Monday, March 26, 2012

McCalls M6436

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I made this shirt, which is version D of McCalls M6436, a couple of weeks ago but just haven't made the time to post about it.

It's made in Liberty Tana Lawn, Pamela Judith, in the brown colourway. I love it.
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I chose wooden buttons, which I'm really pleased with, and I've worn it a few times now and it feels great to wear. Liberty lawn is so light and airy and very well suited to shirts and blouses.

The fit on this is quite relaxed; it's not terribly fitted. Having said that, it still looks fitted enough when it's tucked in. Good grief, it's long, though! I know I'm only 5ft 2 but this is almost a dress on me. I think I may shorten the next, sleeveless, version I make.
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I've discovered I really like making shirts. I liked using the sew-in interfacing, and I enjoyed all the slipstitching by hand, on the collar, cuffs and button bands. Also, I've found I like making buttonholes and even sewing on buttons. I find this hand finishing very satisfying (though I do the buttonholes by machine - I'm not completely insane). I french seamed the whole thing, except for the armhole seams, which I "overlocked" on my sewing machine.
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Next I will make a short sleeved, pocketed version in the blue colourway. And I want to make a more fitted shirt after that, possibly Vogue 8772, which I already have the pattern for.

I have made a dress over the weekend, and it just needs hemming and I want to topstitch through the shell and lining around the armholes, by hand. I'll post it in the next few days, hopefully.

9 comments:

  1. Nice. You need a horse for perfect styling (for some reason this reminds me of the covers of horse/ riding related books for ladies..- in a good way). The fabric is cool too. I thought (possibly due to the colour gradient) that it was semi-sheer at first..

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  2. Thanks for your comment.

    I laughed about the horse, once I realised what you meant. At first, I thought you meant for fitting purposes! WHAT? I need a HORSE? All became clear as I read on.

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  3. Alice its lovely . The fabric especially is just lovely and it looks great with the wooden buttons.I also love handsewing.

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  4. What a beautiful blouse. I'm making basic blouses at the moment and mine feel kind of plain by comparison.

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  5. I love sewing tailored shirts too. Yours looks beautiful. The fabric is lovely and you chose the right buttons for a perfect match.

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  6. This is such a nice shirt. I love the colours of the fabric and the classic shape. I am still afraid to make shirts but yours makes me want to challenge myself a little.

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  7. Lisa, Gail, Melissa, Pauline...thank you so much for your comments. I have nearly finished another one of these but my sewing machine has gone wrong and stopped me in my tracks.

    Pauline, don't be afraid of making shirts. Make a muslin first, because if you know the fit is right, all the other details can be taken care of as you go along. At least you know it will fit and won't have to worry about that side of things.

    Ask yourself...what is the worst that can happen?

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  8. What a beautiful shirt! The Liberty you've used is really stunning, and I'm the same, I really love sewing shirts too, and for much the same reasons - I love the hand-stitched finishes. I think that's what makes it feel like ive done a really professional job, if that makes any sense.

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  9. Thank you Helene.

    And I agree, all the extra hand stitching is what makes shirts feel special.

    I have just made another!

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