Sunday 22 November 2015

White Linen Shirt

After promising my dear husband that I would make him another handmade shirt months ago, I have finally delivered.


Last March, my ever patient husband took me on a fabric shopping trip during a visit to Sydney. I got to visit Tessuti at Surry Hills which was amazing...such beautiful fabrics. I could have spent hours there, but this was only a quick trip. I did manage to purchase a couple of pieces of lovely 100% linen and one of them has been made into this shirt.


I based this shirt on McCalls 6044 which I have made twice before here and here. You can find all the construction details and pattern alterations in these previous posts so I won't go over them in detail again here.


For this version, I only added one pocket at Greg's request. This simplified things as I didn't have to worry about matching the placement to the other side. Also, using a solid colour meant no pattern matching. This shirt was probably a lot easier to sew than my first two versions because of this and the fabric was a dream to press and sew.


I followed The Classic Tailored Shirt by Pam Howard on Craftsy, as I did with my previous shirts. This is a great resource and I can't recommend this class enough. I added a tower placket that is not included in the pattern using this tutorial. I love this detail on a man's shirt. Greg loves wearing his sleeves rolled up so I lengthened the tower placket to make it easier for him to roll up the sleeves.


I had all intentions of sewing button holes and buttons on this shirt, but I couldn't find any buttons I was happy with locally. Greg is a big fan of press studs and I had these "Snaps" from Snapsource in the stash. At first I didn't like the idea of using snaps on a linen shirt but after some convincing from Greg, the idea grew on me. These ones are called white marble and I think they go quite nicely with the casual rumpled vibe of the linen fabric.


There is something so satisfying in sewing a man's shirt. I love the neat finish that flat felled seams produce, both on the outside and the inside. I spent a couple of weeks sewing this shirt in short bursts in the evenings after work and I managed to get it finished just in time for his birthday. I gave it a wash to remove the pink pencil marks so it was presentable for the occasion, but to my horror the interfaced areas went all bubbly and crinkled looking. I thought it was ruined, but after getting over the initial disappointment I have decided it doesn't look too bad with the wrinkly nature of the linen and it is wearable. Greg didn't seem concerned about it.


I have learned my lesson though. No more cheap and nasty interfacing for me. I have explored Fashion Sewing Supply and their interfacing products online. Has any one else in Australia bought interfacing from this supplier? I would appreciate any feedback or any suggestions for a more local suppler of decent interfacing. It is so heart breaking to have all your hard work ruined by inferior products.


I couldn't get a smile out of him for these photos. We were out in our front garden and he was worried someone might see him. Oh the trials and tribulations of getting photos for the blog. He did love his new shirt though, and I get a lot of pleasure seeing him wear it.

Happy sewing.

25 comments:

  1. You did a great work on the shirt, looks very neat :) I love every details and it fits your husband perfectly. Well done! You are a sweet and talented wife :)

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    1. Thanks so much Hana. I am lucky that he is very easy to fit, only requiring the sleeves to be lengthened.

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  2. Beautiful job! I've had the same problem with fusible interfacing. Now when I use it, I fuse it to the inner layers of a garment (ex. under collar) so that any bubbles will not show on the exterior.

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    1. Thank you! That's a good tip with the interfacing too.

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  3. Not in Australia, but I've used Fashion Sewing Supply interfacing for years and wouldn't use anything else. Ever! Great job on the shirt. Looks very professional.

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    1. Thank you Lynda. I have read lots of great reviews about Fashion Sewing Supply.

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  4. I also love making men's shirts and I hear you regarding the interfacing. I shall try your new source. This shirt looks wonderful and I'm sure he will wear it until it falls to pieces. Great job!

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    1. Thank you Sue. I have always admired your beautiful shirt making skills. Where do you buy your interfacing? and have you had any trouble with poor quality?

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  5. Beautiful work Jean. Your husband should be very proud and happy. I have made shorts for Mr S but never a shirt. I would like to one day.

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    1. Thank you Kathy. My husband does love his new shirt. You should make one for your husband too. I'm sure you would get a lot of satisfaction from seeing him wear it, as I do.

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  6. Beautiful work! I have made shorts for Mr S but never a shirt. I would like to one day.

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  7. I haven't tried out Fashion Sewing Supply, but I think I will. It's not a great experience to have all your careful sewing let down by your interfacing. How annoying.
    I also enjoy sewing shirts because the end result can be very gratifying. This shirt looks great. I kind of avoid the question of sewing shirts for my husband though, because his shoulders are broad and sloping and I can see all sorts of fitting headaches there.

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    1. Thanks Paola. You have made some lovely shirts too. I was hoping to get some feed back from someone else in Australia who has purchased from Fashion Sewing Supply, before I try them out. That postage is probably going to be costly. The only fit alteration I had to make for my husband was to lengthen the sleeves, so I am very lucky.

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  8. Lovely work on the shirt it looks great ! I am in Australia and have bought from Fashion sewing supply in the past but the last order I placed they emailed back and said they aren't shipping international at the moment ,due to family illness and being short of staff. I have placed a phone order with the remnant warehouse in Sydney and found them very helpful and the interfacing I got has been quite good, but I did preshink it before I used it , which you don't have to do with fashion supply. I live in South Australia and all we have is spotlight ��

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    1. Thanks for the feedback and your lovely comment , fritzs mum. Did you find the quality of the interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply worth the cost, including the postage? I don't even live close to a Spotlight and I can only buy the really cheap and nasty stuff at the local fabric shop.

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  9. What a beautiful shirt! I love making shirts for my menfolk too, it's a very satisfying project. I would make at least four every year and would make more if they wanted/needed them! Linen, is of course a dream fabric to work with :)

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    1. Thank you so much Carolyn. I have admired the beautiful men's shirts you have made in the past too. I'm looking forward to sewing up my other piece of linen...probably not a man's shirt as it is bright pink.

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  10. A very smart shirt and the fabric sounds divine. I used SheerWeft and find it very good quality.

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    1. Thank you Sharon. Where do you purchase the SheerWeft from?

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    1. Thank you so much Marianne for your lovely comment.

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  12. I am a bit slow with blog reading, but I thought i would reply. I have had that exact problem with interfacing and have switched to Fashion Sewing Supply's fabulous stuff. I am in Tamworth (NSW) and I think the postage is worth it. They will let you know what will fit into the most economical post bag. Hopefully they are shipping again internationally soon. Beautiful shirt for Greg, too!

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    1. Thank you margk for sharing your experience with Fashion Sewing Supply. I have just placed an order on your recommendation, and I am looking forward to trying it out.

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  13. I have just come across your shirt pattern review. I really like the look of this linen shirt. Your hub is wearing the collar open neck....does the collar sit smart and nicely when fastened? I ask because my first attempt at shirt collar has not been all that sucessful.

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    1. Thanks cherryb for your comment. Although my husband always wears this shirt with the top unbuttoned, it does look good when the collar is buttoned too. I have found that it is very important to sew collars very precisely to ensure everything lines up and sits evenly.

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