Hi All,
Stitching
Simplicity 1544 has been a series of firsts. The first time I’ve
sewn a man’s shirt and the first time I’ve pattern matched a busy plaid. Although technically, that should be the first time I've sewn with a busy tartan.
Did you know that plaid actually refers to a garment?
Originally plaid was the name given to a piece of tartan fabric that wrapped around the body to make a kilt.
Since the 1800s, plaid has referred to the part that drapes diagonally across one shoulder in traditional Scottish dress.
As you can see from the picture above, the plaid is going across the chest and over the piper's left shoulder. These days both plaid and tartan are understood to mean a chequered or checked fabric. Which brings up another name for this fabric - check.
Whether you call it plaid, tartan or check, pattern matching can be a challenge!
Did you know that plaid actually refers to a garment?
Originally plaid was the name given to a piece of tartan fabric that wrapped around the body to make a kilt.
Since the 1800s, plaid has referred to the part that drapes diagonally across one shoulder in traditional Scottish dress.
Credit to Pixabay.com/DerekMuller
As you can see from the picture above, the plaid is going across the chest and over the piper's left shoulder. These days both plaid and tartan are understood to mean a chequered or checked fabric. Which brings up another name for this fabric - check.
Whether you call it plaid, tartan or check, pattern matching can be a challenge!
I
did a mock up for the shirt in a cotton blend fabric
which proved a little troublesome to work with. For the real shirt I
used 100% cotton flannel. It’s a soft, warm fabric with a medium
sized check or plaid design.
Pattern
matching any fabric with a bold design like plaid can be a challenge.
The best way to start is to pick out the part that catches your
attention the most. For me, that was the red stripes running
horizontally across the fabric.
Now
with pattern matching, the one thing to remember is the pieces have
to be cut out individually. So if you need to cut two front pieces,
you can’t double the fabric up and cut them out at the same time.
What
I did here was lay the fabric out flat and cut the first front panel.
I used the cut piece to position the pattern tissue for the next
front panel. By folding the seam allowance out of the way, you can
line up the dominant section of the design. I’ve left a bit of
tissue paper in the picture to make it easier to see the two
different sections of fabric. It also represents the seam allowance
for the second panel.
Next
thing to remember is to flip the pattern piece over so that the next
cut section is a mirror image of the first. You don’t need two front pieces exactly the same.
The
things I’d change for the next time?
Although
I pattern matched throughout, by the time I came to sew it all
together, the fabric wasn’t straight. It’s a lightweight flannel
and has a particular downward slant. A lopsided quirk that would have
been with it since its days on the bolt.
One
of the downsides of online fabric shopping is not being able to get
up close and personal to the material. This fabric came from the same
place as the cotton blend I used for the mock up. Had I gone to a
brick and mortar shop, I’d have left it on the shelf. I think it’s
time to change suppliers.
Now,
me being me, I thought it would be OK. I’m not one to obsess over perfection. Sometimes you can only do your best and hope it'll work. Usually, it does. Occasionally it doesn't. Which is what
happened in this case.
I
fiddled with the pattern pieces until I got them as close to a match
as possible before cutting. It wasn’t enough though. Although the back and front pieces match up great at the sides, the front button band really highlights the slight droop in the fabric pattern.
A slanty plaid is never going to pattern match properly. Sometimes, if it’s woven rather than printed, you can straighten the horizontal or crosswise grain. I didn’t bother because this project has been a work in progress since November 2019.
A slanty plaid is never going to pattern match properly. Sometimes, if it’s woven rather than printed, you can straighten the horizontal or crosswise grain. I didn’t bother because this project has been a work in progress since November 2019.
Next
time – I’ll bother! The front of this looks a mess. Why is it
your mistakes are always in plain sight? It couldn’t have been
under the arm or hidden by the collar, could it?
T’s happy with it
though. He’s been wearing it a lot so that’s a good sign. Either
that, or he’s so desperate for a shirt he’ll wear anything. Did I mention he's been waiting since last November?
I
have some more of the same fabric in a different color way for T’s
next shirt. Unfortunately, it’s from the same outlet. I'm facing the challenge of sewing it with some mild trepidation.
None
of the issues I’ve had with my two attempts at Simplicity 1544 have
been down to the pattern. It’s a nice easy sew with clear
instructions. All the hiccups have been fabric related.
Fingers
crossed third time will be the charm.
Bye
for now
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