A button front shirt with a pintuck pleated front placket, narrow winged collar, and French cuffs. It is made of rust red cotton shirt with floral (roses and bees in white on a red background) accents at the yoke, inner collar band, and cuffs.

Closeup on collar of same shirt to show that undercollar is faced with same floral fabric and yoke and inner collar band.

In addition to taming a heaving scrap hamper (it's been piling up since July), I managed to get @Drub's #DandyShirt washed, pressed out, and boxed up for shipping.

This color/print combo is so <mwah> that I may make one for myself.

#sewing #fashion #ElfkinCollection

Closeup of the front buttonhole placket and undercollar of a tailored dress shirt. The main fabric is a rust red, and the undercollar is a complementary dark red printed with white roses and bees. Buttonholes are done in matched dark red thread, and their threads tails are still attached.

Drub’s #DandyShirt is back from seamstress Karyn, and it’s time to put in the buttonholes and buttons. #sewing #fashion #ElfkinCollection

A smiling man looks directly at the camera. He wears a periwinkle purple collared button up shirt with floral details at the French cuffs and yoke and deep blue jeans.

Same shirt shown on a hanger from the front.

Same shirt shown on a hanger from the back to see full floral detail on the yoke.

Will just came through to pick up his #DandyShirt. Did I tear up a little bit seeing it on him for the first time? You bet your sweet bippy I did! #sewing #fashion #art #ElfkinCollection

The front button placket of a periwinkle purple shirt with a purple floral pattern under collar lays flat on the black bed of an old Singer sewing machine. Attached to the sewing machine is a black enameled buttonhole maker that looks kinda like an old mobile phone.

Who’s down for some Thursday morning buttonhole action? Will’s #DandyShirt is back from the seamstress and ready for final touches. As I’m the one with the vintage Singer buttonholer that looks like hand stitching, this part is still on me. #sewing

Shirt front pattern pieces lay atop an expanse of rust red shirting fabric.

It’s cutting day in the #sewing room. Drub’s #DandyShirt is up!

And I switched to a non-couture cutting method. Instead of marking the seam line and adding allowances as I cut, the working pattern was transferred to manilla paper with allowances and standard notches.

Time is money.

Perhaps the best piece of professional advice my mother ever gave me was to always print any writing that needs to be proofread. The eye misses myriad errors on a screen.

Related: the #DandyShirt tech pack is done and ready to go to seamstress Karyn with Will’s shirt order.

Corners of two sleeve pieces and a cuff piece. All seam lines are traced in white chalk on purple poplin. The white chalk outlines have an additional red outline around them marking the cutting line.

As it’s going off to the seamstress for construction, I’m actually taking the time to mark/cut clean allowances on the pieces of Will’s #DandyShirt. For myself, I just eyeball it, but that’s the style of #sewing I’m used to. For seamstresses, though, it’s best to follow common conventions.

Swathes of solid periwinkle purple fabric and a small floral print fabric with purples and blues.

Next up in the cutting queue: Will’s #DandyShirt. The body shall be periwinkle poplin with this lovely Gilded Age floral print for details at the cuffs, collar, and yoke. #sewing #fashion

Two spreads of print fabrics in the red/rust color family. They are mostly small and medium florals. One spread is shown face up, the other shown from the back to display stapled on labels.

For anyone who’s ever wondered, this is how I deal with color/pattern choices for non-local elfkin customers. I assemble two identically labeled sets of physical swatches, keeping one for myself for direct reference.

See also: @Drub, your #DandyShirt accent fabrics are on the way!

Pieces for the garments mentioned in post traced in blue (shirt) and red (coat) on plain muslin.

Moving right along… it’s time to mark and cut toiles! On deck: Robyn’s coat foundation and Will’s #DandyShirt toile. #sewing #ElfkinCollection

A pile of pattern pieces for a button up shirt is held down by a clear ruler with red numbering. In the background in another pile of pattern pieces for a bodice sloper. All pieces are dragged on semi-transparent white pattern paper with blue grid marks.

Presto change-o, re-arrange-o… Drub’s bodice sloper is transformed into a pattern for an #ElfkinCollection #DandyShirt. It’s been four years since I last drew one of these, and it took me an embarrassingly long time to remember the folding/drafting strategy for the pin tuck on the placket. #sewing