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Mar 28, 2010

Chic Shirt Former Sheet of Shame!

 

Who would believe that just three days ago this garment was a discarded bed linen bearing the traces of unmentionable body fluids?

Quick: squint your eyes -- which is me and which is David Beckham?



 

(It's no wonder we're so often mistaken for one another!)

For those who are joining our story already in progress, you can fill in the blanks here and here.

From the humblest of humble origins -- just one step from the dump -- this shirt has already been out on the town with the famous Bloggettes, albeit sans cuffs.  I may also wear it today on a Lower East Side fabric hunt with my friend and fellow vintage sewing machine hoarder, the notorious Johanna.

Rest assured this garment is going to be laundered soon, preceded no doubt by a long Oxi Clean soak.  Only after reading your comments on Friday did I realize I may have already exposed myself to some scary dermatological conditions about which I was completely naive.  Please pray for me and my complexion.

I share the following photos with you not to boast, my friends, but rather to shore up a fragile ego.

Isn't this a pretty sleeve placket?



And how about this back pleat?



Honestly, I love this club collar thing.



This is how I'd intended to look on Friday.



I definitely want to make more of these shirts, which are so much snazzier than regular collared shirts, imo.

You can scroll through a whole album of me making this shirt here.  Maybe over coffee.

BTW, if that tie looks familiar, it's because it's the same one I wore 25 years ago to my brother's medical school graduation documented here.   (And to think they say if you wore it the first time around you're too old to wear it the second time around!)



Happy Sunday, everyone! 

(See you bright and early on the morrow.)

36 comments:

  1. Love your shirt! The placket is beautifully done.
    There's definitely a resemblance to David Beckham, even without squinting ... lol.
    Can you kick a curve ball like him??

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  2. How the heck do you DO this? That sleeve placket is fabulous! Love the collar!!

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  3. You look so handsome! Really beautiful work. I bet that fabric feels great too...in spite of whatever is living in it ... ;)

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  4. Peter, your work is just stunning and impeccable, to quote Tim Gunn.
    LOVE the club collar, might have to make myself one of those!!

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  5. Love the shirt - it's beautiful! You must have been an English tailor in a former life

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  6. I think I was Rip Taylor in a former life!

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  7. Wow! You look very smart in your shirt, Im very impressed!

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  8. Well done, Peter! Love the plackets and pleating on a beautifully constructed shirt. This is a work of art!

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  9. That placket is amazing! Such perfection.

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  10. Great looking shirt! I agree... the placket is impeccable!

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  11. The collar suits you very well. And I agree, the placket is beautiful!

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  12. FANTASTIC shirt! The placket and pleating look great! Love it with the argyle vest!

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  13. when people compliment you on that shirt (which they will, it's amazing) you can tell them how it was pieced together from a stained sheet! I like it that this shirt has a story attached.

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  14. Peter, you are an awesome sewist! The shirt is excellent, regardless of its origins.

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  15. Don't sell yourself short Peter. You are every bit as adorable as Beckham, without squinting. And I bet you have the better personality out of both of you. I mean, have you ever seen Posh smiling?

    Well done on the shirt. Your placket is amazing. And what a perfect match your new shirt is with the argyle sweater vest.

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  16. I continue to love it. You have every right to be proud.

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  17. Looking very sharp there, my friend!

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  18. Dang! If I looked that blindingly smashing I'd be wearing shades too!

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  19. You did such a great job on the shirt. I adore the collar style (I had never heard of a "club collar" before).

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  20. Lookin' good. You're rocking that collar.

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  21. What awesome workmanship - and the collar is fantastic. You look supa-HOT! PS: Good on you for rescuing the questionable bed sheet. It's very middle-ages. Back then, people weren't just going out to buy fabric on a whim. They were e-cycling. (Um, does it sound like I was just there on vacation??)

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  22. I agree with you about the collar. I think it's much nicer than a regular collar. I'm now on the lookout for a pattern. Your placket is perfect! I love plackets.

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  23. Handsome! I wish my lover were more tolerating of my sewing addiction (and fitting sessions) - I want to make him some dress shirts now. Perhaps I will need to settle and make myself one.

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  24. I gasped when I saw that placket. And then I think I had a quick rush of adrenaline. What I'm trying to say is that I had a visceral response to that sleeve placket.

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  25. Excellent shirt, Peter. Perhaps the DH (mine) would like that collar, although he's a little more conservative than you are.

    I do have one question about the vintage finds. My answer in your poll was "gloves-but proceed". Do you wash your finds when you get them home? That's probably a good idea, regardless of fabric source. Just curious, because you do dumpster dive...

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  26. Very nice, Peter! I would recommend more than just oxy, though--it works better in boiling water than warm or cool. It got out even blood stains, age spots, and an unidentified rusty stain without damaging the fabric. It even made a dent in motor oil that had been left sitting for months...

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  27. That is one superb shirt. David Beckham would be proud of you.

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  28. Your sewing skills are TOO FABULOUS! I mean it! Oh, and I am jealous but that's another story.

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  29. Your sewing skills really are impressive! It certainly makes me want to take the extra time to get those professional looking results. Whether or not I will is the question ;)

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  30. Great look, impressive skills. How do you do that? The sleeve placket looks impeccable, and you're relatively new to sewing. Did you use the bad parts of the sheets to sew 10 examples first? Just kidding, be proud of yourself with such great results.

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  31. Was this done with your new Singer 15-91? The stitch quality is very nice. Excellent work.

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  32. Oh, my goodness, I adore you! I just stumbled upon your blog from another, and am so happy I did. Old patterns are the best, and I love that you make clothes from old linens! I do the same thing, but my family all think I'm really weird for it - it's nice to receive a little bit of validation ; )

    And very cool shirt!

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  33. Love, love, love it!! Who knew that such a small change as a different collar could have such a large impact on a traditional men's shirt. Not I. And now I want one for my husband. Notice I didn't say I wanted to *make* one for him, I'd just like one to magically appear and for him to wear it. ;)

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  34. I LOVE your blog! I'm a fashion student currently exploring the wonderful world of menswear...and loving it!!!

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