Sewing Vloggers

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Paco's shirt, Vogue 1526, completed!


This is a WONDERFUL design and pattern by new Vogue Designer, Paco Peralta of Barcelona, Spain. Many of us have followed Paco for some years and are thrilled he is now collaborating with Vogue. I have no affiliation here but I am so impressed with this pattern, Vogue 1526. I did take a couple small liberties with his design and will explain that further. This was not done because the pattern needed any improvement, far from it. I just tried to make it do things for my particular fabics.


Let's get started and then I want to comment on plaids, specifically.

Pattern:

Vogue 1526, designed by Paco Peralta. The pattern consists of a lined  jacket with short sleeves and assymetrical collar, a cuffed shirt with dropped shoulders, asymmetrical collar and off angled pocket. Pants are also included in the pattern and I look forward to making those as well. I had no concerns with this shirt other than making it work with a plaid and also lining it. I will wear this a lot and it is perfect for our winter climate.

The directions were divine. You start with a cut on facing, folded and instructed to "sew invisibly" along the long edge, my kind of pattern and directions! In step 2 there is very clear instruction for a unique inseam buttonhole at the very top of the shirt, easy peasy. As the pattern progresses, I found no areas or issues that were not clear and easy to execute. This shirt has details that boost it up to a fine garment yet the directions are clearly written and drawn.

Fabric:

The shirt is made with 100 % cotton flannel in plaid. It was a refreshing change from the dark plaids seen so much around these parts and I felt the lavender and cream gave it a more feminine vibe.


The lining is a very thin poly silky, actually a bit lighter than most linings I considered. By using it on the wrong side the finish was duller and more true to the look of silk.

For interfacing, I used a woven fusible, not sure of where it came from so won't guess.

Construction:

This is where the fun began! and where I veered a bit from Paco's design. My challenge was to make it work with the plaid and I think I did. Let's talk about that first.

Thoughts on using the plaid:


  • You have to pick your battles with plaids. You also can make your life much easier with an "even" plaid. The fabric used here  is an even plaid. Each unit of plaid is equidisant and exactly like the other units that surround it. Using an even plaid is highly suggested for your first plaid effort. This PDF has a lot of great info on this. I also found Claire Shaeffer's Fabric Guide to have the best and most information out there. 
  • The hem on this shirt is curved and uneven a look I think is flattering for those of us who are short. A decision was made to have  mostly the cream part of the blocks meet the hem. Why? Because  plaid is a very straight line and the shirt hem is curved. Trust me on this one. Uneven hem - don't end it on a bar. 
  • Now that the length of the plaid was decided on I need to decide how it would work on the width. I decided to have the cream part of the blocks be at center front. I like the effect. It looks simple enough to line up. Don't kid youself. This was the hardest part of the whole project. This had yet to be cut and I knew that I had a folded cut on facing. And I had to have it match. It was challenging, made me think very hard, but eventually I got it. You can see how I managed it in this post. 
  • My length and width are now set. Did you see the half dolman sleeves? They will not match, Don't even think about matching this perfectly. With plaid matching, you have to go for the obvious. Since I am short, maybe lots of people will see the tops of my shoulders but in reality, I don't think it is a focal point like center front and back. So, don't worry about it. 
  • Now I had to match the lower sleeve and then its cuff. After A LOT of thinking, I walked away, came back and decided to just cut it on the bias. I centered the bias diamonds with the shoulder seam. I didn't seam it on bars but with mostly the cream centers meeting the dolman edge, the less to emphazise that it isn't matching and never will. 
  • For the cuffs I went back to the straight of grain, matching bars with the corner of the plaid which you see in the pic in the woods. 
  • Hours can go into placing plaids. Using allover prints or solids eliminates that and the shirt should go much faster than mine did. 
  • Bottom line: Straight edges get bars. Curved edges get the cream blocks. Problems get the bias. Placement is important even if you don't match and requires thought. 
  • This all needs to be figured out before cutting the first seam. 
With that out of the way. let's get to my next change. This shirt is not lined and that is fine. But a cotton flannel sticks to your clothes and it's cold up here. I had to have a lining with this. I decided on one of my favorite techniques, flat lining which finishes the seams with a Hong Kong finish and lines the garment at the same time. There are challenges with this as it works best on vertical seams. What to do with the underarm curve of the upper sleeve?

I did two lines of stitching in that area, trimmed back to the second stitching and zigzagged the edge. The seam allowances were cut on the bias  and folded under and stitched to make a clean edge as you see above. 


For the hem I faced the area with a bias strip of lining and catchstitched it to the lining. 


The plaid also made me deal with the collar a bit differently. I hope Paco approves. I like it. His collar is an asymmetrical design. I like it but I wanted my plaids to flow evenly where I could and to be symmetrical. I also had planned to used the buttons on the bars. This meant that I did not use his wonderful top buttonhole. I did make it anyway and it's one of those special little secrets just I know about, hiding in the seam! Making the collar symmetrical and lowering the buttonhole causes the collar to open evenly. I LOOOOOVE this collar. I got many compliments on this shirt when I wore it and more on the collar. It has such a pretty roll line and it is so nice and deep. 

 Here is that awesome little buttonhole that makes an asymmetrical collar with little effort, beautiful detail and typical Paco. 


If you have read me for a while, you may remember that I really don't care for long sleeves or any fabric around my wrists. My plan from the start was to fold back these lovely, deep cuffs and that worked well. You can see them on me all folded back but here is what they look like otherwise. 

Parting shots: When I make another I may take a tiny bit of length out of the back waist area. My issue is one of width,  a narrow back and wide hips. I always have this space. I can fit it away but then I have a different look to the garment. I don't want a fitted shirt here. I like the ease exactly as Paco designed it. I flat pattern measured the pattern and found there was substantial ease in a size six to not make any further adjustments. The dropped dolman sleeves also added to the ease of fitting. Since I planned to roll back the cuffs from the get go, they may have been long for me othewise. Other than that I am really pleased with my fit and it was with little effort. 



In conclusion:  I will definitely make this again. With Paco's clear instructions and the beautiful simplicity of the design it would be fine for an advanced beginner if done in a solid fabric and following his directions. While this is a couture pattern, this is doable by those who maybe have never used a couture Vogue pattern. I highly recommend. The design is so versatile and would be stunning in a white linen or pique. A beautiful look for dressier winter wear with jeans would be in  a washed velvet, yum. Thank you, Paco, for a beautiful design!........Bunny
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for some reason the crop didn't work in my editing software tonight. Hopefully it will rectify with shutting down the computer. I will be back to fix it in that case. And, oh, did you notice the winning button? It is the lighter ringed buttons. I really appreciated all your opinions on that. Thanks to all of you.....Bunny


27 comments:

  1. It turned out absolutely stunning. Love the colors, the collar and the sleeves. I normally don't care for flannel (lumberjack vibe) but you nailed the femininity aspect. Thank you for the detailed encouragement on using a plaid and key insights on where to focus attention and details to simply let go of while, making. I admire Paco designs and might try this in a plain fabric...matching still makes me concerned.

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  2. I've enjoyed your whole series on this shirt.I like the wonderful detail you include on the dressmaking process.

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  3. Yes, love the plaid. I just took this pattern out of the package yesterday in prep to iron it and trace off a copy for me and one for my sister. I like what you did with yours.
    Theresa in Tucson

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  4. What a wonderful shirt and many thanks for the detailed description of how to think through a plaid project. I also really like the idea of a lined flannel shirt, since it is cold where I live as well. This is a lovely pattern that is on my list as well. Thanks for sharing. abbey

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  5. Exquisite. your shirt, your sewing. Thks for sharing this project journey.

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  6. This project demonstrated your genius in thinking your way through a project, and making the careful choices that result in an item that is worthy of the time put in to complete it.
    Your choices in pattern (I'm a Paco fan, too), fiber (never crossed my mind to include flannels) and color (lavender, perfect with your fabulous hair) expanded my list of possibilities while I think about sewing my own version (now at the bottom of a very looong list of projects).
    Thank you for sharing your expertise and abilities to inspire the creative element in those that read your blog. My pattern list gets longer, my project list expands and my sewing booklist increases each time I read your blog. Your skill level ensures you produce your vision, and I appreciate your desire to communicate your thought processes clearly while we all marvel your work.
    Thank you Ms Bunny!...

    Cynthia

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  7. This is lovely and very flattering. Great explanation of the plaid matching process. With this fabric you really do need to pay attention to every seam, edge and overall look. I love the way you mixed the straight and bias grains.

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  8. Bunny,
    One word really does say it all.........

    ...........Stunning!

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  9. It looks fabulous Bunny! I love the fact that you lined it - what a great idea to keep it from sticking while adding just a touch of warmth. :) That under the collar button detail is also pretty amazing! Great job!

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  10. I think I enjoyed just reading this post as much as you will enjoy wearing this wonderful shirt. I normally do not like dropped shoulders but this design is stunning so I may have to reconsider this pattern. I like the "big shirt" idea without it being so big and with so much style. Yours looks so much more chic than the big white one on the Vogue model which did not interest me whatsoever.

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  11. Thanks for the explanation on your changes for using plaid, especially all the thinking before starting to cut fabric. The shirt came out great. Although I still think the darker buttons would have been my choice :-) And I too may need to reconsider this pattern.

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  12. WOW! What a stunner! I'm so glad I picked this one up. Although I'll be using a solid for sure :-p

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  13. How pretty! I love how it turned out and I'm tickled you chose the buttons that I liked best..

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  14. Great shirt! Thanks so much for including plaid matching details and all the other construction information .

    Susan

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  15. Okay, I'm sold! Your version is just beautiful! Having sewn my clothing for many decades, I've rarely sewn button-front blouses but you've convinced me to purchase this pattern and sharpen my skills. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  16. Oh, my, the button bruhaha continues. LOL! If I can add one more thought about the plaid. There is plaid matching and there is plaid placement.Once you decide on where and how you can and will match the plaid, you aren't done, unfortunately. Then you have to think about placement of the rest. I guess that's my plaid philosophy for the day ;). Thanks for all the lovely comments. I wish I could tell you how soft and comfy this feels.

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  17. MAGNIFICENT, Bunny, truly magnificent! You've made Paco's pattern justice and your plaid lined version is so inspiring! I also love the symmetrical collar, and I think it was the right option, it works best with plaids. Bravo!!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, that made my day. I know you are a fan and friend of Paco as well so please give my regards and thanks.

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  18. This is so beautiful in so many aspects. The amount of ease is my idea of perfection in a casual shirt; it looks refined and deliberate without being sloppy, I love it.

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  19. Stunning - beautiful Thanks for all the comments. I have that pattern. I'm also short - 5'2" so I love seeing what you've done so those of us that are vertically challenged can decided if it's a style for us or not. I'm anxious to get unpacked, sewing room set up and SEW
    Marcia

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  20. Oh my goodness! Love your play on plaid!

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  21. It's one stunning blouse. Your work with the plaid is gorgeous.

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  22. Beautiful and you look amazing. Thank you Bunny.!!

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  23. Love, love, love it!! No wonder Paco posted it on his FB page. I think this is my new favorite.

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  24. Your shirt is fantastic! I love that deep collar. And the button placement on the bars - outstanding!

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  25. Fantastic! I love this shirt. I like the plaid fabric you chose and how you managed the placement. Impeccable work as always!

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