StyleArc | spoolsandyards

In my previous sewing post I gave you a sneak preview of my next project. This was a test embroidery pattern I was planning to add to a blouse. Mostly I was testing the colors and deciding on the correct stabilizer. As you can see, this fabric/design combination needed a heavier stabilizer to support the embroidery so the shirting would not pucker around the design.

My shirt:

Inspiration: I was seeing a lot of striped shirts in RTW with embroidery. I added some Pins to my Tailored shirts Pinterest page.

Here is one of them:

My fabric is a lightweight, yellow and white striped, cotton shirting with a little bit of stretch. Fabric came from FabricMart Fabrics a few years ago. One thing I noticed was that the embroidery designs on the shirts I was seeing were quite dense. Given that the fabric has some spandex, I needed to use a lighter weight design and the correct weight of stabilizer. I looked at all my hundreds of floral embroidery patterns and there was nothing that was calling to me. So I got online, went to Hatched in Africa and downloaded this grouping.

I was looking for a more contemporary type of floral pattern and really liked all the designs in this package.

I initially planned to use the StyleArc Marley woven shirt. I was looking for a loose-fitting shirt that would be cool for summer. I could wear it alone or over a tank top as a shirt jacket. I made a test garment of this pattern and did not like the fit at all. Shoulders too wide, sleeve too large, dart too low.

I did like the way the sleeve hem and the hem on the bottom of the StyleArc (SA) shirt were done. I also loved the collar. It is not a typical shirt collar with a stand; it is more like a camp shirt collar that is open, which would be cooler for summer. But, it has a shaped piece at the back of the collar that helps the collar stand up. I really liked this feature, as it makes the collar a better fit for my short neck. So, I could either 1) spend lots of time drafting a new pattern with these features, or 2) do a mash-up with a pattern that would require less effort. I chose the second option.

Enter Vogue 1033. Another Today’s Fit pattern by Sandra Betzina. I haven’t made this before, but knowing the Sandra’s pattern fit works for me, I decided to use this as a base for a shirt and add the Style Arc features that I mentioned above.

I added a little length to the bottom so I could create the slits and wide hem. I used the sleeve without the cuff and cut it the same length as the SA pattern sleeve. There is a deep hem on the sleeve too, so I can leave it longer, or turn it up as a cuff creating a 3/4 length sleeve.

The SA collar fit on the neckline of the Vogue pattern, so no alteration needed.

The collar inside and out along with the pattern pieces.