Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Up-All-Night Madras Shirt

My last Pattern Drafting class project was a shirt.  We drafted a casual shirt sloper and sleeve then designed a shirt with:


  1. collar and stand
  2. detached front button placket (not a facing)
  3. sleeve placket
  4. french cuffs
  5. shirt tail hem
Not much room for design, but that was okay with me. :)  I originally came up with a cute scallop placket and short puff sleeves, but I didn't have time to execute it.  My design was simplified drastically  and I played with fabrics instead.  

I started my draft in class two Thursdays ago.  I ended up not using any of it really except the shirt tail hem shape.  The following Tuesday, I redrafted the front and back, made a collar and stand pattern, drafted the front placket and the yoke.  That day I also finished up the patterns for the bustier and finished up my Creative Design Applications Activewear 12 piece group (I finished at 3am).  

So Wednesday night comes along (I got home at 4:30pm) and I haven't even gotten my pattern on manila (oak tag)!!!  I finished up my patterns, cut them out of manila, then cut my fabric.  I didn't start sewing until midnight!  

Sewed, sewed, sewed all night and by 6am I had the hem left.  My machine broke and I was panicking.  I left for school (The Boyfriend has been AMAZING and driving me to school when I don't get enough or any sleep the night before).  In the car I drew my flat sketch and worked on my Pattern Card (a list of pattern pieces).  At school I sewed the sh*ttiest hem ever and put the shirt on the dressform.  The shirt did not need to have buttons and buttonholes (thank God!)  

Compared to others, it was really well sewn, and I got a 98% on the sewing.  Don't know what I got on the pattern, but I'm sure I did fine.  

Here's my madras shirt with contrast placket, cuffs, and collar stand!

Again, I apologize for the crappy photos.  I need a better phone.  

Even matched plaids...


The placket is pretty crappy, but it was sewn at 5am!

I heart my collar.
The fabric is vintage madras. I paid (well my mom did :) ) $5 for 3 yards.  The contrast is a cotton/poly blend I got a the swapmeet for $1/yd.  

Thanks to Jaime, my newest follower! Enjoy the blog!

4 comments:

  1. Hopefully the machine is a quick fix. Perhaps with the long weekend you will be able to get back on a regular sleep schedule?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am very close to Madras (Chennai), the place that gave the name of this fabric!;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. lovely!
    can you wear it? I totally would.

    ~Marian

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nice job, and perfectly wearable.

    ReplyDelete