I can now share the fruits of my Christmas shirt-making bendah!! Old news? oh well…
I made four shirts recently. Yes, four! *phew* all since I returned home from Melbourne. I know. Sheer insanity. I has it.
Actually I did have different Christmas pressie plans, firm intentions to do something else for them all this year. And then couldn’t find the specific fabric I needed. And then the Fabric Store in Melbourne had such a gorgeous quality linens in stock…
resistance was futile. Shirts it was. My other plans will keep for next year 😉
All are made using Burda 7767, all with short sleeves, all felled seams, with those tricky curved armscye seams felled using this tip. The linen had no right or wrong side, enabling me to fold the buttonhole bands out, rather than under. This makes a rather nice distinct buttonhole band, which can be further emphasised with piping like I did here, or a coupla double rows of top-stitching, or both. This is my favourite way of doing the buttonhole band.
Burda 7767 has three collar variations; the button-down, the Kent and the shark. I’ve used all of them at one time or another in my 30-odd versions of this pattern, but haven’t ever pointed out the differences specifically when blogging about them. So this time, I shall do so 🙂
Shirts 1 and 2, above and below: Tim’s and Sam’s pale blue shirts both feature the “shark” collar, more traditionally known as the cutaway collar. It was a collar designed to accommodate a large or widely knotted tie, but I think it makes a nice collar for a casual shirt, worn open with the top few buttons undone. Which, lets face it, is how my boys wear their shirts, like 99.99% of the time.
They are both of sky blue linen, with piping inserted in under the buttonhole band, the pocket and sleeve hems. Tim’s piping is pale blue and Sam’s is creamy pale yellow; these fabrics harvested from two of Craig’s old business shirts. I cut both the boys’ shirts a little slimmer in the body and a little shorter of sleeve than I’ve done in the past, because I’ve noticed the fashion in young mens’ shirts is for a slightly shrunken look at the moment.
btw, Cassie made Sam’s shorts in the top picture; I think she did a brilliant job and they look gorgeous! The fabric is Batman cotton from Spotlight, and she drew up the pattern herself using some of Sam’s shorts to guide her. They have two welt pockets on the back as well as two inseam side pockets, and an elastic waistband.
Shirt 3; Craig’s blue linen shirt has a Kent collar, considered the classic collar. I originally made the sleeves on this shirt a little shorter like the boys… However! upon first try-on my conservative husband immediately requested a lengthening, ahem. *sigh* I complied and added a long cuff, with a decorative metal button sewn on the top edge.
This shirt has a longer back than front, and split side seams felled with a long bar tack at the top. The other three shirts all have a regular, shaped hemline.
Shirt number 4; Craig’s emerald green shirt has the rather difficult to execute button-down collar.
To my mind the button-down collar has the most formal appearance of the bunch, but actually this is considered the “sporty”option in collars.
So there you go! a short compilation of collars.
Haha, bevy of beauties, compilation of collars, I’m so alliterative this morning. Sheer poetry, wot.
All buttons were harvested from off of some of Craig’s old business shirts. RTW mens’ shirts nearly always have great buttons, good colours, good quality and in a difficult to find small size. Only the Craig’s blue linen shirt has new metal buttons, from Spotlight.
