Sunday, December 18, 2011

Jalie 2111 -- Finished!

This is the finished Jalie 2111 Men's Dress Shirt.  I've made several of these in different sizes for my sons -- this one is for my husband.  I always love Jalie patterns because of all those glorious sizes and the wonderful heavy paper that they're printed on.  I can fold and unfold the pattern sheet to my heart's desire and it never tears along the fold lines.

This shirt was made in a Jalie size T -- approximately equivalent to a men's 36.  I used a very nice lightweight canvas that I recently bought from FabricMart.  It is brushed on one side so that it has an almost flannel-like texture.  Very yummy and perfect for winter.

I made a number of changes to this pattern.  First, I eliminated the back yoke and the back pleat altogether so that the shirt back is all one plain piece.  I also skipped the collar and used just the collar stand, which I narrowed and changed the front curve to make it more straight.  And instead of cuffs, I used something more appropriately called sleeve bands.  They are about half the width of the usual cuff.

One thing I didn't touch is the sleeve plackets.  I love them just the way they are -- perfect.  I usually use these sleeve plackets on other men's shirt patterns that I sew.

This shirt went together beautifully, though I admit those 3/8" seam allowances take some getting used to.  It also means I can't use french or mock flat felled seams so at some point I may increase the seam allowances on this pattern to accommodate that.  The only trouble I had was installing the collar and that, I think, was operator error.  I need to remember not to sew when I'm really tired.

All in all, a great project and I'm very happy with the results.  Oh, and my husband likes it, too, which is an added bonus :o)

2 comments: