I finished the Wardrobe By Me Tropical Shirt the other week, thankfully before we were subjected to 38C temperatures.
My husband chose the fabric at Minerva's Spring Fabric Fest. It is a mix of 30% linen and 70% viscose in the Minerva Exclusive POD Byzantium pattern. It weighs in at 180 gsm. The fabric piece was just over 4 metres (an absolute bargain at £4.00 per metre 😄 ). The remainder fabric is set aside for a long sleeved shirt.
I pre-washed at 40 degrees and line dried. There was no visible shrinkage. Any minor creasing ironed out easily.
Jo had mentioned previously on a Minerva video about batch cutting. I watched her recent video @crafty.crofter where she talked about batch cutting, and realised that at the moment it suited me, as it meant I could cut out 4 items, over two days, minimising the chaos I cause to the dining room and the rest of the house!! I'll still cut out single items, but will definitely incorporate batch cutting again where suitable.
I made the Tropical Shirt last year, as a surprise present for my husband, and knew it fitted him well. However, a couple of issues arose this time. The front facing was too short at the neck curve when I was doing the collar, with insufficient fabric to reach the shoulder line. I can only assume some movement of the fabric when cutting out. Thankfully I had plenty of spare fabric and cut out a second set.
Husband is 6 feet tall, and has a long back, so was surprised to discover it was too long on him. (I have made a note to double check the pattern pieces before using again 😕 )
It did, however, work to our advantage. A narrow hem didn't seem to suit the fabric and the way the shirt was hanging. Took a 5 cm hem, turning it in to create a 2.5 cm folded hem and the shirt hangs perfectly. I also omitted the side splits on this occcasion. Lengthened the sleeves 2 cm.
I overlocked the front facings, shoulder seams, and the armholes once the sleeves were fitted. Used French Seams on the body and sleeve seams. Where appropriate I'm using my overlocker, slowly increasing my understanding and confidence. Quite a bit of top stitching, which I enjoy doing, but with a perfect matching thread, you can hardly see it!
Decided to take some photos on a recent visit to Cambridge - a city full of historical buildings, with a shirt displaying a 1,000 years of old Roman Byzantium architecture seemed a good mix!!
Hubby has given it a happy thumbs up. Comfortable to wear, fabric feels nice against the skin. It was slightly cooler in Cambridge before the heat wave hit, but he felt OK in it. It also passed the test at 35 C earlier this week.
Happy sewing everyone and hope you're coping with the high temperatures🥵