Work is progressing smoothly on the Cocoa Beach shirt. I supposed it's true of all sewing, but the more shirts one makes the easier it gets. I just sort of blow right through things that used to leave me either scratching my head trying to figure out, or just plain paralyzed with fear. I did [...]
Blog posts
Moving along. The Cocoa Beach Shirt
Readers, I'm postponing the photo shoot for Victorian shirt #2 until next week. I desperately need a haircut which can't happen until the 27th. I know the post is really about the shirt, but looking the way I do, I'll want to crop my head out of every shot. Please bear with me. In the [...]
My worst day of sewing ever!
Today was one rough day for Victorian shirt #2. It hurts just to think of it. Things actually started out well, but spiraled out of control. I drafted a pattern for the doubled back cuff based on an idea from David Coffin's book. The cuff flairs out a bit from where it attaches to the [...]
Sewing between chapters of The Count of Monte Cristo
Readers, my Christmas gift to myself this past year was an Amazon Kindle. There are some features that could be improved, but I can honestly say that I totally love it. For the past couple of weeks I've been reading the unabridged version of The Count of Monte Cristo. Hands down this is the most [...]
Victorian Shirt – Round 2. Simplifying the placket?
I'm really pleased with how the purple Victorian shirt turned out. There are still some things, however, that could use some tweaking. I think while the construction is fresh in my mind, this is the time to make another. So here goes. My major goal with this version is to simplify the front bib and [...]
Great stuff in the mailbox
You know it's going to be a great day when you find 11 yards of fabric crammed into your mailbox! Denver Fabrics was offering free shipping, so I figured it was a good time to pick up more shirting fabric. I probably saved about $13. Admittedly, DF doesn't have the greatest photos on their [...]
The Victorian shirt…..fini!
It's a wrap. The Victorian shirt, Folkwear #202, is done. I'm sorry for the poor quality of the photos. It was a very dreary day here in Maine, so the combination of low light and a very dark purple shirt made it difficult. Still, wearing this shirt makes me feel like a king! The fabric [...]
Today’s mail bag
I'm anxiously awaiting the mail these days because I have Etsy treasures en route. I thought I'd share what came today. The new LL Bean Signature catalog. Oh, Baby, this ain't your grandfather's LL Bean. My head is still spinning. Thirty pages of the most outrageously overpriced clothes to ever come out of Freeport, Maine. You [...]
Things that have come in the mail
Sadly, there hasn't been much sewing going on here lately. The victorian shirt is essentially complete, just waiting for buttons. The selection at JoAnn's is pretty dismal, especially when one has been spoiled by the garment district in NYC where there are entire stores devoted to buttons. Unfortunately, there aren't any trips to the city [...]
Shirtmaking — How slow can you go?
It's amazing how much precision sewing goes into even the cheapest RTW man's shirt. I'm sure there are all sorts of special machines and feet that create the various seams. Nonetheless, the craftsmanship is pretty amazing, especially when you're trying to re-create that level of exactness on a home sewing machine. It's been awhile since [...]
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