Monthly Archives: August 2014

A new shirt

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The promise was made back in May, but only fulfilled last week: a summer shirt. The pattern is Burda 7045, a straight-forward man’s shirt, with three variations that combine various collars, pleats and pockets.

Shirt looks nice, too.

Shirt looks nice, too.

Pretty happy with that fit, saying so myself n'all.

Pretty happy with that fit, saying so myself n’all.

I chose a standard collar (‘A’), a pocket, and pleats back and front. I added a bit of variation of my own, too. The sleeves are short, but instead of a simple folded under hem I used the cuff. It gives it a bit more ‘finished’ look, I think, more smart than casual, you might say.

Cuff detail

Cuff detail

I took his measurements (chest, waist, shoulders), and compared with the corresponding measurements taken from the pattern (a situation when it’s actually an advantage not to have seam allowances included in the pattern). Not a single adjustment needed: as if by magic, my husband fits a size 48 perfectly.

The fabric is a organic cotton denim, with a straight weave. When freshly pressed it’s wonderfully crisp, which seems to highlight the crisscross pattern created by the weave; with wear it softens and the various tones of blue come to the fore. This fabric is just so nice. (You can get the fabric from Siebenblau, Berlin, a shop selling only organic fabric.)

This is the second time I have used this pattern. I haven’t encountered any problems, at least not relating to the pattern itself (rushing, and not double checking stuff; can’t blame Burda for that). I would say that if you have not made a shirt before, do expect to read the instructions a couple of times – preferably once before you begin. The sleeve slit and placket in particular can be a bit tricky, both to do and to understand how to do. And when the instructions say baste, baste. I found it much easier to get the fabric to behave properly that way.

Very happy with how it came out, and so is my husband. Win-win.

It’s a shopper, baby.

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Denim shopper

Would look great with a baguette and some curly lettuce sticking out.

One of my first sewing projects: the denim shopper bag, made from a pair of old jeans, deemed by my husband to be past their fashion sell-by date. The fabric was in good condition, though, and as the trousers were from a time when cargo-pants were still in recent memory, there was also a lot of it. I used it down to the last scrap, more or less.

It took ages to make, a combination of my inexperience, and inexplicable pleasure in unpicking seams (rather than just cut the seams away and be done with it). The bag is a success, though: shopping, picnics (once, anyway), those days when you need to carry water, an umbrella, sunglasses and a jacket; it takes bottles to the bottle bank, and it will even fit one of those frozen pizzas that I’m not sure if I disguise because frozen pizzas are an abomination, or because I buy the organic ones.

Denim shopper inside pocket

Inside pocket

Denim shopper top view

Zipper in outside pocket, the waistband closure, and the key holder. Ready for black tie event.

It has eminently practical details. One of the outside pockets (the original back pocket) has an internal zipper, and there’s an inside pocket with a zipper, too, meaning that I don’t have to worry about phone or wallet falling out. The ends of the waist band have become a way to close it, and there’s a ring to hook my keys onto – though that detail is actually not so great, as it means the keys make this annoying dangly-chiming noise.

It’s one of those bags you like so much that you become convince it’s way more versatile than it really is.