Name: James
Where can we find you online? Instagram
Project Details
Link to your project: https://www.instagram.com/p/B4VwojsgW8E/
Pattern used: All Day Shirt
Fabrics used: Three fabrics were used to create this shirt: white mercerized cotton shirting, Rag and Bone black mercerized cotton poplin, and an abstract geometric black lace. All three fabrics were sourced from Mood Fabrics.
Did the fabrics work well?
They were all fantastic. The two cottons were exactly what you'd expect from high-quality shirting materials. The lace was easier to handle than I anticipated and delivered precisely what I intended it to achieve.
How did the sewing go?
I’m always up for a challenge, and sometimes I dive into projects without fully considering the obstacles. For this particular project, I aimed to make a shirt within a week to wear for a special occasion—a gala celebrating the 200th anniversary of the church I attend. A week might sound manageable, but as a high school teacher during the day and a university instructor in the evenings, most of my sewing happens on weekends and occasionally on well-planned weeknights. So, this wasn’t just a challenge—it was a major one.
Adding to the difficulty, I wanted to experiment with a technique I’d never tried before—a shirt with a lace overlay on the yoke, fronts, back, and sleeves. And to push myself further, I decided to use a pattern I’d never worked with before. If you’re unfamiliar with men’s shirt patterns, you might assume they’re all similar, but that’s not true. Over the years, I’ve used about eight different patterns, most of which I won’t make again. Even the pattern I use most often required extensive grading in the body, and I had to completely rework the neckband and collar. However, after reading the instructions for the All Day Shirt, I felt confident that this would be a great pattern to use.
I quickly made a muslin for fit and was delighted to discover that, aside from needing to shorten the length due to my shorter torso, no other adjustments were necessary. I carefully cut out all the pieces I’d be using (knowing I wouldn’t add pockets) from the appropriate fabrics: yoke, fronts, back, and sleeves from both the white cotton and lace; and collar, neckband, cuffs, buttonhole band, and sleeve plackets from the black fabric. I basted each lace piece to its corresponding white cotton piece. I used a walking foot, which may have been unnecessary, but I preferred to play it safe. Once all the pieces were basted, I switched back to a regular foot, knowing the lace would now be sandwiched between two layers of cotton.
With that step completed, the sewing went smoothly. This is a meticulously drafted pattern, and everything fit together beautifully. I chose not to do any topstitching on the lace sections, opting instead to topstitch only on the collar, buttonhole band, sleeve plackets, and cuffs.
I was particularly pleased with how the sleeves turned out; I prefer a bit of gathers in the cap, and many shirt patterns don’t accommodate that. I opted to hand-baste my gathering stitches, as I find it gives me more control. The sleeves went in smoothly and have a natural feel at the shoulder.
Due to time constraints, I wasn’t able to complete two things I had hoped to do. First, I wanted to make French cuffs, but when I realized I hadn’t started them until the day of the gala, I decided to stick with the cuffs included in the pattern. Second, I had purchased some beautiful black silk organza to cut into bias strips for a Hong Kong finish on the armscye and side seams. Unfortunately, that proved too time-consuming, so I simply serged the seam allowances together.
What was the best part?
There were actually two highlights. First, I now have a reliable go-to shirt pattern. I already have the pieces for two more All Day Shirts on my cutting table—both in flannel. The other best part was receiving all the compliments at the gala. I couldn’t have been happier with the outcome.
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