Dyeing the Shirts

You know that quiet little voice in your head that says 'uhoh' and then you rationalize it and ignore it?
When I ran out of fabric, my boyfriend went out and got another 2 yards.  I just had the yokes to cut out.  As I was cutting them I thought, "This fabric sure seems smoother." It was the same color (natural) but just felt a bit different. I chalked it up to not being pre-shrunk, and maybe a bit of sizing in there. So I cut it out and carried on. But he had grabbed the wrong bolt of fabric.  I recall they had about 5 off-white linens, and I guess they were not all the same.

When my boyfriend dyed it red, the smoother fabric took the dye differently. The yoke is definitely lighter that the rest.  But we lucked out. It looks like a more complicated two-toned shirt.  It wouldn't have looked so good if the back yoke was the old fabric and the front yoke was the new fabric. Now it looks like I meant to do that.

The other frustrating thing was I used white thread for both, but one spool must have been cotton and the other polyester, because the threads on the red shirt resisted the dye and stayed white. My boyfriend said it didn't matter to him.  The inner seamstress in me is crying though. You can't really tell in this photo though because of the shadows.  But he's already left to the event so I can't take another photo.

Dyeing the Shirt

The shirts are being dyed right now. Thankfully that wasn't my job. This is the burgundy one.  I haven't seen the other one yet and it's out in the dryer. He said it's moss green.

Sewing the Second Shirt.

As I said yesterday, I marked the pattern pieces on the back of each one so I wouldn't have any mix ups.  I was 90% done with the second shirt. All I had left was the underarm seams and the cuffs.   I went to sew the underarms together, and once again the fabric didn't measure up to the same length. Oh no, not again.  So I went under a bright light, and read the name on each piece.  I managed to have the sleeve where the back of the shirt should be, and the back of the shirt where the left sleeve should be.
An hour later I had the 2 pieces removed from the shirt so I could swap them. As I sat there thinking, I realized that the same thing must have happened to the first shirt. I must have the sleeve in the wrong spot, and if so the two sleeves wouldn't be the same length.  I took a tape measure and one sleeve measured 22" and the other 27". After sewing all day that is not news I needed.  But I think it would be quicker just to cut the extra length off, make a brand new cuff and sew it on.  That way I won't have the tedium of ripping out that first cuff. My boyfriend said not to worry about it, he'd wear it as it was.  But I feel funny about that. If I have time to fix it tomorrow I will.
I really didn't want to go to bed tonight without this 2nd shirt finished.  Now I feel like neither shirt is finished and I'm about ready for the funny farm. But I'm afraid to sew any more tonight. It's already 11:30 PM, and except for dinner, I've been sewing since 6:30 PM.

A New Adventure

Every sewing day is a new adventure. When I started again this morning, I compared back and front yokes.  They are different, with the neck swooping lower in the front. So I did have the yokes right on the first shirt. What I had wrong was the gathers, but that didn't really cause any issues.
That was the good news.
Now for the bad news.  Last night I cut out the fabric for the second shirt. This morning as I was marking details on each piece, I realized I had only cut out one sleeve yesterday.  The sleeves are huge and cut on the fold.  So I had 2 layers of fabric and a brain fart. Two layers does not equal two sleeves.  Last night we had to go get another yard of fabric for the yokes. I insisted that was all I needed to cut out 2 yokes.  So when I found out I needed a whole sleeve still, I didn't have enough fabric. Again. And my boyfriend was on his way far away to a friend's house for the day. He said he'd have to get another yard on his way home.

Being short on time, I was able to continue on with other parts. I gathered up the top edge of the sleeves and lower front and back. It kept getting bound up so it took me forever. Thank goodness I'd run 2 parallel rows of stitching because one broke under the pressure. It was actually easier to gather it with just one thread.
I applied all the iron on interfacing.  I got the cuffs ready.  I got the collar and neck facings ready. So I'm really hoping I get the shirt done tomorrow.  That gives him a day to dye both shirts. And then I won't feel like I'm under so much pressure. Sewing sure goes a lot faster when you don't make mistakes.

I'm taking the rest of the night off and I got to enjoy a great California sunset.

When my boyfriend got home around 7 PM I knew the fabric store closed at 7.  So I said, "Yay, you made it to the fabric store just in time".  He was taking bags out of the truck. He said, "Oops, forgot all about it."  He'd gone to the grocery store, not the fabric store! We'll have to go tomorrow. I left the iron and ironing board and pattern board and other stuff out on the patio so I can cut the last piece out tomorrow.  My window is right by the patio.  All of a sudden I hear raindrops. So up I get again, and had just got everything inside the house, when it started to pour.  Close one.

Sewing a Man's Peasant Shirt

My boyfriend had great plans to sew not one but two shirts for the upcoming SCA event dubbed the Great Western War. I don't even get to go. As the date looms closer he had one of those, 'I don't even know how to sew clothes' moments. And before you can say jumping jack flash I found myself the new owner of two shirt projects. He sews bow cases, pavilion sidewalls, and all kinds of utilitarian things, but never got around to how to make garments.

The pattern calls for 4 yards of 45" wide fabric, and he got 8 yards of linen. Normally it wouldn't matter, but this pattern needs exactly 45" of width for the shirt front and back if I cut them the way the pattern shows (folded selvage to selvage). The fabric has already been pre-washed so maybe it shrank, and when I measured it,  it's only 42" wide so it won't work the narrow way.  I had to refold it the broad way to get the width I needed.  After cutting out one shirt, I only have 3 yards left for the second one, but I can use the narrow strips left from the first one for the cuffs, the collar, and other small pieces. I think I can squeak it out. If not, it's back to the store for another yard.

I could have saved time by cutting out both shirts, but I want to make sure he likes the fit of the first shirt so I can modify it if necessary. It's a very full shirt. He plans to dye at least one of them.

I have to wonder about my sanity when I don't even so my own clothes because it's too cluttered to turn around in here, but now I'm sewing his. Maybe I don't love myself enough.