Gary made this fab tropical /Hawaiian shirt using our marlin print cotton and linen mix that came from Ralph Lauren. It’s a lovely weight of cotton- a kind of lightweight canvas weave that’s heavy enough for trousers but still lots of drape.
He mixed it with a remnant of polkadot cotton for the under collar and collar stand.
Bess made this superb Liberty print cotton poplin shirt for her husband’s birthday, the pattern is Burda 6874 – whilst Burda’s instructions leave a lot to be desired their cut is superb and Bess finds they fit Rob without any major alterations.
As always with mens shirts the devil is in the details and Bess took her time adding contrast lining the the placket and cuffs, and adding grosgrain braids. The odd buttons are due to Bess wanting to finish the project and not having a full set of anything to hand – but they look fab.
Petra did a fabulous job making this fitted shirt using the Katherine Tilton for Butterick pattern 6026 in her sewing classes, she loves it so much she is making another in the lilac colour way. Oxford Cotton is a lovely substantial cotton shirting that is great for these type of fitted style shirts. We LOVE the fanning out waist darts – such a flattering design ❤️
Another joyous shirt from Sue- this time hot air balloon print lightweight linen for her husband. The pattern is Kwik Sew K3422 – a lovely simple pattern sewn beautifully – just look at those perfectly turned collar points. 👍
Not sure if there could be a more glorious shirt than this? Goldfish print Spanish lightweight linen made by sue for her brother, Alex. The pattern is Kwik Sew K3422 which Sue said was lovely and straightforward (that’s what we like!).
Bess made this shirt a couple of years ago for her much worse half using a Burda magazine pattern – it was a surprise for the Linen wedding anniversary and it took him a few months to actually wear it because the bib bit (according to Rob) “is a girl’s blouse” (🙄). Anyone else have this trouble with their spouses?! Bess swore she would never make anything for him ever again but then he started wearing it (it takes these boys a while to come round to the idea that we are right) and now it’s his favourite -along with another shirt in the same pattern.
Sorona mixed with linen is a lovely combo as it softens the linen and reduces the creasing -which is a good thing because Rob is scared of Bess’s gravity fed iron and Bess isn’t about to do his ironing 😉 . The colour has held true after many, many washes and unlike pure linen it doesn’t wear at the cuffs so quickly.
Sorona fibre is a new fibre made from Corn, it is a supple and stretchy filament that is mainly being marketed at performance wear.
The buttons (barely seen) are upside down abalone shell buttons, the interfacing (not seen!) is the H0023 lightweight knit which stabilises the linen enough for a button hole and collar but allows it to stay soft and floppy.
The lovely Anne made up our teal stretch babycord as a panelled A-line skirt and the bug print cotton poplin as a fun blouse. The sewing is impeccable (of course!) -beautifully turned collar, perfectly straight waistband… she’s a great sewer who kept herself busy during lockdown making a fabulous new wardrobe.
This superb leopard print Japanese linen shirt was made by the lovely AND talented Jennifer, she gets lots of compliments when wearing it (of course she does – it’s brilliant!). The Pattern is the Kalle Shirt by Closet Core patterns. She left us to pick the buttons and was pleased with our choice. (we went with bright blue to pick out the accented colour).
All the love going out to this Katherine Tilton for Butterick (b5891) sleeveless shirt made out of nani IRO for Kokka Japanese printed linen by the fabulous Lesley (@mawlesley on instagram)
She left the choosing of buttons to us which is a nerve-wracking experience for us but you can always return buttons if they are not right. Buttons are such a personal thing. We went with the nautilus shell buttons which are an artwork all to themselves.
Caroline made this shirt out of the Dashwood studio printed viscose which has a heavenly drape and handle. The pattern is the Matcha top by Sew Liberated. We Love ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Angela made this fabulous shirt using a tried and tested (understatement of the week) vintage pattern from 1949 – it is Butterick 6020. Such simple and clean lines work so well with these modern Japanese prints. The fabric is Kokka linen and viscose mix – it’s a medium weight fabric with a fair bit of drape.
Melanie sent us her me-made chambray denim shirt made in the softest washed cotton for this fabulous short sleeve shirt. It’s an instant favourite.
Pamela made up this lightweight linen with the silhouette bird print into this fabulous shirt with the lightest of interfacing in the collar and button band
We love this fabulous peasant shirt made by Alexa using a supersoft washed lightweight white linen and embroidered with navy contrast zigzag stitching. It is the #roscoeblouseanddress pattern by @truebias . As well as the stitching being aesthetically pleasing it helps to keep this very lightweight woven fabric stabilised without using facings (like a heavy duty stay-stitch). Beautiful.
Hannah was quite rightly super pleased with how this #lieslandco shirt turned out in this beautiful light weight fine strip linen/cotton shirting. The attention to detail is fabulous.
My husband Denis in his ‘stone fabrics’ shirt. As mentioned on the phone, spot the deliberate mistake, cuff and placket the wrong way round, must do better next time.
The fabric is pale blue babycord that we sourced from a well known British designer . The pattern is Burda 7045, the collar from view A and used a darker blue trim for the inside of the sleeve placket edge and the collar.
We didn’t spot the deliberate mistake – 10/10 Janet!
lobster embroidered denim chambray shirt made by Bess with the matching plain chambray on the sleeve and front plackets (10649), and a scrap of tiger print poplin lining the collar and cuffs. The pattern is adjusted from @burda_style magazine 07/2019 men’s shirt no 128. His nieces call him Lobster Pinchy so now he has a shirt to match his name 😂
This is Carole wearing this super loose-weave cotton shirt using the Butterick 6070 which she has used several times as the buttonholes are hidden behind the placket. Great if your buttonholes have the occasional wobble!
This cotton is super soft with a gauzey jacquard type weave (unusual), it resists creasing and is great to wear in the hot weather as the drape tends to hold it off the body.
David seriously rocking this brilliant Chinese dragons and houses print linen and cotton mix shirt. It’s a self drafted pattern (by his lovely lady Alison). We ❤❤❤!
It certainly helps to be small when sewing with designer fabrics – this is the beautiful Nicola who squeezed this linen shirt out of less than a metre of cult poplularity Japanese nani IRO printed linen -good going when it’s so narrow and has a border to fathom placement. Nicola credits rookie luck but we think she has the eye for detail that makes for a superbly skilled dressmaker.
Jane this lobster print cotton voile shirt for Scotty. Cut extra roomy as the fabric is super fine, and french seams all round. The pattern is Burda 3800
Another superb shirt made by Rachel and modelled here by Luke. Again the fabric is a quilting weight cotton which is great for casual shirts. There is a light knit interfacing in the collar, cuffs and front placket.
Rachel made Luke this beautiful harlequin jacquard cotton shirt. I think we can tell he likes it 😉
Rachel made this fabulous vinyl records print shirt for Luke, perfectly matching everything, of course. Shirtmaking is an art Rachel has mastered to a tee. The fabric is a quilting weight cotton which is on the heavy side for a shirt but great for casual (and fun!) projects. There is a light knit interfacing in the collar, cuffs and front placket.
Here is a close up of Rachel’s matching: (in her previous life she was a chameleon)
Pauline made this sweet bunny print shirt with printed quilting weight cotton. It is a Butterick pattern (6324) that has minimal/confusing instructions (it is clearly the instructions at fault and not the readers!), so Pauline came a bit unstuck working out how to do the concealed buttonhole band, but she got there in the end 🙂
The collar and cuffs are interfaced with lightweight knit iron-on interfacing
Rachel made this fabulous cotton shirt for her son Luke. Rachel is applying for title ‘Queen of shirt making’. This fabric is quilting weight which is great for a slightly heavier warmer shirt (and also happens to have the wackiest prints).
Thank you Luke for modelling for us, much appreciated!
Here is Lesley’s latest shirt to be added to the collection. The wool challis drapes so well, it was a good choice for a warm winter shirt. She added detail on the pocket with a couple of Thermofax Screen prints and the buttons were sewn on with orange thread just to add a bit of warmth to the look of the garment.
School shirts don’t have to be made out of polyester to be easy care, why are all the school shirts in the shops either horrid stiff cotton or polyester? Jane makes Kitcat and Miaow’s school shirts in supersoft cotton dobby lawn which hardly needs ironing at all, just flatten the collar and they are good to go! Made using Burda 9744 with such a tiny bit of fabric the under collar has been seamed in the middle.
Shirley made this floral print linen and cotton shirt after a long hiatus in sewing (I’m wondering if this is Shirley’s sewing after a break how good was it before?!). Cut with a v-neck band and 3/4 sleeves, this shirt is a great Summer wardrobe staple.
Marilyn off travelling to somewhere tropical and looking super cool in her floral stencil print linen and viscose shirt made with a Style Arc pattern “Elsie”.
Summer ready and super stylish Kitcat in her white spotty jacquard cotton school shirt and green gingham shorts. There is also a matching belt (covered by Harlequin). This girl will not be showing her knickers whilst handstanding in the playground!
To make the gingham a little heavier for the shorts Jane backed it with cotton lawn interfacing (iron-on).
Patterns: The shirt is Burda 9744 and the shorts are Burda 9481.
School shirt made for Kitcat (by Jane) with white cotton seersucker using Burda 9744 pattern. Green gingham cotton skater skirt using MCall’s 6918.
School shirt made for Miaow (by Jane) with white cotton seersucker using Burda 9744 pattern. Green gingham cotton skorts (The shorts bit underneath is green cotton and elastane jersey) using MCall’s 6918.
Kitcat and Miaow visiting Granny (Jane) at the shop wearing their matching Liberty tana lawn Alice in Wonderland print dress and shirt. The pattern is Burda 9417 (as seen already for school shirts), they tie in at the back. Jane didn’t use any interfacing for the collars, the sleeves puff with elastic in the hem. They both have mismatched coloured buttons.
Miaow (age 5) is wearing a bee print cotton skirt trimmed with rick-rack and gathered onto yellow elastic which SHE MADE HERSELF! We helped a bit, she drove the sewing machine and overlocker with the pedals up on shoe boxes so she could reach. She sat on our lap and helped guide the fabric and shouted STOP! when she was going to drive off the edge. It’s probably the most fun you can have with a child without custard pies.
Didn’t she do well?!
Ruscha sporting her hand sewn silk chiffon shirt, which we at the Stone Fabrics headquarters are in awe of. She insists that it didn’t take that long to make and is a more enjoyable way to sew (she can sit in the garden and tinker away without noise). However it was made it is amazing. We love the mix of the two colour ways.
Also seen: linen and lycra stripey jersey skirt
Jane’s daughter Jessie wearing her LG polka dot printed cotton short sleeve shirt and her Rococo printed stretch indigo denim skirt. Jane wasn’t sure her 40+ year old daughter would want daisy buttons but she did. The skirt had to be taken in a bit because that denim is quite stretchy.
The pattern for the shirt is taken from an old M&S shirt and the skirt pattern is a long discontinued Burda pattern (3198), the closest available now is McCall’s 3341.
Jane’s shirt made up once again in an embroidered and hand painted Linen from Italy. Jane was pleased with how economical this shirt was, getting all of it out of a metre (the facings were cut from the unpainted selvedges) -handy when the fabric is £85.00mt!
Amy made this fabulous spotty brushed cotton shirt using 4483. She goes into detail about the making of it on her blog Almond Rock.
Check her beautiful stitching!
What’s the collective noun for linen shirts? For bullfinches it is a bellowing, I rather like that. A bellowing of linen shirts.
These are all made by Lesley using a discontinued Vogue pattern No 1476.
All the linens are light to medium weight, you can find more linens HERE
Manju wearing her beautifully made wool challis short sleeve pin-tucked animal print shirt. She has a blog, you can read all about it HERE.
Bess wearing her much-loved cotton lawn trellis print shirt. Lawn is a brilliant weave to wear in the heat as it is so fine, yet still nice to sew with. The pattern was copied from a worn-out White Stuff shirt (now out of production), The bust darts are really tucks coming down from the shoulders. The armholes are faced with a wide tapered bias armhole binding that folds back to give the armhole some substance (anything to balance out Bess’s hips, she says, is a good thing 😉 )
Bess used no interfacing in the construction of this shirt – looking at the one she copied it didn’t seem they had used any, she worried about the buttonholes cocking up not working and the collar-band not lying properly but it was fine, if the fabric was less stable than lawn she would use light interfacing.
Fabric and Notions:
Blue trellis print cotton lawn
10mm red buttons
Pattern: drafted from manufactured shirt.
Also seen, cloud print red and white jersey skirt
Lesley wearing her fabulous box pleated hooded linen shirt with placket.
Fabrics and Notions:
Coral medium weight linen
Lightweight iron-on interfacing
Buttons
Luke wearing his embroidered cotton shirt made by Rachel (from classes).
Fabrics and Notions:
Embroidered and printed cotton
Buttons
Cotton lawn iron-on interfacing
