The year is almost over and I have quite a few makes to share! First up is a tailored shirt in a lovely lightweight woven linen blue and white pinstripe. I’ve been working for the last few months to perfect my dress shirt pattern. This one is almost there. I bit more width in the body and shoulder and it will be spot on. I really like that this can be worn out or tucked in with very little bulk.

I drafted this from my sloper with my preferred slim fit and all my favorite details. A slightly wider sleeve with cuff, placket and an elbow dart. Plus plenty of ease so the sleeve can be rolled up to the elbow comfortably. The front bodice has french darts, a back yoke (in this case pieced on the bias to a v shape) and a simple band and slim collar.

All the Details

Mini Stripe Linen – Blue/White – 2 meters OOS, Blackbird Fabrics

Lightweight woven linen fabric. Featuring a classic yarn-dyed stripe, this breezy linen is ideal for those sweltering days as well as layering

The Classic Tailored Shirt

with Pam W. Howard

It’s still oh so sunny here in Florida although we have had a few chilly days. You know it’s cold in Florida when I have to turn on the heat just for my daughter’s lizard. My kiddos were in seventh heaven with the chilly mornings!

I really love the fit of this shirt. It needs a few more tweaks but very wearable and comfy. I used Pam Howards The Classic Tailored Shirt class on Craftsy to construct this. I love this class. She walks you through each step and has some great tips. Really easy to follow. This was especially helpful as this is my own pattern and I haven’t constructed many shirts. The linen blend did make the collar and back yoke a bit more fiddly to work with but it all turned out well once pressed. I’m going with a nice cotton shirting next time around!

One of my favorite details of this shirt is the elbow dart. You can barely see it but it gives so much more ease of movement. I do need to add a second button to my placket but haven’t gotten to it yet. My hem is faced so very it has a nice clean finish on the curved edges. All the small details that really aren’t noticeable to anyone but myself makes this shirt so much nicer.

I’m feeling really on top of everything this holiday season. For the first time we decorated immediately after Thanksgiving and bought a tree the first weekend in December. I have all my newly made Christmas decorations from last year up and love the aqua and cream beachy vibe our home has. All my gifts are purchased, sent and wrapped too! I love picking out the perfect gift for everyone! Plus I now pick out my own Christmas presents so I’m really excited for some gorgeous fabrics and patterns to work on over break. After this weekend I have off with the kiddos for a few weeks and I’m really looking forward to the sewing and family time. The fourth quarter at work was super busy so I really need the break!

Back soon with more new makes! Happy Sewing!