Yippee Skippy!

Wow, I've been sitting on this one for a while... Back in October, I was lucky enough to be among those selected to test-sew the latest from Collette Patterns!!!! Today, Sarai shared Negroni with the world, so now I can finally share my version with you!

* The shirt's first outing - brunch at The Daily Cafe

First off, I'd like to say that if you've ever considered sewing for men would be boring because their clothes tend to have clean lines and few details, think again. There are actually lots of little details and steps which make for great men's clothes and interesting sewing. The good news is that even though some of the techniques needed to provide these details may be challenging, Sarai's pattern is excellently written and she lays out each step with her usual clear and thoughtful instructions and excellent illustrations. If you read the directions (I know, I know...), and focus on one step at a time, you can totally do this.

*Ryan, looking very suave sporting his new shirt under a vintage leather jacket in Jamison Square

I can't lie, part of the fun of this project was taking Ryan to shop for his fabric. He had definite ideas about what he wanted - which wasn't what he ended up with. At first, he wanted something a little Rockabilly, but we couldn't find a fabric with the right kind of plaid to suit. (Apparently, there are limits even to what Fabric Depot carries. Next time I might try The Mill End Store.) After a search through all of the options for plaid, we stood brainstorming other possibilities. I reminded Ryan of how great he looked in his floral Liberty shirt, which sent us running for the 20's and 30's reproduction prints. We whittled the choices to a handful of fabrics before finally deciding on the winner.

*Detail of the sleeve while applying the placket facing. You can see the print on the fabric a bit better here.

So, I think I can safely say that he loves the shirt. He really enjoys the weight of the quilters' cotton, as well as the cut of the shirt itself. I really enjoyed making him something special. There will definitely be more of these to come - after I'm done with my maternity sewing and get a few things knocked out for the baby, of course. In addition to his rockabilly version, I am seeing a summer shirt sewn from gingham. Makes me a little weak in the knees, in fact!

Here are closer photos of the shirt's front and back, while it was fresh off the sewing machine. Ryan only wanted one pocket for this version, instead of the two show on the pattern. Which reminds me, you can find free downloadable pocket variations at this Collette Blog Post. The only other modification I would make would be to add an extra button half-way up the sleeve plackets. Ryan likes the slightly longer length of the sleeves, but not that the plackets gape open a bit.


Thank you so much for the opportunity, Sarai! Negroni is a lovely, lovely pattern and I learned so very much!

* I finally replaced the summer banner. Sorry it took so long. The new one might look familiar, as it is the same one I used last holiday season. I'll try to switch it up soon. Just lacking photo inspiration right now...