Negroni the Second

Part two of the quest to create the Perfect Shirt for Stef! I can already tell you that there will be a part 3 somewhere in the future, because this one still needs some fine-tuning. For the second and what I hoped to be the final version I used a medium weight linen-viscose blend. The viscose gives the linen some stability and also some stretch, which makes for a lovely fluid fabric. I bought it in Italy for pretty cheap, but in this case that doesn't say much about the quality. I only got 2 meters instead of the recommended 2 7/8 yards, but it worked without too much trouble. I almost ruined this fabric by using the wrong detergent (a homemade one made from wood ashes). It has some light discolouring stains because of this, but they're pretty evenly spread out and Stef doesn't mind.





The adjustments I made were first to go down a size everywhere except the neckline. I sewed it up until the joining of the side seams and sleeves, and then did a fitting. It seemed good so I did the flat felled seams, proceeded with the cuffs, buttons and buttonholes, etc. But then when he tried it on it seemed too big again, at the waist but also the sleeves were a bit baggy. I apparently didn't pay enough attention, and so had to take out the flat felled seams again. I took in the sleeves and sides without altering the armhole, for about 2 cm on each side. I'll probably have to taper towards S at the waist next time. The shoulders are much better, although I think I'll take the armholes in just 0,5 cm (1/4") at the front.





The back looks a lot better with the 2cm dowagers hump adjustment. It hangs more towards the body at the center back, and the draglines at the armhole have diminished. I lowered the yoke by 1 cm, but I think it could use another cm. I topstitched it because that gives it a more finished look imo. The plackets turned out very nice, I'm getting better at sewing them and I enjoy trying to sew them as neat as possible.



The 6 buttons are definitely better than 5, no gaping when he moves. I do still need to reposition the buttons a bit, the fronts are slightly uneven as the pockets are showing. This shirt still needs some fine-tuning, but I'm happy with how it turned out and so is Stef! Next time I actually want to try and give it an under collar and a standard button placket. Peter of MPB has done a tutorial on this for the Negroni. The clean lines of the front are nice but the facing adds more bulk at the neckline and front than necessary. There's a soft cotton plaid waiting for me at my mom's that would make a perfect winter shirt. The quest for the perfect shirt is put on hold for now, but I'll get back to it this fall!

Negroni the First

Sewing for Stef has become something I actually like. He wants to have his clothes just so, which means that I have to be precise and not stop until it is exactly how he wants it. I don't have to sew for him often, fortunately he holds the philosophy that all you need is one good version of everything. His favourite item to wear is a button down shirt, and since that is quite a lot of work I promised him one for his birthday. I know already he has some specific issues around his shoulders so I made a toile first, using a cheap blue cotton. The pattern we chose is Colette's Negroni. The instructions are very clear and it was interesting to compare construction techniques with the Archer. I chose size L based on his measurements, but either this shirt has a lot of ease or I measured him wrong because it came out way too big. I'll walk through the issues and solutions below, and the next post I'll show you the improved second version.





When I first tried it on him as it was after basting the side seams, it was gigantic. It was basically too big everywhere but the neckline. The only adjustments I made in this shirt were to shorten the sleeves  by 2,5 cm (1") and taking in the side seams (both bodice and sleeve) by 8 cm (3.5") in total, which made it kind of wearable. It was too bad I had already sewn the plackets by then because now he has some trouble rolling up the sleeves. The shoulder seam is hanging off his shoulder too but I didn't want to go as far as taking out the flat felled seams, since it was a toile after all. It should be higher up by about 2 cm ( a little less than 1").



When it turns out too big you know you just have to size down, but what I don't get with this design is that it has only 5 buttons. This makes for big gaps every time he moves and makes the shirt more bulky looking. I've seen other people also use 6 buttons instead of 5 and I think this shirt really needs 6.





On to the back! There's a couple of things that could be improved here. First of all, there are some diagonal lines running from the pleats to the armhole. Sometimes this could be the result of sloping shoulders, and then the solution is to taper off the back towards the armhole along the top, lowering the armhole at the same time. (Peter from MPB writes about that here). In Stef's case I suspected it could also be the result of his rounded back, or dowagers hump. Seen from the side his back has an S shape. Because his shoulder blades kind of stick out, they pull up the fabric at the center back. The fabric pulls at the armholes because of that, and it also swings outward at the hem. By giving him more room in that area the diagonal creases should disappear, and the fabric should have more room to follow the curve of his back downward. Another tip I got from a professional seamstress we met a couple of weeks ago was to extend the yoke down by 2 cm. This doesn't do much for the fit but it would look better proportionally. Next up: the improved version!

Birthday pants

Stefs birthday was coming up and since he rarely buys himself new clothes and I like to see him wear something else sometimes, I made him pants. On his actual birthday, because two years ago he made me promise to always give the present on his birthday, not after. Not an unreasonable request considering I waited more than a year to make his birthday shirt. I wanted to learn how to draft a men's pants sloper, so I drafted these pants on his measurements.

They're based on my McHammer pants. I made those for myself but gave them to Stef because he was wearing them more often than I was. At the first fitting session the waistband turned out to be at least two inches too big. I had drafted the sloper for his waist and then lowered the waistband without measuring the circumference at the place the actual waistband would hit. When I do this on my own patterns it always works, but men ofcourse don't have hips like we do so it's possible that they actually have smaller hips than waists.

I really tried to give it the best finish I could. The waistband is interfaced, all the seams are flat felled or topstitched and I added an extra closure next to the button to make it all as durable as possible. Stef's theory is that clothes should accomodate him instead of the other way around, so he'll never consider moving in a different way because a seam might rip or there might be a stain. Something I (we?) do quite often. I got to try the buttonholes on my new machine and I have to say they're very neat. I love love my new machine, it's steady rythem, the lack of noise overall, all the handy features I never had before. Oh, this is also the first fly front I made! It was surprisingly easy, but then again this fabric is easy to work with. It's a 50-50 cotton linen blend.



There's some improvements to be made: the back pockets are a bit too small, and the crotch is a bit too low. Which was intended but I think I'll heighten it next time anyway. Next time I'll also interface the fly front and both waistband pieces. And use a bit heavier fabric, also for durability. I think these might become the blueprint for shorts I'll be making for years to come! His next request (next to the unfinished Negroni) is "chill pants that are also stylish". Hmm, I'll have to ponder that one for a while...

Föhr Him

Ugh what a bad title :) I couldn't think of anything else. For some reason I felt in the mood to make something for Stef again. I didn't ask him for his opinion, I just found a nice fabric which would make a good combo with his new (2nd hand) corduroy blazer. He's been watching Put This On and felt that maybe he should move on from hoodies to something more grownup.





Hehe, silly face. The pattern is Föhr. I used the same size as last time, but it's more snug this time. Could be because I actually sewed on the 1.5 cm seam allowance. Usually I cut out 1.5 cm, but then sew about 1 cm from the edge. That's not a method, just the inability to estimate the correct distance :) But you keep on learning, and it fits him better this time. I corrected the shoulder adjustment I did last time, but kept the lower armscye. This post by Lauriana was very helpful. On the first fitting I clearly had the problem where due to the lowering of the armscye, it was pulling around his upper arm. There was just enough room in the seam allowance to correct this a bit.



That V-neck could have been done better. I tried twice, and then there was not enough fabric left to fix it. This time I did topstitch the neckline with the triple stretch stitch. I feel more confident now, knowing that it will actually stretch and no threads will break. And there's no stretching while sewing because I decrease the pressure on the foot. Every other seam is serged. I'm very happy with the fit and so is Stef. The fabric has a better drape and a better recovery than the first one. The only problem was that even though there's no wool in it, it was terribly itchy. I put it in the freezer to reduce some itch which worked. It's still a bit itchy, but Stef is wearing it all the time so apparently it's not too bad. Phew! Next time I'll drag him with me to the fabric store, so I can do an itch test before I buy.

P.S. Don't forget to enter the giveaway! Not many people have entered, so your chances are good. And note that I am not giving away the patterns in my stash! You can pick out any pattern by any Indie designer. Just have a look at their websites and tell me which one you'd fancy. Filling out a survey is not obligatory.

Cake That Lasts

Doesn't sound too delicious, right? Fortunately this is cake you won't have to eat :) Right after I made a hoodie for Stef, I bought fabric to make another hoodie for myself. I wanted to see how I could adapt a men's pattern into a women's pattern and I thought my wardrobe could do with a sporty casual zip hoodie. The fabric is a petrol sweater jersey (looks blue in the pics, but it isn't!) with a fluffy inside. I lined the hood with a slinky knit, with a sort of random black and white houndstooth pattern.





I used the same Fehmarn pattern from the Germand brand Farbenmix, but I traced a size S. I adapted the pattern by making the armholes and sleeveheads smaller, taking in the shoulders, making an armhole dart to create a bit more shape at the front, and I curved the sideseams at the waist. The shoulders are still a bit wide, but I'm not sure a hoodie is supposed to be super fitted anyway. The armhole darts are a teensy bit too high. Funny, because I did some careful fitting although the hood was not attached at that point. I guess the hood pulls it a bit backward and thus the dart moves up.



An improvement I made in comparison with Stef's hoodie is lengthening the lining at the front so it doesnt stop so abruptly. I like the seams on the front that show through. I've gotten better at neat and straight seams and matching them up at zippers and it's nice to notice that. And I used binding strips of fabric at the pocket entrance, instead of just folding over the fabric like the instructions say. I've also managed to topstitch the yoke seams at front and back and the cuffs without stretching the fabric. Thanks to TanitIsis' tip of releasing presser foot tension!



I think this hoodie turned out exactly what it was supposed to be. A casual hoodie, for sundays at home or walks in the park with the dog. Cake, if you will :) I'm not completely sure about the combination of the petrol and the lining. I mean, I like the effect, but I'm not sure it's entirely my style. Maybe a bit too young? (Oh god, did I just say I'm too old for something? Aaaggh...) And black and white around my face might not be the best idea. But it's comfortable and I hope that with the extra attention I paid to finishing techniques, I've also made it durable. In short, cake that lasts!

Another Mustard Hoodie

This time made for Stef! The second (and last) piece for Steftember was finished about a week ago. Judging by the amount of wear it already got, I did a good job. I used a German pattern called Fehmarn. It came with the instructions translated in Dutch, which was nice. The fabric is the same as my mustard hoodie, they restocked it. It was basically the only option we had (other than colours like beige and mint green). I wanted to get a darker fabric for the lining of the hood and the pockets because I was afraid this yellow would make Stef look pale, too. We have about the same skintone, pale with freckles. He chose this navy jersey, and it was his idea to do the zipper in blue too. I wasn't quite sure, I thought the contrast would be too big, but it turned out great!



I topstitched the edge of the hood to prevent the lining from peeking out, but maybe I should've understitched it. Stef likes it this way, so I guess it's fine. I tried to work as precise as I could, thinking of lining up seams and all that stuff before sewing. I love this about sewing, I'm improving wih every garment I make but there is still sooo much to get better at!



I like that this hood has a high collar, it makes a bit more warm and cosy. I cut out size L because that was best for his other shirt which is from the same pattern maker. But this time L was too big on the shoulders, so I had to take them in again. I also altered the sleeves, taking them in around the armholes. I also found the pocket entrance to be a bit shallow, so I deepened them to make it easier to get his hands into them. And to show off the lining.



All in all I can really recommend this men's pattern! You get a lot of options (collar/hood, different pocket options) and it's just a nice contemporary men's pattern. You can use it like I did, but you could also make a sleeveless version, or a fleece jacket. There's some more examples over here. The whole package is not as fancy as Colette's or Sewaholics patterns: printed on regular paper and packed in a ziplock bag, no extra explanatory pictures. But it does it's job just the same.

Don't let Stefs serious face fool you by the way, he's happy with his hoodie! The proof is below.

I guess I'll interpret this as some sort of happy ninja dance. What do you think, would you make this for your man or would you rather go with a classic shirt?

Baby Blue for Real Men

The most surprising result of this project is not a reasonably well-fitting shirt, but the following: if you sew for others, you get to look at what you made all the time. Not just when you happen to look in the mirror. This is an aspect I hadn't thought of! Ofcourse this is only a good thing when you're satisfied with what you made. But otherwise, it's an extra advantage over sewing for yourself. Anyway, moving on to the long awaited shirt! The fabric is a medium weight knit jersey. Stef was a bit surprised it was he who picked this colour last year, but I think it suits him well.



First I tried making my own pattern from an existing shirt but failed miserably. So I used the Föhr pattern from Farbenmix (thanks for the tip, me.anna!) because I liked the shoulder patches (or how do you call these) and the different options you have with sleeves, neckline and pockets. I already knew what fitting issues I needed to tackle. This is what most of Stef's RTW shirts look like:

On fitting the Föhr pattern, I noticed the same problem: pulling at the armholes. I lowered the armholes by a good inch (meaning I also had to re-cut the sleeves). Other than that, the fit was pretty good. I didn't notice the folds hanging down from his chest though, come to think of it it could be due to the fact that I just enlarged the armhole, instead of also lowering the shoulder at the same time. Judging by this post, that could be it anyway. What do you think?

I went for the V neck because these suit him best. I spied the best technique over at Male Pattern Boldness: making the bias strip overlap seemed to be the easiest method, and I agree it looks more elegant.



I'm really pleased with this first attempt at a men's pattern! And, not unimportant, Stef is too. It's even his new favourite shirt! And I liked sewing for him much more than I thought I would. I felt confident with my skills and I felt I could handle potential criticism from my 'customer'. Both these things are the reason why I postponed this for a year. I knew Stef wasn't going to wear it just to please me. An honest customer is better in the end, so I think it was right for me to wait untill I could handle it. And now, to my own surprise, I'm already looking forward to the next Steftember project!