Short Sharp Shirt happening!

Kate,

I almost always use Kwik Sew 1627. The tails need to be lengthened but otherwise it fits DH perfectly.

Doreen in Alabama

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I found this site for shirt fabrics a while ago, they have no minimum order but you have to ring for a price.

have just tried Kwik Sew 3422 which goes together very well but Ifeel a little on the small size. Having 3 sons who are around 6'5"and very slim necessitates me making their shirts, so I am stillexperimenting on patterns. I will have a look at the one yourecommend Kate.

Regards,

Angela

The Online Sewing Superstore

jeannie wrote:

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> Click on Kate's Pages and explore!> >

Perfect! Thanks a whole big bunch, darling! They are the biz, ain't they! :D :D! And I know just where to post that link... Gotta keep these UK suppliers in business, you know!

Damn... Better not show my boys, or they'll leave me no time for paid sewing! :D :D

I said this about the two shirt patterns I used, on a forum I belong to:

"I have recently made several shirts using two different Kwick Sew patterns. The ones I used were 3422

and 2777 made both versions with the separate collar stands as this makes up much better than the all in one style, and all the shirts are long sleeves. On the whole, I'm very pleased with them. After using the Kwick Sew method of making the sleeve placket on pattern 3422, I wasn't very pleased with it (though it came out OK and I was in a hurry!) so I made the 2777 pattern up with a sleeve placket and method culled from David Page Coffin's shirt book. This made up much more neatly and was more satisfactory, though it takes a little longer and needs a little more care. Both patterns are very similar in the details, but the cut is quite different. 3422, which I made up for James in black cotton, is a slimmer cut than 2777. If you have particularly narrow or slim folk to fit, this might be a consideration. It isn't quite a 1970's skinny fit, but it isn't as generous as 2777, and is, I feel, better suited to the slim-line and the skinny youth. 2777 is also a great pattern, but more for the more mature or thick-set figure. As with all shirt patterns though, check both neck size and shoulder width before cutting a particular size. Both patterns fit my menfolk pretty well straight out of the packet and cut in their sizes, which is a bonus for me! It isn't often I don't need to alter the fit of something before making it up!

As with many Kwick Sew patterns, these shirts come with 1/4" seam allowances. I tend to write this in *large friendly letters* on each pattern piece as a reminder when I trace them off! 1/4" seams are fine if you are using a firmly woven or non-ravelling stable knit, but you will need to add a wider seam allowance if you want to make these in something like silk dupion or a loose weave cotton.

There are pix of Alan's first shirt in the gallery*, and I'll get pix of the blue plaid and the brown shirt in as soon as they are done. I need to find, launder, and iron James's black shirt... He never seems to wear anything else at the weekends these days, unless in the pool or doing garden chores! I'll take that as a mark of success... "

*I'll get the posted pix up on my web site in the next day or so, and you can see them there. :)

Dear Kate,

And speaking of "short,sharp," my very first professional performance was as Pitty Sing in the Mikado. It ran for nine months, every night except Monday, twice on Sunday. Too long. It wasn't fun by the end of it. But I've always loved Gilbert and Sullivan. I made all the costumes for this play, too; our costume designer walked out in a huff about two weeks before we opened. That was more fun than the musical. I didn't do the wigs--we rented them, but the rest of the stuff I did. The director helped with the weapons.....

Teri

Oh, I'd LOVE to garb a G&S! Mikado or Pirates of Penzance for preference, with a slight leaning towards the pirates!

LOL you would have LOVED to have been the costume mistress at our all BOY Grammar School in the 60's-70's. We did one G&S per year with boys playing ALL the roles! It always raised a laugh amongst the bawdy stage hands (yes I was one of *those* as opposed to actually treading the boards) when the local 'rag' did it's first night review every year and they praised how pretty all the 'girls' looked and how well the 'girls' sang!!!! You would think the 'rag' would know it was an all boys school as it was one of only two all boy Grammar/High schools in the town and had been there for almost 70 years!

During my time there we did The Mikado, HMS Pinafore, The Yeoman of the Guard and Pirates (TWICE!). My favourite was Pirates by far and I still love it to this day and recently watched the great, well over the top, movie version starring Linda Ronstadt and Kevin Kline for the umpteenth time!

Dear Larry,

Then I'll bet you've seen Shakespeare Abridged. If not, you've got to! I used to teach an Intro to Theatre class, and I took the students to every professional production that I could. We were near enough to St. Louis that we had all kinds of choices. Shakespeare Abridged was the most fun that particular season. I particularly loved "juliette" played by a 6'3" 120-lb male with the loveliest falsetto voice.

Teri

I taught here in the boy's grammar school for a while. MUCH more fun than teaching girls! They do tend to import lasses for the girls parts these days, but I'd love to do a full 1590's style all boys Shakespeare!

I am aware of Shakespeare Abridged but I have not seen it. The closest I got was listening to a version of it on the BBC Radio site possibly recorded at the Edinburgh Festival where it was first performed. It was very funny but of course you lost all of the 'visual' gags with it being a radio version.

I liked The Reduced Shakespeare Company's version of all the plays in 2 hours (or whatever: it was nearly 20 years ago!).