Wool Knits and Jalie Patterns

So back in November (maybe?) when FabricMartFabrics.com had their big sale on wool knits, I bought ....and astonishing amount of yardage from them.  Which I then proceeded to make woolen warm clothes for the whole family.  I got a combination of jerseys, interlocks, and ponte knits, all of them almost 100% wool.  A little itchy, like all wools but the most cozy merinos, but for $8-$12 a yard, who's complaining?

I used mostly Jalie patterns, as I am in love with their fit and all those sizes. One of the first Jalie patterns I ever bought was 2328, their men's thermal underwear pattern. I've used it countless times for either my husband or one of my three boys.  I've got the paper pattern which is no longer available. It's still available off the Jalie website as a download, however.

Here it is in a heathered gray wool ponte knit.  I used the three yards I bought of this fabric for a pair of leggings for me, one for DD, and one for DIL as well as this pair of thermal pants for one of my sons.

I also made a whole lot of shirts for my sons and husband using Jalie 2918. No pics of those, but there's only so much to see.  It's a t-shirt. Nuff said.

For DIL, I made this matching set of leggings and Jalie 2806 the gathered scoop neck top.  I made a whole lot of these for myself a couple of years ago.  These are made of wool/lycra jersey in a gorgeous periwinkle.  Not my color, but it looks fabulous on her.  The leggings I made from a pattern copied from a pair of leggings she already has that she likes the fit.

Apologies for the crummy pictures.  Laying things out on the floor is not my preferred way of displaying my creations, but it's snowing and blowing outside and kinda dim and dreary inside.

All in all, since November, I made alot of tops and pants for all the members of the family.  Good thing, too, 'cuz it's been coooold this year.

A Week in Plain Sewing

Sometimes you've just got to bite the bullet and do all that sewing you've been putting off because it's boring.  That was last weekend for me.  Several pairs of thermal pants and many, many t-shirts were at the top of the priority list, so I got out my trusty Jalie patterns, a pile of knit fabrics, and my 45mm rotary cutter and got started.

First I cut out thermal pants using Jalie 2328 Mens Thermal Underwear.  I think this is the very first pattern of Jalie's that I ever bought.  Oddly enough, I vaguely remember not liking it at first, but I can't for the life of me imagine why.  I was probably expecting something unrealistic.

In any event, this pattern gets my unqualified approval, regardless of my first impression (thereby proving that first impressions aren't always accurate, right?).  The tops fit well, the pants are well designed.  If you have men who work outside in the wintertime, and your winter is anything like New England's (or worse!) this is a great pattern to have. 

A really long time ago, I worked in a textile factory making, you guessed it, thermal underwear!  A before that I worked in a factory making, you guessed it again, long-sleeved knit shirts!  Um, so I've sewn pieces like these alot.  Like thousands of times.  So I feel like I'm a good judge of this kind of pattern.

I cut out three pair from some nice cotton thermal knit that I found at JoAnn's a few years ago.  Two of them are sewn and the last is waiting patiently to be assembled.

Assembly time: less than one-half hour.

After those, I started working on long sleeved tees for Youngest Son.  For these I chose Jalie 2918 Men's T-Shirts.  I haven't used this pattern at all yet, so I'm walking into unknown territory.  What I do know is that Jalie has been very reliable over the years, so I have no reason to expect disappointment. 

I started with the size that matched his measurements, but Youngest Son has got rather broad shoulders.  Made with a cotton rib knit, it fits in the chest, sleeve length is good, overall length is good, but the shoulders just don't quite fit.  I don't think it's the pattern though.  I think it's going to be a standard alteration on all patterns for Youngest Son.  This first tee is wearable, but it won't be long before he grows out of it.  I love how forgiving knits can be.

Next pattern tracing: Size up by 2 sizes to accommodate the shoulder broadness. 

Should have at least 3 or 4 of these tees finished by the end of the day.

So that's what I've been up to.  I do get tired of sewing practical items sometimes, but I get alot of satisfaction knowing that a great many pieces of my family's clothing have come from my hands.  That makes it all worth it.

Hello Vogue -- Thank you for the Men's Peacoat Pattern

My guys all like to wear Pea Coats in the wintertime.  And there is nothing so nice and warm in a New England winter as a wool melton Pea Coat.  I had to break down and buy one for each of my older sons last year, after a long and fruitless search for a pattern that would do the job.  Granted, I'd never sewn a men's coat before, but I was ready to take up the challenge.  I have made a wool melton coat for Youngest Son, and I rather figure the men's version is just larger.  And bulkier.  And harder to handle.  But I was ready.

But the pattern companies let me down.  *sigh*

Well, I was browsing patterns a couple of days ago, and look what I came across! Vogue 8940 Men's Jacket and Pants.  Designed for heavy wools.  Woo hoo!  Wee Hee!  Get outta my way, I'm goin' to the fabric store to pick that baby up!

Back in the Sewing (and Blogging) Saddle At Last

It's been a busy few months, but I'm finally getting some sewing done.  Last night I finished the shirt for my oldest son that's been hanging on my dress form waiting for buttonholes and buttons for about three months now.  I double stitched the mock flat-felled armhole seams, partly because in my first pass I didn't catch the folded over seam allowances in some spots and partly because I wanted it to look a little different from the other two I made in this fabric. This was the last of this nice yarn-dyed stretch shirting that made such beautiful dress shirts.  Ah, shucks, I'll have to do some more fabric shopping...

I also made a whole series of pants and tees for Youngest Son.  They're not very exciting, but sometimes practical sewing takes precedence over the fanciful stuff.  Youngest Son likes the cargo pockets on these, and always tells me to be sure to put them on.  I've got OOP Jalie 2107 -- Men and Boys Pants pattern.  I think I'm going to use that one for his next pair of pants.

Youngest Son's shirt series used up of alot of my knits in earth tones -- I'm going to have to do some more searching and buying in that department, too.  I've been making raglan tees for him, but this year I decided to trace out the regular tee from Kwik Sew's Sewing for Children book.  I sized down to get rid of the enormous '80's ease and lengthened for the proper fit.  They turned out very nice, though I see that, after a few washings, I'll need to reduce the length of the neckline ribbing.  I hate it when it bunches up at the inside edge of the curve.  It's truly amazing how shortening the ribbing by just 1/4 inch can make the neckline look so much better.

That's for the boys.  I've done some sewing for Daughter, too.  But I'll get to that next time.

Shirtmaking -- Seam Finish Details

Yep.  I'm still working on Jordan's shirts.  But I'm making some progress.  I think once I finish the one I have almost done, I'll take a break from shirts for a little while.  Youngest Son and Daughter both could use a few new things.  As could I.

I have to say, though, all this practice has been good for me.  My shirt making skills are definitely improved since last year.  Every new shirt goes a little faster, my technique gets a little better, and the finished product is a little nicer.

And I've been telling myself that I need a flat felled foot if I ever want a decent flat felled seam on the sleeve cap of these shirts.  But after this last shirt, I no longer believe that's true.  This was done just by ironing really, really carefully and scrunching up the excess fabric at the sleeve cap.  Boy, am I proud of this flat felled seam! 

I love it when the seam finish is so nice, you have to look twice to be sure the shirt isn't inside out!

Shirtmaking -- Collar Details

As you know already, I make lots of shirts for my oldest son to wear to work.  This week, I decided to try David Coffin's technique for attaching the collar and collar stand, as detailed in his book, Shirtmaking.

Rather than the traditional home sewing method of attaching the collar to the collar stand and then sewing the collar stand to the neck opening, Coffin's book details how to stitch the collar stand to the shirt first and then attach the collar to the stand.  I like this approach because it allows you greater control over the positioning of the collar in relation to the center front.

I have to admit, though, that I have some trouble controlling the bulk that is formed where the collar stand is joined to the shirt front.  I just can't seem to get a nice crisp corner there.  It looks okay.  I guess.  But I'm not entirely pleased with the roundedness of that corner.  I definitely like the look of the conventional method better, even if it is pretty hard to get the collar stand seam to line up just so with the front edge.

This side looks a little better, more like what I was hoping for.  Maybe it's just that I need some more practice with this new technique.  In many ways it's easier to get the topstitching to look more professional, but in other ways it's definitely more difficult.  The collar still doesn't have that nice, clearly defined right angle like it gets when the conventional method, though.  I'm not entirely sure that it's possible.  I'm a little disappointed that David's book doesn't include more closeup pictures of his shirts' details.

So, do you do shirt collars and how do you sew them?  Have you ever tried David Coffin's method and what do you think?

New Look 6659 --Men's Vest Review and Pics

Let me start by saying that this post has a Companion Post, with pictures of the lining, the buttons, and the back.

I've used this pattern a number of times, and I've been pretty much pleased with the result every time.

I made one of the ladies' versions a couple of years ago out of a beautiful black and charcoal stretch jacquard and I still wear it pretty often.

Shortly after that, I made the men's version for my two oldest sons, both out of tropical wool suitings (both gray but one was a plain weave and the other was a twill).

And shortly after that, I was asked to make one for my son's friend, which I did, out of a warm, brown wool tricotine stretch suiting.

The point to all this rambling?

I've made this pattern for four different people so far.  And a fifth is coming up, because my husband is also wanting a vest, and I like this pattern.

My second oldest son wore his original gray so often, I'm surprised it hasn't fallen apart.  Amazingly, it has held up beautifully.  While the acetate lining shows some wear and tear, the wool shell looks as great as the day I made it.  He asked for a new one, of the same type of fabric, but this time in brown.

I have a stash of wool fabrics of different weights and in a range of earth tones and a separate stash of lining fabrics, so Josh was able to find a fabric and a lining he liked in minutes.  And of course, I've long since traced and altered the pattern to fit, so it was quick and easy to pull everything out and start cutting.

Taking into account his request for real pockets instead of the dummies that always seem to be included in vest patterns, I spent a little time trying out different pocket opening sizes and positions.  His hands are pretty big so I settled on a 5 inch pocket opening.

I added a back tie with a vest buckle, which Josh's gray version doesn't have.  Definitely an improvement.



 Sewing the vest itself only took a couple of days of working on it for a few hours.






I really like this pattern.  It fits well, all the pattern pieces match up, and there are no unpleasant surprises.  Add a nice dress shirt, a classy tie, and a pair a well fitting trousers for a look any man can be proud of :o)

The Men's Vest -- Finished!

ETA:
Finally, the Companion Post is up, with pictures of my son wearing this really cool vest.



I got the men's vest finished last week.  Sadly, not until the day after the Menswear Contest on Pattern Review ended.  But Second Oldest Son has a new vest, and that's what really matters.









Since I muffed up the inside vest pocket, I wasn't  terribly excited about entering it anyway, but it isn't an obvious error.  As a matter of fact, I don't think Second Oldest even noticed.

The purple lining is actually really cool.  Lends it a certain classiness that it wouldn't otherwise possess.

And the adjustable back tie lets him draw in the waist when he wears it with only the top button buttoned, which he often does, so that the back doesn't stick out funny.

Not to mention these neat gear buttons that I bought from Twin Roses.  These are solid brass and really high quality buttons.






I'll see if I can get him to pose for some pictures soon.  Hopefully I can get him and my Oldest Son in some pictures together.  I made Oldest Son a vest from this pattern last year, and his looks pretty good, too.

Burda Men's Shirt

Finally some pics of the shirt that I made for Oldest Son.  He likes these shirts hip length since he doesn't tuck them in.  I found that the interfacing that I bought from Fashion Sewing Supply for the cuffs and collar performed beautifully after washing.  They're both still nice and crisp and will hopefully remain that way.

The next shirt for him is in an olive green stripe.  I've made so many of these shirts for him so far that you'd think I could do it in my sleep.  But no.  I still have to be careful and do each step by the book.

Progress on the Men's Vest

Well, the lining is done, in so much as it can be.  I sewed all the darts, put in an inside pocket as requested and sewed the shoulder seams.  Now I just need to do the same for the shell and join the two together.  I haven't been terribly inspired to sew, so I'm not sure I'll get it done before the end of the contest.

Oldest Son wore the shirt I made for the contest to work today, so I'm hoping to snap a quick picture of him when he gets home.

Men's Vest

I got the pieces for my Second Son's vest cut out and interfaced last night.  The brown is tropical weight wool and the lining is a poly brocade shirting.  It's a pretty neat fabric -- either side could be the right side.  I chose to use the side that emphasized the leaves the most as the right side.

He's asked for one inside pocket and one outside pocket.  The inside one will be a plain welt pocket -- that's what I did on his last one and it seemed to work out just fine for him.  I will interface the lining all around the pocket area this time, which I didn't do last time.


He's also asked me to add a belt in the back with a vest buckle so he can adjust the fit to his liking.  I have vest buckles in nickel and brass -- this chocolate color will look better with brass buckles, I think.

I'd like to get at least the darts sewn today, and if I can get to more than that, I'll consider it a bonus.  I'd also like to get a picture taken of Oldest Son in his new dress shirt so I can post it to Pattern Review and get my entry for the Menswear Contest taken care of.

PR Menswear Contest Day 6 -- Men's Vest

Oldest Son's shirt is finished, but he wore it to work today so no picture yet.

Second Oldest has picked out his fabrics -- both shell and lining -- for a new vest.  I've already sewn this pattern, so it should be a pretty basic project.

The fabrics are from Fabric.com last year.  The lining is a cotton/poly blend in burgundy with a woven pattern of leaves -- a really nice fabric actually.  The shell is just a plain weave 100% wool suiting.  Nice quality but no frills really.  I wish it was easier to get plain weave tropical wool suitings.  For whatever reason, all my guys prefer plain weave to twill weave.

The pattern is New Look 6659.  I know lots of folks aren't tickled pink with unisex patterns, but I actually found this one to be kind of nice.

I've made View C for myself already and I like it a whole lot.  And I've made the men's version for both Oldest Son and Second Oldest.

The only difference is that both of them like real pockets, both inside and out, instead of those lame fake pockets that vests always seem to have.

I don't get the fake pocket thing.  Remember when men carried pocket watches all the time?  I mean, hello?  A fake pocket just doesn't cut it.

PR Menswear Contest Day 5 and a New Project

Almost finished with my son's shirt.  All that's left is to sew the buttonholes and sew on the buttons.  Five days from beginning to end is not bad.  Not bad at all.

What I'd like to make next is this coat from Orvis.  I just bought some awesome 50%wool/50% acrylic olive green suiting from Fabric.com (sadly out of stock, but I got 10 yards, woo hoo!) that is perfect for this jacket.  I also have a stock of leather scraps in a couple different shades of brown, so I should have all the supplies on hand.  What I haven't been able to locate are those cool bone buttons -- I'm probably going to have to compromise on those.

I have two Burda patterns that I'm going to morph into this jacket.  Burda 7704 and Burda 8186. 

I'll use 7704 for the collar (which I'm going to have to widen and shorten) and the patch pocket placement (and therefore the seam which I think those front pockets are sewn into).

And I'll use 8186 for the breast pocket placement (and therefore the placement of the leather shoulder patches), the bottom front hem and the back vent. 

There's no back view of this jacket on the Orvis website, but it looks like there's a back yoke as well.  For that part, I'm going to have to wing it.

I'm not sewing this coat for the Men's Wear contest -- I really don't think that 10 days is nearly enough time to tweak the patterns, make the muslin, and sew the coat.  Well, not without completely ignoring the rest of my life, anyway.  But, of course if by some miracle it does get done before the deadline, well...

I washed the wool today, and it is now hanging to dry.  So it's on to finishing the shirt.  I've reviewed this shirt already, so then it's just a matter of taking a pic, editing my review, and submitting the entry to the contest.  Yay!  I actually did it!

PR Menswear Contest Day 1

Today is the opening day of the Pattern Review Menswear Contest.  This means that the entrants can begin working on projects for the contest. I got the fabric pieces cut out for my Oldest Son's next dress shirt.  I decided to start with the gray stripe, but I'm tempted to cut the olive/cream, too so that's it's all ready to sew when I finish the gray.


It always feels like it's a good sign when I get some progress made on Day 1.

Pattern Review Menswear Contest

I love the Pattern Review Contests.  I've never won one, and admittedly I enter very few, but I do think the whole idea is pretty fun.

This year, I decided I'd like to enter a few.  The Menswear Challenge starts on Wednesday and runs until the 15th.

The Challenge: to make and review a menswear item in 2 weeks.  I can usually make a men's shirt in just a few days (the last one was a nightmare so therefore it doesn't count :o)), so I'm thinking I ought to be able to get at least one entry in before the deadline.

My Oldest Son always needs more dress shirts and my Second Oldest would like a new vest.  He's pretty much worn out the one I made for him a year or so ago.

I washed a dried two different fabrics for dress shirts today.  Both are Catalina yarn-dyed shirtings from Fabric.com -- they had a ton of these last year and I bought yardage of every single one that I thought would make good men's shirts.

The first one is gray with threads of orange running through it.  It didn't photograph well, but it's a nice fabric.

It's got a bit of lycra in it, so it's a stretch shirting, but I don't think that matters at all.

 The other is an olive green and cream stripe.  This will go well with pants he already has.  This fabric doesn't have stretch, but since the pattern doesn't call for a stretch woven, this one's okay, too.  What I don't like about this fabric is that it wrinkled horribly in the dryer.  Maybe it's because I washed a 6 yard piece.  And maybe it's one of those fabrics that just give you a headache.  Either way, it'll make a nice shirt.  Even if I have to swear mightily every time I iron it.

The pattern is Burda 6676.  I've already detailed working with this pattern since I've made 5 or 6 of these since this time last year.  Since it's a TNT pattern, it had better not argue with me this time.

As for vest fabrics, I have a stash of nice wools in assorted earth tones for my Second Son to choose from.  I'll have to talk to him about what he'd like.  I have a couple of grays, one or two browns, black of course, some interesting herringbones, and some greens coming in the mail this week.  I'm sure he'll find something he likes.

So that's my Contest Plan.  Not too ambitious, but ambitious enough to keep me interested and excited.  I think it'll be fun.

Men's Dress Shirt finished

I did it!  Finished Oldest Son's shirt last night.  I have to say, though, this was the toughest project I've done in a long time.

To date, I've made 8 or 9 men's dress shirts and 2 or 3 women's dress shirts.  With that much experience, you'd think that another one would go together smooth as silk, right?  Ha!

Let me say good things first.  This is the first time that I've used the Super Crisp Interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply and it sewed beautifully.  We'll see how it holds up after repeated washing.

Okay. That's the only good thing I can think of.  Can you tell that this project Did. Not. Make. Me. Happy?

I had so many problems with this one it was hard to believe.  Collar gave me trouble, buttonholes were a pain, flat felled seams were picky, I even cut and sewed the yoke wrong first time through.  Arggggghhhh!

I took breaks from this project and did nothing.  I took breaks and sewed something else (which, btw, went together perfectly and beautifully -- as soon as I started working on this shirt again, problems started popping up again).  So, I'm convinced this shirt hates me.

But it's done.  And while it may not be as perfect as I would like it to be (some of my mistakes inevitably show, at least to me) I think it's good enough.

I'll have to be content with that.

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)

Progress on Men's Shirt -- Jalie 2111

I finished cutting, interfacing, and sewing the new collar last night.  It was still a little tight getting it into the neckline, though.  It's possible I stretched the neckline while handling the fabric pieces (3/8 inch seam allowances don't help there, either), but it's also just as possible that this fabric just doesn't ease that well.



I found it impossible to use the feed dogs to ease the neckline into the collar; I had to run a line of ease stitching instead, but in the end I prevailed.  If you're at all familiar with this (or any other, really) men's shirt pattern, you'll see that I altered the shape of the collar stand (I left off the collar on purpose, since I think these shirts sometimes look great with just the stand).  I narrowed the collar stand and then took off the front curve and replaced it with a just barely rounded front edge.  I like it much better this way.

That was all I had time for yesterday.  So the underarm/side seams remain unsewn, the cuffs are not attached, and there are no buttons or buttonholes.  No time to sew today, but with any luck I'll get this shirt done tomorrow.

Getting My Enthusiasm Back!

It's been a couple of weeks since I've gotten really excited about any of my projects, but I think that's finally coming to an end.

Yesterday, I spent alot of the day sewing and got one pending project finished and another one started.

The pending project was a pair of pants for my youngest son.  I've been pushing the pieces around since September, when I cut out a whole bunch of pants for him in different colors (like black, brown, olive, and tan) and I made up all the pairs but one.  That last pair, I finally cut out and assembled cargo pockets for them and put that pair together. 

The project I started was a button-down shirt for my husband.  I got the most beautiful lightweight canvas from FabricMart last week in a chocolate brown.  One side is brushed so it is almost flannelly and soft and the other side is a nice, practical plain weave.  It is very high quality, gorgeous stuff and I'm am so glad I bought 8 yards of the stuff (mostly because I want to use it to make a pair of pants for ME!).

I am using Jalie 2111 to make this shirt.  I've made it several times already in different sizes, so I'm familiar with the pattern, though last night, for some reason, I couldn't get the collar to fit into the neckline.  Not sure what I was doing wrong, but I always take it as a sign to quit sewing when simple operations become too difficult for me to execute.

It may have been some of the alterations I made to the pattern, so I'll have to check on that today.  I eliminated the back yoke and I changed the shape of the collar, so I might've made a mistake in there somewhere.  Or maybe I just got too tired to sew last night.

By the way, I love Jalie's sleeve plackets.  They look totally classy on the front...

And just as classy on the back.

I've taken to using these sleeve plackets no matter which shirt pattern I'm using, I like them so much.



So, I got the pieces cut out and the front bands, sleeve plackets, and shoulder seams sewn.  Not bad for a project I only started yesterday.  What's left?

I need to cut, interface, and sew a new collar first.  Then put the rest of the shirt together and then comes the really hard part:  choosing the perfect buttons.

Progress on the Leather Cap -- Finished!

Here's a picture of the newest version.  Looks alot like the first one doesn't it?

This one's not fully lined, only the hat band is lined.  It worked so well for the previous version that I decided not to fix what isn't broken.  I did, however, bind the seam allowance at the seam where the hat band is joined to the sides.  My treadle machine sewed beautifully through all those layers and it gives the cap a finished appearance on the inside.

All in all, it was a surprisingly quick project, and it turned out very nice indeed.