Vogue 1387: Classic White Shirt!

Oh how I wish I could tell you that this shirt was an enjoyable make! Unfortunately, it was not. I struggled for a whole day to make this as neatly and precisely as I could. The downside to making a classic white shirt is that any sewing or construction fault is quite visible. Despite the effort and time that went in to this shirt, which normally makes me hate a garment, I LOVE this and it looks AWESOME!

Before I get into the nitty gritty of this shirt, I'll share some photos. All of these had to be darkened significantly to show detail. I normally struggle to photograph black garments and it appears photographing white is equally difficult.

I made a straight size 10, my usual Vogue size, and only made a few changes to the pattern. The first was that I lopped about 2 or 3 inches from the hem of the shirt. This meant that I messed with the shirt construction order as you are asked to hem the shirt before joining the sides or even the shoulders. As I am not as tall as a model, this order doesn't work for me. So when I was able to sew the side seams I only sewed and finished a few inches below the armpit and left the hems and sides to finish once the shirt was complete.

The other major change was to the front yoke. It's hard to see in any photo of this shirt and even the line drawing, but below the curved yoke there is a bias strip insert, which is attached between the front tucks and the yoke. What a nightmare it was to figure that out!! I scratched my head for well over an hour, trying to decipher the pattern instructions to get this. I read and re read the instructions but it just didn't make sense. When I finally figured out how it went, I hated that it didn't look neat enough. My fabric is sheer and white so everything shows!

To remedy this and ensure a super crisp finished, I removed the bias strip and front yoke, and instead cut two yoke facings and used them for both the front yoke and facing. Does that make sense?? I hope so.

If I ever make this shirt again, I will cut two yoke facings, rather than use the bias strip insert. I don't think the design needs an additional seam line above the pleats. There's enough going on with this design that it's not needed.

I also sewed tower plackets for the first time ever and I'm really pleased with the finish.

The collar and front button band went on without a hitch and I followed the instructions, using snaps sewn with a decorative cross showing and love the finish.

I was worried about the amount of ease built into the pattern, but I'm glad that I stuck with my standard size 10. The shoulders fit perfectly and the neckline sits very flat. The only fitting issue that I'll fix next time is to shorten the sleeves a little.

Once I'd finished this shirt, I didn't think that I'd ever make this pattern again, but now I've worn it out I think I'm changing my mind. I have some Liberty Ornithology that I have lying around in my stash and you can never have enough Liberty shirts right?

Cost:
Pattern: Vogue 1387 inc part shipping:  $11.50
Fabric: 2 m silk cotton voile from The Fabric Store on sale: $26.40
Thread and interfacing from stash
Snaps from Nan's stash
Total: $37.90