Vogue 8800 Mens Pattern...The Finished Shirt

Ladies and gentlemen, Vogue 8800 is a winner! 

This is the pattern--  Vogue 8800.  It is very straightforward...a simple style that is easy to sew.

It is a slightly contoured (fitted) casual shirt, without being too tight. And the only alteration I had to make was to lengthen the sleeves. The short sleeves are quite short, which is a good look on a younger man. However in my opinion, too short for a middle aged man. I made this shirt for Roger in a size 40...he is a trim man in his mid-fifties.      I lengthened the sleeve pattern by a full inch, and he still thinks they are a bit too short. So I advise to check the sleeve length before cutting.

This shirt gets my stamp of approval 

because the important drafting details are WONDERFUL ! 

LOOK...  The collar is curved!  The yoke where it joins the back is curved!   The back where it joins the yoke is curved!  The 3 things I look for in a good shirt draft are all here in Vogue 8800.

OK, so what if the instructions are basic. This is marked as an "easy" pattern, so I didn't expect the construction methods to be sophisticated. If we choose to do so...we can sew the yoke in a way that all the seams are enclosed, add a pocket from another shirt,  and put slits in the side seams ourselves.
  
Vogue has given us the most important thing...a very good draft!


SEWING NOTES--  Pro-Sheer Elegance Fusible Interfacing  and Textured Coconut Shell Buttons from www.FashionSewingSupply.com .  Fabric is lightweight cotton batik.

Next Up...the New Vogue Shirt Pattern!

I finally received this pattern and plan to start sewing the test-garment (the muslin) this weekend.

Since this will just be a test of the pattern, I will not use fine seam finishes for this first version of this shirt. After stitching, the seams will be pressed then serged and topstitched. My goal is to evaluate the cut and fit of this pattern. However, I will be using very nice fabric...this beautiful  navy and dark red gingham cotton shirting bought from Gorgeous Fabrics.com  quite a while ago. Why high-quality fabric, but short-cut seam finishes?  Well...it is just my preference to always work with nice fabric.  After all, this fitting garment might very well may end up being what I call "weekend-wearable", if not for my "test-model" (otherwise known as my dear husband Roger), then for one of my friends.  And anyway...I bought enough of this fabric for several shirts :)

So...stay tuned. Barring any emergencies, I will update you with my progress of important and/or tricky parts along the way, including any "surprises"...good or not-so-good !

Side note-- Thank you all for the get-well wishes via facebook for my Mother-in-Law...who was recently in an awful head-on collision auto accident and is still in the Trauma Intensive Care Unit.

McCalls 6354...in Navy Batik

 

A new blouse for Jill in Blue Batik :)

Stitching up this pattern is so fast and easy!

I did make a pattern modification.

As I hope you can see, I split the cut-on 
cap sleeve to give it some movement.
I also added a self-fabric bow at the CF waist to give the appearance of a drawstring.

  

And since she really liked the first one I made from this bright flowery cotton lawn I decided to make another.  I hope she likes it in Blue Batik just as  much!