Made by a Fabricista: 25th Anniversary Shirt

It was my 25th anniversary last week and every year I buy my husband at least one card for our anniversary and this year was no different. I looked at typical anniversary cards, "I'm Sorry" cards (for all of those times I said something I shouldn't have, uh-hem), "I Love You" cards and "You're My Best Friend" cards. I settled on an "I Love You" anniversary card but I knew I wanted to give him something more....it is our silver anniversary after all.

I decided to make him a shirt. I realize it's a bit "Little House on the Prairie" for Ma to make Pa a shirt but he loved the last shirt I made him so much I knew it was the perfect gift.

I found a beautiful quality Japanese shirting from Fabric Mart that he would like. It's a 100% cotton blue/gray fabric with tiny red & cream colored stripes and a really soft face. He's an artist so he's usually in a crew neck t-shirt and Levi's (with a little bit of paint on them somewhere) so this crisp but not too crisp fabric is great for my casual dressing guy.

Already in my stash was the Negroni pattern from Colette but I had yet to make it. My husband has these particular two shirts he likes from Patagonia, so I decided to steal one from the closet and use it for the basic fitting specs. I measured it against Negroni and found the large was only a 1/2" different around the body so I went with it.

I made a few fit and design changes starting with shortening the sleeve. I measured the shirt from the neck, across the shoulder seam and down the sleeve to get the length I wanted.

I then measured the yoke and sleeve pattern pieces, deducted the seam allowances and found my sleeve needed to be shortened a little more than an inch.

I copied the Patagonia shirt pocket because it had a lot more interest and used my 1/4" foot for the inner stitch and my ditch foot for the edge stitch when topstitching on the pocket, collar, yoke and sleeve. Negroni calls for a shirttail hem but I changed it to a straight hem with a side vent.

The instructions were well written, the finish on the inner yoke and collar was really clean (take a look at the inside in the photo below) and overall it looked more like a ready to wear shirt than any other men's pattern I've used.

Since I gave it to him as a surprise I wasn't able to do fittings while making the shirt so I will make a couple of changes next time I make it. I'll shorten the sleeve and shirt length by an inch each and make a sloping shoulder adjustment to eliminate the wrinkles at the back armhole.

My husband loved the shirt (and wants another one...I'm so happy!) and after some coaxing agreed to be photographed but insisted I leave his face out of it. I obliged because if I didn't I'd have to buy an "I'm Sorry" card at our next anniversary.

While making this shirt I was reminded of something. When a new niece or nephew is born in the family, my husband gets freshly showered and puts on a collared shirt before we first go meet the baby. I've never asked him to do this and of course the baby doesn't know he's in his "Sunday Best" but I find it so endearing. Maybe we need a new niece or nephew in the family.

Thank you for sharing in my sewing adventures,

Diane at Gatorbunnysews

Made By A Fabricista: Vacation Vibes

We will be traveling to the Caribbean for Spring Break this year, so I started thinking about what I wanted to take with me that would be easy to wear, but also light and breezy. Personally, I love wearing linen because it looks so luxe while still being really comfortable. Since coordinated sets are still on trend this year, I thought it would be fun to create some pieces that I could mix and match for a relaxed vacation mini-wardrobe. (I just need to remember to pack my travel iron!) I went through all of my patterns and came up with five different patterns that I knew would would coordinate well with each other, and that would work well with linen. I wasn’t surprised when all the patterns I chose came from Pattern Emporium. Their whole aesthetic is clothing that is on trend, easy to wear and comfortable. For my first set, I used the Lightweight Yarn-Dyed Chambray Linen in Soft Oat. This fabric is so incredibly soft and airy. ...

Made By A Fabricista: I Love A Bomber Jacket

Hello friends, I’m Byrd, and today I’m excited to share my latest Fabricista project with you. There’s something timeless about a bomber jacket that makes it a staple in my wardrobe. It’s effortlessly cool, versatile, and perfect for layering through the seasons. But what makes this particular bomber jacket even more special is its thoughtfully designed pattern. Not only is it a standard pattern, but it’s also adaptive—meaning the length and closures can be customized to suit your needs, whether you’re standing, sitting, or using a wheelchair. This level of inclusivity in design is something I truly appreciate, and that’s why I’m especially excited about this make! The Fabric: Cotton Poly Poplin For the bomber jacket, I chose a Salamander White cotton-poly poplin , and it couldn’t be a more perfect match. Poplin is a fantastic choice for outerwear because it’s lightweight yet durable, with just the right amount of structure to hold the classic bomber shape. The cotton-poly b...

Made By A Fabricista: Pleated High Waisted Pants And How To Style Them

Hi sewing friends! Today I’m excited to share some awesome trousers that I discovered last year when I was a tester on this pattern. These pants are seriously amazing and magical because they are pretty beginner friendly but you get a real ready to wear and higher end look due to a few clever features. I also think they are flattering on a variety of body shapes and sizes so all in all, this pattern is a winner for me. I’m also going to share three top patterns of different styles that work well with this trouser style. Have I peaked your interest? Let’s go! These magical trousers are the Padget Pants from Petite Stitchery & Co (PSCo). This pattern is size inclusive and goes up to a 5X or 62 inch hip. It also includes a great projector file with mirrored full pattern pieces (yay for good projector files!). Here are a few action shots of these awesome pants: The instructions specify a knit fabric, but many of the testers on the team made them in stretch or even non-stretch w...

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