  Is this true Liberty of London or a copy at 1/3 the price?  I'm not sure; not even Professor B. could tell me.  I may try to cut my shirt today and start sewing it on the industrials at school.  That's really where we're supposed to be sewing our projects.

I hope to finish my mother's robe before the weekend and also start my next Mood project, which right now is looking like it's going to be a men's suit done in cotton denim using one of the two fabrics below, or perhaps both in combination. 





I also think it's time for a Cathy project -- Michael reminded me she hasn't had a new frock since last November.  Maybe this vintage 30's Simplicity summer suit?  (I sense a theme here.)



Finally, I am loving my new 1952 Simplicity French back boxers -- I'm wearing them for the second time this week (with a machine washing in-between) and I would like to whip up another pair, maybe with the remaining paisley, assuming there is enough fabric left after my shirt is done.

That sounds like plenty of sewing for one month to me and I hope you agree.

OK, time to cut the paisley...

Have a great day, everybody!

Vintage Lunchbox Score + Mom Tries on the Robe!

WHAT are Freddy and Willy sniffing so intently?



Any guesses?

Here are some hints:









If you guessed a vintage original 1967 "Campus Queen" lunchbox -- you are CORRECT!





I am betting at least a few of you owned this lunchbox once upon a time or secretly longed for one.  On the back was a board game you played with magnetic pieces (of which one was still in the box).





This was a total impulse purchase at the flea market this morning, but for $5 I couldn't resist (no thermos, of course).  I can always store notions in it -- or something.

Sad news about the flea market: the entire garage (the two-level indoor flea market space spanning 24th and 25th Streets) has been purchased by Marriott -- presumably to become another "budget" hotel -- and is scheduled to close at the end of May.  Where will I find my treasures?

In other news, I wasn't able to finish my mother's robe yesterday, but I had enough completed for her to try on today at lunch.  The fit is good and she seems to like it.  It still needs closures, facings, and a collar.  It's a heavy cotton pique.

Here she is looking eerily like Aimee Semple McPherson.





I hope to finish the robe this week and there are lots of other projects in the pipeline.  I know I owe you a review of my last menswear sewing class but I might combine it with a review of next Tuesday's class, since we're mainly going over things we've already learned.

Have a great day, everybody!

Any vintage lunchbox collectors out there?

French Back Boxers REVEAL or "Half-Naked Again"

Yes, that's me up top.  (I think my mother still has that Tonka steam shovel somewhere.)

Friends, if you hadn't seen me in my underwear six hundred times already, today might be more exciting than it is. 

What is exciting -- to me at least -- is that I've finally found a vintage men's boxers pattern that works for me: not too baggy, not too high-waisted (after minor alterations) and not too wacky looking.



The pattern is Simplicity 4149, which dates from 1952.



Like all French back boxer patterns, this one has a two-sided waistband.  The right side passes through a hole in the left side and then both sides button, making the boxers adjustable.





I decided to make a bound buttonhole for the waistband to pass through (my first).  It's definitely more substantial than a regular buttonhole would be.



On the inside the hole looks like this -- all the edges are cleanly finished.



There are also two buttons on the front waistband.



Yesterday, MPB reader Sharon asked what the purpose is of the rear panel (as opposed to a center back seam).  I think the idea is that the panel is less likely to creep into one's you-know-what.  It looks fuller than it is; many boxers are still cut this way.







The back panel is gathered beneath the waistband and there are two pleats on either side in front -- nice details that help make these special.



BTW, you can still find these at Brooks Brothers for just $30.  I say "just" because they're a lot of work.

And that's it!

I spent too long today working on that mint-colored pique robe for my mother, who's coming for lunch tomorrow.  I'd hoped to have it finished but I don't think I'm going to; I need to buy a long separating zipper.   I'll have something for her to try on at least.

Have a great day, everybody!

P.S.  If you're interested in making these or similar French back boxers, check out eBay and Etsy (search under "men's vintage boxers pattern") -- there are quite a few for sale as of today.

Back to Boxers!

When I'm between big projects, I always enjoy returning to something that's relatively uncomplicated: men's underwear.  Who can't use more of that?

I've had Simplicity 4149, a men's "shorts" pattern dating from 1952, in my stash for a while now.  I just never got around to using it.







As you know, I'm a big fan of so-called French boxers -- the kind with the yoke that buttons at the front fly, and in back along the (adjustable) waistband.  I've already made two versions, McCall's 4474, which dates from 1941 and Simplicity 1960, which dates from 1945.













To be honest, the McCall's pattern was a little too baggy and the Simplicity was a little too tight. But this new Simplicity seems just right so far.  I took a full 3" out of the rise.  Call me crazy, but I don't like when underwear goes up to my armpits.





Boxers like these take time to make, as the construction is more complicated than regular elastic-waist underwear.  But I find them comfortable and actually wear them.



My fabric is leftover striped shirting from years ago.  Perhaps you recognize it.  I made a shirt for Michael out of it as well as underwear (the elastic-waistband kind) for me.

I'd forgotten about Michael's 70's pornstar phase.

I bought a lot of that cotton shirting (back in the $2/yd. phase of my sewing career).  I'm kind of sick of it, but for underwear, it's perfect.




I intend to finish these tomorrow and if I'm feeling fit may even model them.

In closing, what do you like to sew when you're not ready to tackle something major but still want to whip a little something up just for the fun of it?

Oh, before I forget: great news for those of you who hate filling out those Captcha numbers when you leave a comment on this blog.  You do not have to copy the numbers in the little box; just the longer line of numbers (usually wavy in shape).  Does that make sense?  I know it's still a PITA, but at least this makes the process a little easier.  Tell me if it doesn't work for you.

Have a great day, everybody!