The BEST Pattern…and Why
Submitted by Off the Cuff Style
This is the pattern I chose for Roger’s shirt.
And here’s why….
It is the most “elegant” draft among the group of patterns shown in yesterday’s post (below). What do I mean by “elegant” ? It has to do with the shape of the pattern pieces.
The separate facing piece gives me the option of using a contrast fabric.
The yoke is curved enough to flow smoothly against the body, but not so much to “ripple” when it is joined to the back.
Now take a close look at the yoke piece (#5). Do you see the very subtle curve of the shoulder line? When joined to the straight front shoulder, it will raise the back of the shirt ever-so-slightly, allowing it to flow smoothly over the body’s shoulder-blades.
Next, the sleeves…those beautifully drafted sleeves! A nice slope down in front, and just enough of a rounded shape along the back 2/3 of the cap. Why does this matter? For the short sleeve shirt I plan to make, this higher cap will mitigate a short sleeve’s tendency to “wing out”. With the coarse cotton fabric I’ve chosen to use for this shirt, this is very important because I cannot count on the drape of the fabric to help the sleeves fall in soft folds.
Finally, the collar. Notice its delicious curves! It will lay smoothly against the body’s neck and collar-bone…and eliminate the tendency that some shirt collars have to “stack” (ride up on the neck).
Contrast the “elegant” draft above to this draft,
which is OK…but just OK.
The main reason this shirt pattern was not chosen, is because it is “flat”.
Flat yoke, flat sleeve cap, flat collar. In my opinion, the first shirt pattern is superior. While there is nothing really “wrong” with this pattern, the first one shown is just more “elegantly” drafted.
SEWING NOTES: I need to find the time to actually SEW this shirt because we have a BIG ELASTIC SALE coming up soon!
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