Filling a request for a little boy's long sleeved white dress shirt.
The Pattern
This vintage pattern is from 1968, back-in-the-day, when patterns envelopes were stuffed with pattern pieces for a whole outfit, not just one simple garment. Shrinkflation is real and it has hit the pattern drawers as well as the grocery aisles. But I digress. Out-of-print (OOP) Simplicity 7840 comes with patterns for long and short sleeve shirts, a lined front zippered jacket and pants. The sewing instructions are rich in details including a "dictionary" of sewing terms and guidance. Ah, the golden age of sewing patterns. There is something special about sewing a vintage pattern now-a-days.
OOP Simplicity 7840 is a keeper, although, I don't know if I will have another chance to sew another shirt in this size. This project was sewn in a size ten. Currently, I do believe it will be a wee bit bigger than needed but with kids' clothing, they are sure to grown into it in no time. It is a well-drafted pattern.
There weren't many changes to the pattern. The front pocket is a little small and after stitching it and pressing I decided to leave it off. I would have preferred a pointed bottom instead of the curved edges but not so much that I was willing to recut another chest pocket. My preference is for a buttoned placket for the sleeve but I did stick with the finished sleeve opening suggested on the pattern. The shirt is not for me, so why change things and create more work if I don't have to? I did, however, change the method for sewing the shirt yoke. For this, I referred to page 402 in the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing and sewed the yoke using "the couture method." That's what they called it back in nineteen seventy-six. Today, "the couture method" is often referred to as the burrito method. Since, we're talking about a vintage pattern, why not stick with the vintage terminology.
The Fabric and Notions
I was lucky enough to find some white cotton fabric suitable for a dress shirt in the stash. The fabric is leftover from a previous project and the 1.7 metres were the perfect amount required for this project. It was pre-treated with a tumble through the washing machine and dryer before arriving on the ironing board for a steam press.
The shirt was interfaced with a fusible interfacing and instead of placing the interfacing on the shirt front, it was inserted on the facing piece. This is the second vintage pattern recently used that suggests placing the interfacing on the front rather than the facing. The other pattern was re-released DVF wrap dress pattern, Vogue 2000.
The recycled buttons were found in the stash. The cotton thread, thankfully, was also from the stash. It was leftover from microwave cozy sewing days. Actually everything needed to complete this project was found or borrowed. The pattern was borrowed for this project.
Project details
Seams: 2.2 -- 2.8 straight stitch
Seam finish: Serged
Fabric: 1.7 metres
Interfacing: 1 metre
Buttons: seven -- half inch and two -- three-quarter inch recycled plastic buttons
Pattern: vintage and OOP Simplicity 7840
Additional Tools and Supplies: cutting table, measuring tape, pins, pin cushion, tailor's chalk, ruler, measuring gauge, paper scissors, fabric scissors, Janome sewing machine, walking foot, buttonhole foot, Janome serger, tweezers, threads, thread clippers, iron, ironing board, hand sewing needle, thimble, tailor's wax, good tunes (2 Cellos) and tea.
Happy Sewing!
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