Peter Lappin

Prepping the Preppy Fifties Shirt Pattern




First off, thank you for all your many recommendations the other day regarding dyeing. So many options to consider and I hope to tackle this later in the month.

In the meantime, my vintage Fifties Butterick shirt pattern (up top) has arrived, and today I started preparing my first project with it. I'm using blue cotton shirting I was gifted a few years ago by MPB reader Josh. It's a beautiful cotton herringbone in a weight similar to oxford cloth. It has silk-like sheen when pressed.





Butterick 6319 must date from the mid-Fifties, judging by the artwork and the handwritten note on the pattern envelope, "Made for Floyd (Is anyone named Floyd anymore?) of 'green wool' Jan. 1955." Now, sixty years later (to the month), this shirt pattern is back in service!








The collar will be 3 1/2" wide at the front edge.
There are some weird things about this pattern. For one thing, on a contemporary pattern, the front of the sleeve (where it attaches to the armscye) has one notch and the back has two. On this pattern, it's just the opposite.



The torso and sleeves of the pattern are very long: I've taken 2" off the length of both front, back, and sleeves; normally I take only 1" off the torso.

Look how much longer the sleeve is than the Seventies-era Butterick pattern I normally make shirts with:







Finally, the front button placket (on the left front, where the buttonholes go) attaches in the strangest way and, frankly, I don't think I'm going to follow the instructions. Does anybody else find this method awkward?



I tested a lot of blue threads from my stash today, but in the end, I'm opting for white. Better white than a poorly matched blue.





I've cut all my pattern pieces and am ready to start sewing. I'm not sure how much I'll get done this weekend as I have a lot going on, but hope to finish it in the week to come.





In other news, my Mom will be staying with us for the next few weeks. Thankfully, she's walking with a cane every day and gaining strength and confidence. The dogs, who adore her, are in seventh heaven.



And that's it! Hope your first projects of the new year are going well.

Have a great day, everybody!
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