Plaid Laramie Shirt

Shirt Pattern: Laramie Shirt. 

You know when you want to sew something, but you feel a little daunted by the project up-ahead? I wanted to sew a button-up shirt since last year. I knew my sewing machine sewed bad buttonholes. It sewed the left side fine, but the right side had large space in between the zigzags. Then my sewing machine would not stop sewing the left hand side to make the right hand side of the button hole.I had to take my sewing machine into the shop to fix that problem.  Also unpicking a buttonhole can damage your fabric and ruin your project. Hence why, I dreamed about sewing a button-up shirt, but did not attempt it.

Flash forward to May when I found the perfect fabric at IndieSew, a plaid double cloth fabric. A double cloth fabric is two woven fabrics joined at the selvages. I was ready to attempt the project. I used Hey June Pattern's Laramie Shirt for the pattern which is part of their juniors line. The Cheyenne Tunic is the women's version of the Laramie Shirt. I sewed a size sixteen. I like the fit in the shoulders, but it is really roomy around the waist hence why I am wearing a belt. I probably could have sewed the extra-small of the Cheyenne Tunic and would have been fine.

I researched how to match plaids because I never have tried to match plaids on my own. I used Made to Sew's you tube videos to help me learn how to cut out and sew matching plaids. I did not achieve matching at the top of the armholes, but overall I believe I did pretty good job matching the fabric.

I also cut out the buttonhole placket, pocket and yoke on the bias. I did not want match those pieces and it gives subtle visual interest to the shirt.

I chunked my project. I knew that sewing a button up shirt takes time and attention more than some of the endless dress projects I work on. I sewed the plackets one day, the collar and collar stand another day and the continuous bound plackets another day and so on. The project requires attention to detail, focus and precision. It's not zip, zip down a straight seam. It is a doable project. Not something elusive and not unattainable as I first thought.

I read and re-read my instructions and read and re-read the sew along on Hey June Pattern's website. The instructions and the sew along helped the sewing a button up shirt achievable for me. I even read the blog post on tips about sewing better button up shirts. I used the tip about borrowing a machine. I used the Bernette Chicago 7 to sew the buttonholes and it worked really well. Even though, my buttonhole markings were not visible through the opening on the buttonhole foot. I sewed the buttonholes blind. Not something I suggest, but I was using a library's sewing machine and did not bring along marking tools.  I just wanted to get those buttonholes done. I have been scared of sewing buttonholes for years and it really is not bad. You just have to a sewing machine that likes to make buttonholes.

Sewing the Laramie Shirt was part of my new year's resolution. I know that new year's resolutions aren't always kept, but I am a big believer in making goals (and not just at the beginning of the year). I am really pleased with how my Laramie Shirt turned out.  My shirt is not perfect, but then none of my sewing projects are. I learned a lot from sewing this shirt. The funniest or most ironic part of sewing this shirt was the buttonhole part of the shirt was not the hard part. I repeat sewing buttonholes are not hard. It requires practice just like any other sewing skill. It was relatively simple and straightforward even though I still scoured the internet for any and all information about marking buttonholes and how to achieve a good buttonhole. Motto for today: Do the hard things that scare you because they are rewarding.