In Progress: Style Arc’s Jenny Shirt

By now, you know that I am not a blogger who worries about how many yards I sew per month or keeps track of the dollars spent per garment. If I really cared, I suppose I could export a report from Quicken to Excel and break it down by notions, patterns, fabric, equipment, etc. Just know that I really do not care. This sewing thing is both my hobby and my wardrobe. Some people play golf or go to the movies. I sew. 

I buy fabric (mostly on clearance) and patterns (fewer and fewer of the Big 4 lately) that I think will flatter my body and sew it up. Happily, the vast majority of things I make become part of my wardrobe and the few that meet the bin are not mourned. I learn and I move on. One of my challenges is to sew a well-fitting classic shirt. I have sewn the shirt pattern from the Bernina software (Bernina My Label) a few times (here and here); the resulting shirts fit, and I’ve worn them a lot. However, since each of the Style Arc patterns I have sewn have worked so well I wanted to attempt a Style Arc shirt. I chose the Jenny Shirt.

Style Arc Jenny Shirt

 

I had cut this out shortly before (or right after???) moving into my apartment. Anyway, it has been passed over for several months and I finally got around to sewing on it about two weeks ago. The fabric is a $1.00/yd stretch cotton from FabricMart.com, and yes, I have several yards of this one and another similar stripe. You will be seeing it again.

After getting home from the office, I would sew for ten or fifteen minutes before deciding I didn’t like the lighting or I was too tired, etc. Given this pace, I project that it will be another two weeks before it is complete.
 

I wasn’t expecting how the front darts pull the side fronts to the bias. I like it!

Changes made to the pattern? I shortened the sleeves an inch and smoothed out the side seams at the waist. That extra at the waist might not be needed; I’ll wait until it is further along before I commit.
 

I wish I had made an effort to center the stripes on the back piece. When I cut this out, I probably was considering this an unwearable muslin and opted to conserve fabric. There isn’t a guarantee that the shirt will turn out nor do I want to spend time with the seam ripper, so I’m not looking back. Once I have a pattern that works, I’ll take more care. I do want to figure this shirt thing out. To that end, I’ve printed several tutorials that deal with specific parts of shirtmaking and have put them into a notebook. The plan is to update as I come across better techniques.

I guess it is time to start digging through my buttons. Hope I can find some that match.

Enjoy your week!