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a pattern to avoid

Hey all,

Making a "button shirt" for the boy. Using a new pattern. This one is McCall's 3769. He picked it out of the pattern book himself. ;) View B, but as requested it's getting a straight hem rather than a shirttail hem.

Let me just say that this is the shirt I thought would never give up. I thought I would have to fight it tooth and toenail from now till the boy outgrows the stupid thing. *sigh* And he asked for it for his birthday too! *sigh*

Ok. First I cut it all out and then noticed that there was a flaw in the fabric that would have been right smack in the middle of the left front. Ok. No big deal. I got 3 yards of fabric, the pattern only calls for 1 3/8 yards for a size 8 shirt. The plan was that I could make a do-rag for my BIL so he could match the boy. (Well, that's out!) The fabric is a black background with orange flames and electric blue Chinese style dragons. (The boy has his own unique sense of style!!!) I recut the left front. I should have taken this as a bad omen.

Pocket done and sewn on. Front sewn to back. Skipped around a little and serged the sleeve heads and armscyes. Front facings interfaced, folded over, pressed, basted. All is well. Collar interfaced and the two sections sewn together. (no collar stand even though the pattern picture sort of looks like it has a collar stand.) All is well. Time to pin the collar to the neck. Oh crap. The collar is 2 1/4" too short to make it all the way around to where it's supposed to stop. Crap and double crap!!

I recut the collar adding the extra to the middle. *sigh* Definitely not enough fabric to make the do rag now.

Now, I had a quickly passing thought that the armscye looked a little long compared to the sleevehead. But I knew it was flat construction so there wouldn't be a big difference between the two anyway. (not as much as if it was a set in sleeve anyway.) So merrily I sew along.....

Guess what? The friggin' armhole opening is bigger than the entire sleevehead.

Of course now there is not enough fabric to recut the sleeves after all the other recutting I've done. (even though, again as requested, I made short sleeves rather than long.) So it's far from the smoothest seam I've ever sewn. I think the whole thing was off by about 1" maybe 1 1/4". So I just worked with the shirt against the feed dogs. Like I said it doesn't look Perfect. But, it's a bold, busy pattern and it will be on my son. As my mother would say "No one will notice that when it goes by on a galloping horse." lol

But I wanted to mention this pattern to others here. I know there are plenty on the list that sew primarily for their children. I want to save someone else all the frustration that I went through with this beastie. I was thinking to myself too that if I were a beginning sewer and took this one on, I would still be in the sewing room in tears.

So once again that's McCall's 3769. It's one of the "kid stuff" patterns.

Avoid it like the plague!!!

Sharon

Reply to
mamahays
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(snipped much frustration and cussing)

Sharon, My DM always said "A blind man would be glad to see it!"

I need a new boys shirt pattern but it won't be this one! Thanks.

Jean M.

Reply to
Jean D Mahavier

I have just had a similar pattern problem with a Butterick, I was so fed up having mess-up up some super fabric i emailed the head office guy explaining the situation. They have just sent me (they said choose) some new patterns to compensate my upset. I know your probably thinking "would I trust them again" but their lady specialist sewer who I have spoken to on the phone has actually opened each of the patts and checked all the pieces measure up as stated and i have completed one garment and am happy with it. Don't just fume let them know.

Reply to
M00ie

Hi.

I read your story and I remembered a similar project years ago with a McCall's shirt pattern. I had just started sewing, so that would about 1984 or 1985. E-mail was not available back then and I wrote them a letter explaining what had happened to me. They answered, saying that they knew about it but it was practically impossible to recall each every pattern they sent out there. Refund? Forget about it.

Have you informed McCall's of your experience? Maybe they don't know about this, but I agree with you that that pattern should be avoided like an ebola-covered gorilla in heat. It may help if you vented your frustrations onto them, not omitting any cuss words.

Better luck next time.

S. FOREST POLAR BEAR SEWING PATTERNS

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"mamahays" a écrit dans le message de news:zw6%b.393140$I06.4285943@attbi_s01...

Reply to
SYLVAIN FOREST

a pattern to avoid snipped-for-privacy@insightbb.com (mamahays)

Reply to
sewingbythecea

Yes, do, whatever the pattern company! I had a vogue shirt pattern where the front band as printed was 2" too short! It was an easy fix for me, with plenty of spare fabric, but no fun for a less experienced sewer or one with marginal expensive fabric. Vogue said, oh, we're terribly sorry! Let us send you a coupn for a free pattern. It arrived 2 days later.

Simplicity also sent me coupons to try again when I had trouble with two of their patterns being miles too big!

-- Kate XXXXXX Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons

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on Kate's Pages and explore!

Reply to
Kate Dicey

Thanks Cea. I appreciate the commiseration. ;)

I did try to email them. I sent it to the consumer service address on the McCall's site. It came back as a failed email. Grrr.. So I forwarded it to the webmaster address and asked them to forward it to the right person. We'll see what happens.

I will remember the piecing solution. Just in case I ever run into this again. :(

Don't even get me started on school dress codes. I try to stick to the letter of the dress code laid out by our schools. Especially at DD's school. No midriff tops, no super low jeans, no open toe shoes (which are getting really hard to find, excepting tennis shoes) etc. It's a long list. Then I go to the school and every second kid I see is wearing an outfit comprised entirely of "banned" clothing. *sigh* So I do try to send my kid to school not looking like a street walker, but it's getting more difficult when other kids wear the stuff and the school doesn't enforce the dress code.

I told ya not to get me started.... lol

Sharon

Reply to
mamahays

Ok. On the advice of everyone here, I did email McCall's. (S. F., I did go ahead and omit the cuss words. Thought that would be more business like. Although, I did think about telling them I would avoid this pattern like an ebola infected gorilla in heat. What a great picture that made in my mind! lol) The first email I sent, to the consumer service address listed on the McCall's site, bounced back to me. So I forwarded it to the webmaster's address and asked they send it to the appropriate party. I'll let you know if I hear from them.

Jean, I will be looking for another boy shirt pattern too. I have one that I think is a Simplicity. I will look through that and tell you what I find in there. I think there are some in the Butterick catalog too. I'm also going to look in the Burda catalog and see if I find anything there. I'll tell you if I find a good one. And you let me know if you find a good one too!! :)

Sharon

Reply to
mamahays

School uniform is so much easier! James wears a white polo shirt, royal blue achool sweat shirt or fleece with school badge on, and grey school trousers. NO arguments about what to wear, no bother about not wearing something too often, all the kids in the same stuff. Some schools have stricter uniform codes, and some are more relaxed. The boys grammar school has uniform up to the end of year 11, and then 12 & 13 (the old sixth form) wear suits and ties, and look great. They wear sixth form or prefect ties.

I've never had a problem with uniform, though some people complain about the expense. It's no more expensive than ordinary clothes in my experience, unless you go to some posh place like the one my sister taught in, where they wore Harris tweed skirts, and the uniform shop was Harrods!

-- Kate XXXXXX Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons

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on Kate's Pages and explore!

Reply to
Kate Dicey

I'm with you on that! Danielle's school has an optional uniform code, which means she is wearing one most days. White or blue (sky or navy) blouses (whatever style) and navy or khaki bottoms. I can give her a little bit of originality in her clothes while still following the code. At eight, I don't think she needs to be dressed like a miniature Britney clone.

Reply to
Poohma

I don't think with James there is any danger of that! However, on the occasional non unuform day, the girls frequently look a tacky mess! The boys, on the other hand, usually look untidy, but decently covered! Guess which I prefer!

-- Kate XXXXXX Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons

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on Kate's Pages and explore!

Reply to
Kate Dicey

Why can't you buy anything pink (which I can just about cope with for DD) that doesn't have Barbie on it, clothing or otherwise.! Liz whose 5 yr old DD had a farm for her birthday, but she still likes pink .

Reply to
Liz Cork

Several years ago when I first got back into sewing, I purchased a McCall's pattern to make some shorts for my daughter (age 4 at that time). The front didn't fit the back, and the waistband didn't fit either piece. Thinking I must surely be making some mistake, I gathered everything up and went back to JoAnn's for help. The manager confirmed that the pattern was obviously drafted by a cross-eyed crackhead and set about explaining everything I would have to do to make it work. I finally interrupted her and told her that if I wanted to draft my own frickin' shorts I'd have done that to begin with, and that I wanted my money back for the pattern and the fabric. She gave it to me, but was obviously not happy about it.

Kathleen

Reply to
Kathleen

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