Hey
everyone!
Before the big fancy party for New
Year’s is going to start, at least somewhere - definitively not here, I don’t get
the whole forced happiness that comes along with starting a new calendar - I’d
like to show you my most favorite shirt of 2014. And from pattern purchase to
blogging it took almost all of 2014.
It’s burda style No. 122-012014 and
it was on the cover of this year’s January issue (in combination with a hat,
hence my choice). Normally I feel a bit ‘meh’ about the patterns burda chooses
to put on their cover but this time I was really smitten. I have a massive
thing for stripes in whatever direction they are going.
I chose to copy more or less their
version, there is a chance my dark stripes are navy and theirs are black, and
bought a soft pure cotton interlock jersey in navy and white in March.
Around June I actually found the
time to trace the pattern (oh burda, I love and I hate you) and cut the fabric.
I traced a 38 on top and a 40 around the hips, both sizes are slightly smaller
than my measurements but so far this has worked out fine for me. The tiny
stripes of the fabric where doing funny things to my brain while being spread
across my dining table. But nevertheless I managed to match almost all seams
that could be matched. Despite the amount of gathers the shirt was assembled
fast. At first I used my regular sewing machine - so much easier for stripe
matching - and switched to my overlock afterwards.
The neckline is a bit wider
than the original, totally not on purpose. But my first attempt to finish the
neckline with a stripe of jersey ended very wavy.
Since there was no chance to unpick the lightning bold stitch without damaging the fabric, out came the scissors. Next time I went very slowly and it worked out fine. The gathered parts are stabilized with some narrow twill tape.
Since there was no chance to unpick the lightning bold stitch without damaging the fabric, out came the scissors. Next time I went very slowly and it worked out fine. The gathered parts are stabilized with some narrow twill tape.
But then it sat a while to be
hemmed. I own a convertible overlocker/coverlock maschine. In general a good
idea and it takes only a tiny amount of time to switch between the two modes.
But every single time I think it’s a good idea to accumulate a few shirts for
hemming while in reality it would be better if I hemmed every shirt on its own
because otherwise it will take a few weeks or even months before I can actually
wear them. Maybe now that I have written it out I will remember.
I hemmed it in August right before
our summer vacation and it even got worn in Denmark. I’m always nervous when
hemming stripes because the stripes point out uneven stitching very easily. But
by coincidence the width of the stripes was the same than the distance of the
needles and the stitching blends in almost invisibly.
Fit-wise it turned out fine, but the
gathers in the back tend to ride up to the small of my back. Path of least
resistance I’d say. But I can totally life with that.
Unfortunately the fabric is already
starting to pill a bit, always a bummer when this happens but it is still my most
favorite piece of 2014.
Can you spot the seamline? |
So far I have no idea how to perform a sway back adjustment on a pattern piece shaped like this. |
I have a bit of catching up to do
about my makes from the last two months but that will happen in 2015.
See you next year, have a good one,
Kat