V8889 Final Version -- Looking Good So Far!

I'm almost finished with my first real version of V8889 -- Vogue's latest men's shirt pattern -- and after tracing the original and adding my changes, I think I've come up with a version that fits me well.



I'm using an old white cotton shirting remnant from an earlier project.  It's thin -- better for a summer shirt than a winter one, so I opted for short sleeves (plus I didn't want to invest a lot of time in sleeve plackets if the shirt wasn't going to fit).

As you can see above (and below) the back is looking much, much better.   Here it is with sleeves.





An improvement on the purple muslin, wouldn't you say?



Here's how I changed the pattern:

1) I added 2/8" to the edges of the mid and lower back (I didn't want to widen the upper back) and made a similar alteration to the side back piece.





2) I raised the armhole and narrowed the underarm area, taking 2/8" from the edges of the side back and side front pieces.  I also narrowed the sleeve width and raised the outer edge accordingly -- these are subtle changes.



3) The top of the yoke got narrowed 1" on each side, and the upper back, left front and right front pieces were graded to match it so it's a gradual curve.



None of these changes is huge, but it's enough to make the shirt fit me much better.  Now all I need to do is add my shorter collar band and collar, then hem the sleeves, the bottom, and add buttons and buttonholes.  I may save all that for another day!

I'm very pleased with the shirt so far and I actually didn't mind making those alterations -- it's good practice in fitting, which is not something I often do.

Maybe tomorrow I'll be ready for the V8889 shirt reveal!

Have a great day, everybody!