Apr 16, 2013

A Second Stab at Vogue 8889: The Butter Shirt



Having taken a hiatus for a couple of weeks, readers, it is time to start sewing again!

There are two garments I want to complete this week: long white linen pants and a butter-colored (or is it Parkay?) cotton short-sleeve shirt.



For the shirt, I've decided to take another crack at V8889, the new Vogue men's shirt pattern.  (You can read some reviews of it here.)  The first time I sewed it I redrafted it, you'll recall, so that it was narrower in the shoulders and wider in the waist and hips (I'd originally cut a 34" even though my normal size is 36").  The final version, white cotton with a contrasting inner collar, came out cute but a bit snug in the upper chest (pecs, you know).  Good thing it's a summer shirt because I can't button the top button without pull lines appearing.



This time I decided to add a little width all around by using a 1/2" seam allowance on my six side seams (side, side back, and side front) instead of 5/8".  If my math is correct, that means a difference of 1.5" total extra ease.  As a result the shirt is a bit looser, while still relatively fitted.





I cut my back yokes on the bias.  The pattern has you cut the yokes parallel to the selvage, but there's a gentle curve at the top of the back and it's very difficult to ease the back if it's cut that way; there's no give.  I think last time I cheated by eliminating most of the curve at the top of the back where it attaches to the yoke, making the back very flat.

I decided to do the inside collar in gray cotton shirting, both for contrast and so I won't worry so much about ring around the collar.  When I topstitched around the outer collar, I used yellow thread on top and put gray thread in my bobbin.







Can I say a word about this cotton fabric?  It's subtly satiny on the right side (even after laundering; it's not just a glaze) and the texture is almost like very thin flannel, i.e., brushed.  It's super soft to the touch but harder to work with than regular men's shirting -- it's more pillowy.  The stitches really sink into the fabric too, making it extremely difficult to pick out the odd stitch when necessary.



I did true flat-felled seams on the armholes, but the side seams are simply serged (the seam allowances I mean) and stitched down.





Here's a peek at the finished collar -- I'm saving the big reveal for an upcoming photo shoot when I'll wear it with my linen pants -- at least that's the plan.  My favorite feature of V8889 is the covered front button band -- very elegant and minimalist.  It's actually easier to make than the uncovered band!







That's all for today, friends.  I do hope your sewing projects are going swimmingly.

In closing, what are your thoughts about butter?  When I was growing up everybody I knew thought margarine was better for you, but I've since switched to butter and never looked back.  Who needs all those additives?

Have a great day, everybody!

Summer colors...

50 comments:

  1. Loving that concealed button band! Looking forward to the big reveal!

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  2. That first picture actually looks like a lump of butter... I prefer the real deal too, as with most things. The trick is to moderate your consumption of things that are bad for you!

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  3. I'm surprised I haven't heard more about fitting pecs. I sewed for a dance school and one of the blokes I was sewing a costume had very well developed pecs. I had trouble fitting (retro-fitting, actually) his costume until I decided that he needed the equivalent of a bust dart (from the neckline) to accommodate his pecs.

    PS I'm a butter fan too.

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  4. Don't reduce the class of you shirt by calling it anything but butter! Love the color.

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  5. excellent work,congratulations,eviv

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  6. I was a butter fan before it turned out I couldn't have any milk products...
    I like your shirt though! No allergic responses in that area. It's so impressive how you seem to whip everything together! (And it looks fabulous!)

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  7. Being French I have been raised on butter and I think your buttery shirt is yummy !
    I really love that grey with it too
    Well done .

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  8. Definitely butter! What a nice shirt. I love the front band. Takes the shirt up a notch for sure. ~Teri

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  9. Oh my gosh, really well done. I'm so impressed. Years ago I created men's shirts for a few friends and used Pendleton wool. I lined the areas of the shirt that would itch. I'm certain their wool has softened up a bit by now.

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  10. Gray cotton for the inside collar was brilliant! Only butter in this house!

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  11. Butter is better! I love covered button bands--so elegant.

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  12. I am a fan of butter too - there is nothing like the flavor of really fresh butter!

    The grey collar band is beautiful, and I'm slightly jealous of your lovely soft cotton.

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  13. Beautiful shirt. Only butter in this house. My mother felt that margarine was fake and bad for you; it turns out that she was right.

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  14. I prefer butter. And it is the perfect "summer" yellow! The shirt looks great, as always!

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  15. I love the summer butter color, but I recently gave up butter and margarine and switched to just brushing on olive oil....not quite the same, but much healthier in combination with a lot of other positive diet changes!

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  16. It's a lovely color for you and it's a really nice shirt. If I wasn't lactose intolerant I'd eat butter too.

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  17. Lovely summer color, and the covered button band makes the lines look smoother and sleeker. It sounds wonderfully soft too.

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  18. Dang Peter, that shirt looks great! Nice work. I love the butter color and the gray undercollar, and as a matter of fact I love butter. Nothing can beat the delectable taste and bouquet of high quality cultured butter on fresh bread.

    If you haven't tried making your own cultured butter with cream from pastured cows, it is a fun experience and also very tasty. You can culture the cream with buttermilk (if it has live culture), then churn in any number of ways. The butter is great, and the buttermilk can be used up for pancakes, cornbread, etc.

    Here is some cultured butter my kids and I made last summer to use for pie crusts:
    http://tooling-up.blogspot.com/2012/07/homemade-creme-fraiche-butter.html

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  19. LOVE butter -- at least I know what it is, instead of Mystery-Proprietary-Chemical-Concoctions -- and yes, I KNOW it's not butter! ;-)

    I also love your attention to detail in your sewing. The gray inside the collar is interesting. Question: Does the gray show through the yellow from the front, or does that not matter because the collar folds down over it? Or did you underline the gray with something that prevents show-through?

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    1. The yellow outer collar stand has a layer of similarly-colored fabric serving as interfacing, but that was more to make it sturdier. I don't think the gray would have shown through unless I held it up to the light.

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  20. Pale yellow and white are a marvelous summer combination, although my memory is that you've got to be either very fastidious or very lucky to wear white trousers in Manhattan (pale yellow shirts are easier, though, as they stay fresh-looking longer than white, often).

    As for butter, well obviously. The Mister and I are on something of a health kick, and processed foods and food-products were the first to go. We feel better and pounds are melting away.

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  21. Butter, butter, butter! For all the reasons listed above. And I love your shirt. It seems like everything you sew is done effortlessly and well.

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  22. Oh butter is always better, and your shirt is as beautiful as a saucer of clotted cream! Did you reduce the s.a on the sleeves as well?

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  23. I like this shirt a lot Peter, very classy,especially the grey inner collar and button band. There was no alternative to butter when I was little, then in the 80's everybody went margarine crazy. My philosophy now is butter or nothing. I'd rather go without than taste margarine again. As well as the ghastly taste, they also have the worst brand names, the most ridiculous in the UK being 'I can't believe it's not butter'! I rest my case. x

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    1. Yeah, we've got that brand in the U.S. as well. I call it, "I really CAN believe it's not butter."

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  24. very impressive; love the collar detail

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  25. Love the shirt, and live for real butter. If you ever get a chance to try Beurre Echire, it's amazing.

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  26. The shirt looks amazing! I love the contrasting inner band. The covered placket is a nice touch too. For the benefit of your newer readers I also want to recommend your shirt sewalong from a couple years back. I refer to it each time I make a shirt. Your method of attaching the collar and stand is the BEST out there.

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    1. After all this racket about the hidden placket, is it all in a fold, or more how you tack it?

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    2. It's basically a wide double fold that's then folded back in half, if that makes sense.

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  27. I love the butter color and the shirt looks great.

    I had used margarine all my life but then a few years ago I started seeing articles that said real butter might not be as bad for you as margarine. I don't necessarily believe every silly health article I read, they change their minds every few years anyway, but I thought, "Why not?" I like the idea of using "the real thing" whether it's polyester vs. cotton or margarine vs. butter. Then more recently I discovered Land o'Lakes "light" butter, which is real butter mixed with canola oil and that's what I use now. I like it mainly because it's spreadable.

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  28. This color is one of my favorites, flattering and a great neutral. The shirt looks so well made, Peter. Can't wait to see the entire outfit. I, too, think you are ambitious to wear white pants, but maybe you are not the slob I am! We eat nothing but butter, olive oil, grapeseed oil, and coconut oil at my house. Good fats are good for you.

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  29. Have tried to post 3 times. Here's the short version: shirt looks good, despite fit issues you pointed out. Sew only one yoke on bias. Shouldn't need bias grain to ease in back. Probably a pattern making issue.

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  30. I occasionally eat small amounts of quality butter, like Kerrygold grassfed, which is recommended by Primal Diet folks.

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  31. The shirt looks fantastic, I love the gray inside collar detail. I love butter but my daughter has serious dairy allergies, so it's all the fake stuff for us... Earth Balance seems the least ikcy of the vegan margarines, so that's what we use.

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  32. This really looks gorgeous! It's so clean and sharp! Looking forward to the full reveal!

    Oh, and it's all butter all the time for this one... preferably salted. ;)

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  33. Love the butter color and the combination of the gray collar. Really interesting! The fabric itself looks really luxurious in the pictures with the seam stitching.
    As for butter - I love butter on english muffins and toast.

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  34. I love it. I plan on making this shirt for my husband, too...eventually.

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  35. Butter all the way. It tastes much better, and anyone would have a hard time convincing me that any dairy product is bad for me. Out of all diets, dairy-free scares me the most (sympathies to Mikhaela and her daughter), because I am fairly addicted to milk...

    The shirt looks good. Good idea about a different inner collar to not worry about the "rings"...!

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  36. Beautiful shirt!
    Earth Balance all the way for this ethical vegan! :)

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  37. Peter, what is the trick to flat felling the armhole seam. Do tell!!!!

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    1. You're stitching right sides together and forming the seam on the inside of the shirt. (Fold it toward the torso.) Trim and fold the seam and press it as flat and as evenly as possible. Then stitch, making sure that you're an even width (generally 1/4") from the original seam. All you're going to see from the outside of the shirt are the stitches not the seam, so make sure the STITCHES are even (even if from the inside the seam doesn't look perfect). Does that make sense?

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  38. Hello, I have never sewn a mens shirt, I am sewing this to my husband. But I found strange the side inserts. After sewing it and topstitch the top part of the arm hole get folded to the inside. Is that correct? should I sew the sleeve With that part of the arm hole folded? Please any advise. Thanks

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    1. If you mean the seam allowance, yes, that gets turned to the inside. You will want to finish the raw edge in some way too. (See the reply just before this one above.) Hope that helps!

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    2. Hei Peter. When I was sewing the back part of the shirt I realized my mistake With the side parts. I was so relief knowing that I stil had extra fabric for cutting and sewing the front of the shirt again. Thanks for answering me (^.^)

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