The Classic White Shirt
Every great wardrobe has at least one classic white shirt. It’s a perennial favorite that never goes out of style, goes from day to night and casual to career, with the blink of an eye and a change of accessories.
Find a fabulous pattern, alter it to your perfect shape and make a new, crisp, white, classic today!
To start, our vote goes unanimously to the new Palmer/Pletsch classic fit shirt from McCall’s Patterns – M5433. The semi-fitted shirt has four great style variations, three length options and a size range from 6 – 22, all in the one pattern. Pati Palmer has included two great methods for sewing on the banded collar and a cuff. Try both to see which is easier for you and challenge yourself to finish your shirt in 3-hours.
Fit Features
Firstly, BUY THE RIGHT SIZE!
Measure your high bust and use that in place of bust on the measurement chart. If between sizes, buy the smaller size. This will ensure a great fit at the neck and shoulders (which is the ‘coat-hanger’ from which the shirt will fall.
Don’t waste time sewing a garment that doesn’t fit! Tissue-fit the pattern before you cut. To make altering easier there are alteration lines marked on the pattern tissue for the most common adjustments. Tuck or cut and spread at these lines until the pattern fits you. There are clear instructions in the pattern guide sheets for full-bust adjustments, high round back adjustment and forward shoulder adjustment – all important to a well-fitted shirt.
The pattern M5433 has very clear construction instructions and diagrams and loads of Pro Tips from the Palmer/Pletsch experts. Let’s share some and add a few extra.
Tips to Remember
The Palmer/Pletsch “painless placket” is a quick way to make an opening in a cuffed sleeve. It is also neat and tidy. You can turn any sleeve into one with a painless placket. Draw a line through the placket marking. (Pic 1 below)
  
Cut on that line. (Pic 2 above)
Lap the underarm seam lines. Make the outside edges parallel. This narrows wide sleeves, but it is still a full sleeve. Add a seam allowance to the outside edges. The seam will be the placket. (Pic 3 above)
Another advantage of this method is that you can sew the cuff on with the sleeve flat rather than trying to sew it on in a circle.
 
After finishing the cuff, sew the sleeve seam to the opening and backstitch. You now have your placket! As shown above. This technique is in the book Mother Pletsch’s Painless Sewing.
Press enclosed seams open first, before turning so the seam will come all the way out to the edge. Use a point presser.
 
Good marking improves accuracy. Snip marking edges is a quick and accurate way to mark notches, circles, center fronts and backs, fold lines, shoulders, underarms, hemlines etc.
Mistakes multiply, always check to make sure both collar points look the same before moving on. If one layer of fabric scooted while sewing, now is the time to rip.
Collar and Stand
Pay particular attention to the stitching detail at the notch. Count the exact number of machine stitches, leave the needle in the work and pivot. Sew the same number of machine stitches on the other side of the notch.
With zigzag machines having a larger hole in the throat plate, the corner of a collar often gets swallowed up when turning the corner. Here we are holding it up with thread. Use ‘thread pulls’ on each corner of the collar. These provide a helping hand while stitching around the edge of the collar.
Or just before you turn the corner you are edgestitching, hand-turn the wheel to put the needing into the fabric until the needle starts coming back up. Then turn the collar. Now when you start stitching, the needle is coming up, so it won’t push the corner down into the machine!
Women’s shirts lap ‘right over left’ and men’s shirts lap ‘left over right’.
Needles
Your needle should initially be selected to compliment the weight and type of fabric but many decorative threads also require a special needle to reduce breakage during sewing. Perfect topstitching is achieved when the thread passes easily through the eye of the needle so that the thread can flow evenly and without restriction.
- Topstitching needles have a larger eye to allow thicker thread to pass through without fraying.
- Machine Embroidery needles are needed for rayon and decorative threads.
- Metafil needles prevent shredding of metallic threads.
- Double and Triple needles can be used to stitch two or three parallel rows at the one time. Remember however that there is still only one bobbin thread and it zigzags between the rows on the underside, making this a ‘one good side only’ alternative.
Test Sample
Always stitch a test sample on your actual fashion fabric, with interfacing and / or lining. The stitch length and / or tension may need to be varied to suit that particular thickness and combination. Never crimp your edges with too tight stitching. Reduce the tension if necessary.
Finishing
Do not backstitch at the beginning and end of seams. This would create too much stitch bulk. Simply trim the threads off, at the edges that will be incorporated in further cross-seaming or leave the thread tails in areas that will be exposed. Then pull the top thread to the back, tie in a double knot and thread tails into the back of the work with a hand needle.
Perfect Narrow Hems
The numerous needle positions on your sewing machine enable you to use the edge of the foot as a guide to keep you straight but still get your stitches really close to the folds.
- Sew a straight stitch along the fold line of the hem
- Press along the stitched line
- Straight stitch through both thicknesses, close to fold
- Trim excess fabric close to stitching
- Turn in approximately 3mm and press
- Straight stitch again to finish.
Covered Buttons
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions but because of the transparency of the fabric use a double layer of fabric to cover the buttons well.
Recommended Reading
If you are unfamiliar with pattern altering and personal fitting how-to’s, look for the Palmer Pletsch book ‘Fit for REAL People’. Available from good fabric stores, through McCall’s Patterns or at www.palmerpletsch.com
There is a new DVD on sewing the 2-hour shirt. Marta Alto sews a shirt with a two-piece collar and band and cuff. She also shows how to sew a convertible collar.
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