Aug 5, 2015

Working on Rugby Shirt #2



It's time for another rugby shirt!

This time I'm using a cotton knit that's less stretchy than the pink and blue one I worked with last week.  So much less, in fact, that after I'd stitched the sleeves and torso seams closed at 5/8" and tried the shirt on, I had to rip the seams open and re-stitch at 1/4" (Luckily I hadn't yet serged the seams.).  The extra ease made a huge difference in the fit -- I hate knits that cling across the chest.

This knit is a lot like those found in those striped French boating shirts.  It stretches (along the weft) but there's definitely no Lycra here.  Once again I used the front opening placket from David Coffin's Shirtmaking book, and added a full collar stand and collar.





I hope to finish this soon and whip up some coordinating pants next week.

In other news, this morning in the trash I found this vintage Sixties Admiral portable TV.  Not sure what to do with it though.  It's in excellent shape.



I've been wearing a lot of my recent makes.  Last Friday I went fabric shopping with a friend and wore my comfy linen coveralls.



Saw the shot below on Pinterest and felt very on-trend.



Sunday I wore my pink and blue rugby shirt, a new favorite.



And on Saturday, I wore my Miyake-inspired shirt (combining two cotton-silk organza-weight print fabrics) and man-skirt (you may remember this from last year).  I must say that after a full day in this outfit, it no longer feels in any way unusual -- just clothes.  I got a lot of compliments!



And that's it!

With just a few days before MPB Day, I'm catching up on my beauty sleep and thinking about possible outfits.  It may be time for a makeover...



Have a great day, everybody!

27 comments:

  1. Nice tv find. It might still be usable with an antenna and one of those digital converter boxes. The rugby shirt is looking good too. Have to say, I love David Coffin's books. I haven't tried his placket method yet, but it's on my list.

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  2. On a thread over on PR there was a great tip on how to figure ease in knits. Take a 2" wide strip of the knit and wrap it around your hip and chest. Adjust until it feels right, mark and measure for width. It's a variation on Peggy Sager's method but sounds a lot easier.
    Anyway, I love your au courant makes and the great chances you take with fashion.

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  3. Wow, preppy, workwear, mariniere, and Mikaye all in one post! That's pretty good genre jumping! I'm completely jealous of the coveralls and wish I could pull them off at this age.

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  4. Cool TV! Shirt looks great too. If you really want to look "on trend" you are going to have to work on achieving a dour expression when having your picture taken.

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  5. Love the striped fabric. Looks so nautical. You could make a boatneck shirt and look gondolier fabulous. You are just as sexy in your coveralls as the model in his. And the Miyake lagenlook is great... commando?

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    1. He he -- my paisley boxers. Strong winds, you know... ;)

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  6. Your collars and plackets are so crisp and neat! I did some top stitching with my 201 following your video and it worked great! I'm think I have that book also and plan on trying his method. Have you ever done a boatneck shirt?

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    1. I made this a few years ago. Very "meh."

      http://malepatternboldness.blogspot.com/2013/09/experimenting-with-terrycloth-knit-with.html

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  7. Hey Peter, speaking of sewing machines.........at one point in time you had "model 221 fever" now you never seem to use them anymore........ don't you own at least 3 of them? Those machines are like money in the bank when it comes to selling them on ebay!

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  8. if i were a man i would so totally dress like you.

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  9. Unless the subject is cars, "make" is NOT A NOUN!!!!! Now, about your recent sewing projects, I do like your rugby shirts, I am waffling on the coveralls.

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    1. "Make" always sounds like pooping to me, but I just go with the semantic trends. ;)

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    2. :-) Some semantic trends are just...no. This particular one seems to be propagated by followers of twee dress pattern designers who put out patterns and tutorials but yet can't do darts or press their samples. Maybe that's why I don't like it - not the actual word use, but the level sewing quality of those pushing it? I've been reading your blog for a few years, and have come to expect a bit more classic quality in the reading. I do love that you explore the trends in your sewing projects though.

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    3. I can't find the use of "make" anywhere in this article. Where?

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    4. right under the photo of the television...

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    5. Actually, Encarta lists several usages for "make" as a noun.

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  10. Seeing you in front of all those bolts of fabric shopping, I'm green, but at least I can live vicariously through you!!!! ;)

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  11. Thank you for posting a picture of the flat shape of the placket. I know you did that just for me!
    Love the skirt pattern mix outfit.

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  12. Do you have any tricks for narrowing collars on large 1970s collars??? Love Love Love your blog:)

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    1. Decide how wide you want the collar to be and mark it on the collar (i.e, reducing width from 3" to 2") and then rule a straight line from the center of the collar to the new, now-shorter end. Does that make sense?

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  13. Love those checked shoes, but especially with the prints in the skirt and shirt--so Harajuku.

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  14. Loving those rugby shirts with the cut and sown white collars and plackets.
    FYI- Robert L. Green on the pattern envelope was a famous men's fashion editor for many years at Playboy magazine. He was a big deal in the 60's and 70's.

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  15. Replies
    1. It's from Mood Fabrics, but I'm not sure the exact same thing is available online, unfortunately.

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    2. Oh damn, well thanks anyways!

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  16. Love this latest Rugby shirt. It does look very crisp and nautical

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  17. Nice shirt Peter! You, Mama and Michael be very careful!! That water borne/air conditioning sickness going around there in nyc is alarming and deadly!

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