New shirt

Wow, so cool! Good job!

Beautiful Doreen. You did a fantastic job! Juno

Very smart!!! Good for you.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

Dear Doreen,

Beautiful job! You get an A+!!!

Teri

Oh, very smart! And nicely done, too. Love those cheerful stripes! :)

Beautiful shirt and priceless! I haven't tried drafting one of L E shirts for DS, but think I'll try it now. He loves their brand. Emily

Thanks, Caya!

Doreen in Alabama

Thank you, Juno!

Doreen in Alabama

Thanks, Olwyn Mary! I like smaller shirt buttons, but these were in my box, right quantity and color, and I've just got to start using up this stuff!

Doreen in Alabama

Well, thanks, teach! Do I get extra credit for felling the underarm seam, so it will look nice when I roll up my sleeves as I invariably do? ;)

Doreen in Alabama

Thank you, Kate. I got the stripe for a song, when the local Bernina dealer closed up shop about 12 years ago. It's extremely nice quality, but I wasn't all that crazy about it for some reason; just decided to use it to see if my newly drafted pattern worked OK. Luckily it did, because I like the fabric very much now that it's made up.

Doreen in Alabama

Thanks, Emily! Go for it...a nicely fitting shirt is worth the trouble. And it's not that much trouble, really, if you just take your time and take a break if it seems tedious.

Doreen in Alabama

Doreen, it's lovely!! Do tell, how dod you draft the pattern using the RTW shirt...??

-Irene

Irene,

Well, bear in mind I'm not an expert, but this is what I do:

You need a surface you can stick pins in, such as foam core board. Then you smooth out a large piece of paper, such as unused newsprint, on your pinnable surface. I began with the shirt's right front, and used a ruler to draw a straight line as long as the front opening. I stuck pins into the length of the shirt's center front, through to the foam core, to hold it in place on the line I'd drawn. Then I stretched the shirt out and put a pin every two or three inches along the underarm seam, the armhole seam, the neck seamline, the yoke seamline, and the bottom hem. (Some of these areas have to be released after you mark them with pins, in order to pin the other seamlines without stress.) When all the pertinent points have been marked, then you can remove the RTW shirt and draw lines connecting the pin holes, giving you basically the finished right front of the shirt. Of course you must add desired seam allowances, and front turn under, to each edge you've drawn.

My right front also has a front band. I didn't draw it off, but simply wrote its measurements on the right front paper piece.

I drew my left front primarily from the right front, changing it just slightly at center front to allow a double turn under.

For the back, I folded my RTW shirt in half along the center back, pinned that fold to a straight line on the paper, and followed the same procedure.

Those were the two easiest pattern pieces...but after you've done them, the rest of the process more or less falls into place.

Doreen in Alabama

Doreen--

it's a gorgeous shirt!!

betsey

I'm going to try this, Doreen. I have a favorite jacket that is getting a bit thread worn, I'd love to duplicate it!

Thanks for sharing your method!

-Irene

I love it! Nice work. I have been really into blouses recently, sewn 2 that fit but they gay and the front even though they are the right size (there is enough fabric there) and I thought I put that button in the right place (apparently not). Did you have this problem?

Kirsten

Thank you, Kirsten. No, I didn't have that problem, maybe partly because unfortunately I'm not overly well-endowed. ;) But today when I was transferring my paper pattern to red dot tracer, I did notice that the front armhole curve seems to be quite a bit more pronounced than in purchased shirt patterns I've used...in other words, after the line drops and curves, there are still several inches before it reaches the side seam. That may be partly because this shirt doesn't have an exaggerated dropped-shoulder line, but maybe the extra fabric in the underarm area contributes to the fit I've liked since buying the original RTW shirt years ago.

I suppose this means you don't want to be in style? :) Seems like every female I see on TV these days is wearing a shirt that pulls and gaps at the front buttons (or a knit top cut low enough that there'd be a problem if she leaned over).

Doreen in Alabama

Well, there's an idea I hadn't thought of. I bought a bunch of fabric in Hawaii to make Hawaiian shirts out of so maybe I will try that with my favorite pattern. I may have to move the second button as well. And no, I don't like everyone being able to look in my shirt from the side, I guess I am just old fashioned that way!

Kirsten