Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Working from Home

I am working from home, like many other people. As per company communications, I will be doing it for at least the next two weeks.  I personally do not like to work from home.  I have always enjoyed sewing and dressing for a corporate work environment, and interacting daily with “in the flesh” people. At home, there are too many domestic distractions.  Pets, sewing projects, my DH wanting to talk about the inspection and repairs on a rental property we just purchased.  Also, my neighborhood is a black hole of Verizon phone coverage, so I must use the house phone for conference calls. Good thing we still have a house phone.   And how is it that coworkers with 30 plus years with the company have never used Skype or don’t know how to share their screen on a Webex?  Yes, I am an old grouch!

How nice that I had just returned from a sewing retreat (gathering size = 10 ) and had a new, appropriate for working from home, top to cheer me up.  McCalls  7842 “Semi-fitted, button front shirts have sleeve variations and shaped hemline.




I made view C,  the multi fabric version, in coordinated plaids.

1. Red plaid from a thrifted XL size shirt
2. Black linear plaid from Vogue Fabrics
3. Black red plaid from deep stash



I found the perfect red plaid to coordinate with my black plaids in a thrifted men's shirt. An XL size provided enough fabric for one front  and the upper back.   

All that remans

Pattern construction instructions are good. Only issue was that there did not appear to be a matching square on the front pattern piece for the square on the lower edge of the back overlap.  I assumed it was supposed to match with the seam line and this appears to have been correct.  The back overlay is lined and then topstitched to the  rest of the garment,  1 inch from finished edge.  This resulted in the front points curling back .  I tacked the overlay to the rest of garment closer to the edge using the machine hemming stitch.
tacked overlay


The front placket is designed to hide the buttons, but the way the pattern wants you to construct it results in 6 layers of seam allowances that must be dealt with at the front bodice placket seam line.  I chose to use an easier to sew and construct hidden placket. The front right-hand side placket is double width and folds back over itself to hide the buttons.
Hidden bucket placket


Surprisingly there aren’t a lot of blog posts or reviews of this pattern online.  One good one is Pati Palmer’s, which features details of a full bust adjustments.  She also made a different hidden button placket.

Palmer Pletsch


McCalls  7842 

McCalls7842 back

Oh,  and other domestic distractions; my camera, great outside light and the urge to blog.  Now I’ve really have to  get back to work.

11 comments:

  1. Love your use and placement of the plaids. Great look! Sometimes mixing geometric prints can look tacky but yours looks amazing. Fantastic job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is so cool and well done with the pattern and fabric mixing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really like your use of plaids for this shirt. looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love this top! You’ve chosen the plaids so well. Mixing prints in this way is definitely advanced level, well done! I’m also working from home until further notice. At first i liked it but now i definitely miss the human interaction... might even resurrect the old blog just for the interaction... sigh. Though it will be good for my sewing volume (zero lately)

    ReplyDelete
  5. like this shirt a lot, great fabric combo. I think a lot of those Palmer and Pletsch patterns are rather uninspiring on the envelope but actually are nice versatile patterns.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am a technical writer, so working at home is sheer heaven. No interruptions, no yakking co-workers, no "let's go out for lunch." Writing is a solitary thing. Early on my family learned a closed door was EXACTLY the same as my getting in the car and leaving for work. I get so much more done at home that I have far more time for fun stuff (quilting, sewing). I know it is not the same for many. I don't get cabin fever and could stay at home for a month w/out feeling the need to get out and go somewhere!Love, love, love the plaid shirt. I think some flannel I have would be super for it!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. You made the perfect top to wear from home! My challenge is to get dressed every day! I work from home on fridays normally and I work in my pjs all day...it was one of the aspects I loved. But now that I'm home all day, every day, I have to remind myself to get dressed. I'm using this as good practice for retirement...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love this shirt! It's practical and fun.

    I'm trying to get crafters and sewers to make medical masks for their local hospitals, medical personnel, and first responders. They're on the frontline of the Covid-19 fight and just want to do something to help.

    If you don't mind passing this link along, I'd appreciate it: https://changesblog.blogspot.com/2020/03/a-call-to-sewers-and-crafters-what-can.html

    Thank you and thank you for your great blog.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I saw this on PR and loved it! What a great use of plaids. It's fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love this shirt! I have looked at this pattern several times and passed on buying. I like the combination of plaids with yours and I see that it looks more fitted than what I see on the pattern envelope. I may have to give this one a try after all!

    ReplyDelete