Slow Sewing

This is the second version of Butterick 6026 and I'm really pleased with how this version turned out. The pin tucks stand out in a solid colour and they are my favourite feature of this Katherine Tilton design.

Again, I used my blind hem foot to make these pin-tucks. I really like how they turned out over using the pin-tuck foot.

This project, however, took much longer to finish with over two weeks from the time I cut it out to the finish. It has been an activity in slow sewing as I was feeling under the weather that dismissed my sewing mojo to a near non-existent level. It is nice to finally see this project complete.

I have to echo all the praise that this pattern has earned over the years, it really is a comfortable shirt. Even though I find this a comfortable top, I did adjust the design to allow for more ease. The back has double pointed darts as part of the design that were removed and the curve at the waistline was adjusted when extra ease was given at the side seams. I added 5/8" from the hemline grading up to zero at the bottom of the armhole. There were, surprisingly, no adjustments made to the hem or sleeve length. These lengths were perfect on my five-foot-one frame.

This photo shows a true representation of the colour.

The fabric is from Marshall / Northwest Fabrics and I found it in a section labelled linen fabrics but also included some cottons. They have a very small selection of linen. There is a little doubt that it is a 100% linen because it doesn't wrinkle like other linens in my stash. Marshall / Northwest is notorious for not labeling their bolts of fabric and there is a trend in the fabric stores to label fabrics as one content when it is actually a blend. Perhaps this is the case? Maybe I'll be proven wrong when I test it out with a day of wear? I pretreated the fabric with a tumble through the washing machine and dryer. I didn't find that it wrinkled as much as this linen fabric. I was actually able to get out the wrinkles with the cotton setting on my steam iron. I used a non-fusible interfacing for the collar and collar stand. Sure fusible interfacing is quicker to use, but I prefer the look and texture of a non-fusible more. I think it's worth taking the time to hand-stitch in place.

The buttons are from Fabricland and turned out to be a perfect match for my fabric.

They appear clear on the fabric but they have a bluish-green tint to them. I increased the quantity of buttons used on this project and followed the advice of others to watch out for the button placement guide with this pattern. Instead, I tried it on and eye-balled the placement. All-and-all, I'm really happy with how it all came together despite the length of time it took to complete. It will be a comfortable work shirt.   

The Stats: 

Fabric:  1.3 metres 

Interfacing:  0.6 metres

Buttons:  8 - 1/2" 

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, scissors, thread clippers, iron, ironing board, tailor's ham, sleeve roll, sewing machine, blind hem foot, walking foot, buttonhole foot, silk thread for hand stitching, cotton thread for top-stitching, polyester threads for the serger, Kleenex tissues, meds, and lots of naps.

Happy Sewing!