Hawaiian Classic Shirt #2

Time to start a new shirt. I purchased the Hawaiian Classics 220 shirt pattern from the Victoria Jones Collection. This is my first ‘non-beginner’ pattern. The instructions are great, and the construction is pretty straightforward. I did end up making several learning mistakes on the muslin, but the real shirt is going great. That’s the whole point, in my opinion, of the muslin. Yes, check fit and adjust, of course, but I also find it a great learning experience figuring out the nuances of the pattern.

Listen to me…I sound like an old hat, when in reality this is my second major project.

I found a great all cotton pattern fabric for sale and purchased enough yards for my first Hawaiian shirt.

This is also my first full project on the Singer 15-91. The first project I did on my newer singer because I thought I was having issues with thread tension. Turns out it was just crappy fabric. Not the shirt fabric, the fabric I used to make the first shirt is great, but the fabric I was using to do a muslin wasn’t muslin. I thought I’d be clever and try using a poly blend. Huge mistake! It bunches and puckers, doesn’t press well, and just feels like plastic. I wont make that mistake again.

I purchased a great wooden case for my 1952 Singer 15-91 sewing machine. I purchased the case from a a seller on eBay. It’s perfect. Very nice construction, nice small details, and great fit. Very happy about it.

Pattern Matching: Nope. Not a skill I have yet.

Speaking of learning, I’m reading David Coffin’s book, “Shirtmaking:Developing Skills For Fine Sewing.” I purchased the kindle version and am reading it mostly on my iPad. The iPad shows the color photo’s well. I have a nice paperwhite kindle reader, and it’s great for text, but in this case, I want to see the color images.

I managed to finish the shirt and am really please with how it turned out. I didn’t get the front hems even, but I will need to take the shirt in before too long and I’ll even up the fronts when I do that. 🙂 I’m happy with how the weight loss is going…also part of my ten year plan. I’ve lost weight before, but this time I’m in charge of my diet and my exercise. I feel much more confident that the changes I’m making will be long lived.

For the buttons, I used some buttons off of an old Navy uniform. Notice the anchors in the close-up.

Enjoy!