williamsews

 "Gingham"  comes from the Malayan word genggang, or "striped."  The way we identify gingham, is as being a contrasting-check shirt, this was not how the fabric was originally. True gingham is distinguished primarily for being a "dyed in the yarn" fabric, meaning the yarn is dyed before it is woven. Jake Gallagher, GQ. I've finished a Gingham shirt with the new small collar. It seemed to be forgettable fabric, polyester, like school uniform fabric, but it made up rather well. No bias pockets or trim. I thought straight would make a change even if more fiddly. There was the new tiny collar, keeping the stand the same size as the deeper collar has helped it sit well. Perhaps it would be good to make a cutaway or rounded collar using this piece next time. On a different note, I use 'leader scraps' when I'm sewing to start off on a seam without having to hold the threads. My friend David Beschi saves and frames them bec...

  Made a new, smaller collar for the block shirt, the pattern is a vintage Simplicity from 1979, so it originally had a high collar with long peaks. I shortened it by 1cm and made it less ‘peaky’ years ago but have gone further this time and taken another 1cm off. It makes a nice little collar. This is the progression from the original. The collar stand was shortened from the original to the middle size, but not for the latest. It makes a neat little collar that will work well with bowties. It’s risky to travel far these days and the major fabric shop is about 20ks away, so I’m just using whatever I have, which isn’t much. There is enough gingham for a shirt but it’s Polyester, not a favourite fabric. Merry Christmas, Stay safe, Will.

 Made a shirt out of light-weight denim and was going to use the wrong side for a contrast yoke but decided against it. The wrong side is a nice grey, but it didn't work. Will be using the block shirt pattern; Simplicity 8711, issued in 1979. I occasionally think I'll use one of the other vintage patterns in the collection, but it always ends up this one, I know it fits and have made lots of extras for it, different yokes, pockets and collars, etc. One thing I like about it is the back yoke/lower back, the back is curved and the yoke is straight, this pulls it into the neck at the back. After watching Seinfeld in the '90s where Jerry wore a lot of shirts made with great fabric but they pulled away from his neck at the back which isn't very flattering (apart from the looseness and big sleeves of shirts in that era). It's going to have a placket front. I bought some embroidery threads recently, mainly because they are shiny...