Okay, not really. I mean, it’s not actually made from a Civil War shirt pattern, but . . . well, it sort of looks like one. You know what I mean.
I have way too many patterns in general, but the two decades that make up the bulk of my collection are the 1940′s and the 1970′s. I don’t think I need to explain why I like the 1940′s, but I’ve come to the conclusion that, once the world got over the platform-shoe-and-pterodactyl-sized-collar madness of 1969-1973, the Seventies fashion is, in some ways, unfairly mocked. I have a lot of really good mix-and-match wardrobe sets, adorable 1930′s-influenced dresses, and highly-wearable casual wear from the mid- and late-1970′s.
This is from the same pattern packet as McCall’s 4866-A, which I made over Christmas break, but this has (allegedly) less-gathered sleeves and a different neckline.
McCall's 4866, View C
I made it out of a tiny green floral print, because, um, I am not at all influenced by packet illustrations. Right.
I had to scale this down one size. Actually, I only scaled it down horizontally, but not vertically, since I’m a little above average height. Mostly, this has been working A-OK, but this time I somehow managed to take two inches out of the neckline, which means I can’t button the band collar.
11-inch neck, anyone?
That’s not so much of a problem since I wasn’t really planning to button it very often, anyway, but I’ll fix it in the pattern in case I make it again. It pulls against the front of my neck, too, but my guess is I can fix both of those issues at the same time.
I didn’t do that idiotic cut-away sleeve thing again. I had already taken two and a half inches out of the lower sleeve so gathering it into the cuff wasn’t going to be such an ordeal. I waffled for awhile on how to treat the sleeve placket, but finally wimped out and just did a miniature version of the neck placket, since that had worked out well enough.
I also took a half-inch height, vertically, out of the sleeve caps. They still had way too much ease so I’ll re-measure and re-cut them, too, for the future. They weren’t bad, though.
I also managed to put the cuffs on upside down. I double-checked myself about seven times and still did it wrong. I am so amazing. But they looked really nice so I’ve just left them as they are. Minor inconvenience.
Cuff, inverted
I don’t have a picture of myself wearing it. It looks like View A except green and with buttons down the front.
I told you it looked like a Civil War shirt . . .
Update: Here I am actually wearing it.
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I understand the ’70s love – with the caveats you mention, and minus the polyester of bad cheap vintage. The best of ’70s fashion has an elegant, graceful ease, and a tendency toward casual chic with a put-together polish that’s hard to resist.