A shirt for me not for him

A few weeks ago I was staying at home, being a bit cold. I had bought a nice crisp cotton to make, believe it or not A SHIRT FOR MY HUSBAND!

But he didn't like the motif : "I don"t want anything that looks like flowers". 

So being cold and all, with 3 meters of fabrics and a lot of free time, I set out to make something I could were as well at home as at work (yes yes, I will work again!).

I have lost a few pounds so I had to adjust my block pattern. I had no real problem doing it, except for the sleeve, as usual. 

I am currently reading Sarah Veblen's the complete photoguide to perfect fitting witch was recommended by Peter and I am really happy I bought it. There are some pages dedicated to sleeve fitting, but  I have not yet reach those pages yet. I will definitively study them and fix that wretched problem once and for all!

I feel fine in my shirt, mainly because the fabric is really crisp, but I have made another top since (based on my block patten), in a more flowy fabric and the problems in the shoulder area really show! I have broad shoulders and small arms. The trick is to balance my pattern to make the shirt comfortable, to make the shoulders appears less large and to fit the bicep well but as the same time to not appear too small in comparison to the bust. That's a lot of work, and I really am begging to be really fed up with that problem.

Of course I forgot to remove my hair from the way :-) I made a yoke at the back, with a pleat, because I don't know, I felt like it.

I feel the length is good, it's meant to be a relaxed look. The pleat at the front is just there to had some interest to a rather classic shirt.

I also made a placket opening with a special collar: in French we call it a "col officier", a collar I suppose given the name, that was used in military uniforms. I couldn't really found the name in English. It is not a mandarin collar, it is narrower and the upper part of the collar is rounded and not at a straight angle. It's basically just the collar base of a classic tailored shirt slightly modified.

I bought the buttons a few months back in la droguerie.This shop doesn't exist in Montpellier, I am planning a strike and a public demonstration to express my  utter sadness and demand that one opens immediately!

The buttons are not white but cream, and I believe they go really well with the fabric. Better than white ones. I can't take credit for this idea though. It is just what I had on hand in my tinny travel stash, and I didn't want to buy new ones. A big thumbs up for chance!

I am currently in a shirt making spurr. I think I need some (hard to tell with almost all of clothes still in Brittany) hihi, life is a bit of a mess right now. Anyway, I like this shirt, my husband was wrong and I was right, it's a great fabric for shirtmaking, I just need something to go on top of it now...

cheers!