A Long Time in the Making: Men's Henley Shirt / McCall's 6973

This project was started early on while I was wearing a cast.  That's a couple of months ago.  It stalled when it came to doing some hand stitching which would have been impossible in a cast.  I finally got around to it recently, okay somewhat recently, and finished it off.  

McCall's 6973 has been in the pattern stash for over a year.  I've been meaning to sew some Henley style t-shirts since it's challenging to find ones with a pocket in the RTW landscape.  Of course, I can buy a Henley t-shirt at Costco for a fraction of the cost of a home-made t-shirt but then I'm sacrificing fit and a pocket.  Fit and pockets are important features in clothing even though it doesn't appear to resonate in the fast-fashion landscape.  In the end, it's worth the time to sew one instead.  Throw in having the choice of fabric.  

The fabric is a recent-ish find, picked up specifically for this project.  This mini waffle knit was found in the discounted section at the local Fabricland store at 50% off.  It is 80% cotton and 20% polyester and I picked up an additional 0.10 metre to allow for potential shrinkage.  It was pretreated with a tumble in a normal wash cycle followed by time in the dryer.  No need to press after it came out of the dryer.  And I needed every centimeter of fabric.  I'm so glad for the extra buffer of fabric.  

Techniques and Tips

Cutting this fabric was a challenge with my fabric shears and wearing a cast.  For this project I used spring hinge scissors and even though it still took a bit of time to get it pinned and cut, I was able to get it cut.  

Sewing wise, one of my favourite tips for sewing knits is to use Knit 'N Stable tape at the hem edges before sewing the hem in place.  I also used Knit 'N Stable tape to stabilize the shoulder seam.  I serged the seam edges together to save time and thread.  I usually serge each edge individually and press them open but now-a-days things add up. 

Walking foot!  Seriously, it is a life saver when it comes to sewing knits.  

Project Details

Seams:  Knit (lightening bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  2 metres

Interfacing:  0.3 metres

Buttons:  4

Pattern:  McCall's 6973

Additional Tool & Supplies:  Cutting table, spring hinge fabric scissors, pins, pin cushions, tailor's chalk, Janome sewing machine, walking foot, Brother vintage sewing machine (it's built-like-a-tank and sews amazing buttonholes), tailor's wax, hand sewing needle, Janome serger, threads (silk thread for hand stitching), iron, ironing board, bandages, make-up sponges (used for padding along the cast edges) and many breaks along the way.  

Happy Sewing!