Made a shirt out of light-weight denim and was going to use the wrong side for a contrast yoke but decided against it.

The wrong side is a nice grey, but it didn’t work.

Will be using the block shirt pattern; Simplicity 8711, issued in 1979. I occasionally think I’ll use one of the other vintage patterns in the collection, but it always ends up this one, I know it fits and have made lots of extras for it, different yokes, pockets and collars, etc.

One thing I like about it is the back yoke/lower back, the back is curved and the yoke is straight, this pulls it into the neck at the back. After watching Seinfeld in the ’90s where Jerry wore a lot of shirts made with great fabric but they pulled away from his neck at the back which isn’t very flattering (apart from the looseness and big sleeves of shirts in that era).

It’s going to have a placket front.

I bought some embroidery threads recently, mainly because they are shiny, colourful and some of them glitter. I wasn’t sure how they would work on an ordinary sewing machine – they work well, using an embroidery needle, with no problems.

Used ordinary thread for the shirttails but top-stitched everything else, not something I usually do but am pleased with the finish.

Unfortunately, it photographs grey in some of the photos rather than blue, the image of the collar is the correct shade.
The first choice was bright yellow buttons but decided on blue…a bit more subtle.

We are enjoying wonderful, cool, almost proper Christmas weather, let’s hope it lasts.

Merry Christmas,
Will.