It can’t be a birthday without a birthday shirt for Doc! (Literally, it can’t; he’s going to get shirts for the rest of our time together because he is so hard to shop for.) 

This year’s version is ikat from Stonemountain. I blame watching the new Queer Eye and hearing Tan mutter something like, “Why do straight men only wear plaid?” to get me to branch out a little for Doc. 

I used the trusty McCalls 6044 pattern with my redrafted one-piece sleeve and the tower sleeve vents from the Archer button up. This is either the eighth or ninth shirt for him from this pattern, so it all went together pretty easily. The snaps gave me a lot of grief, though–I ran out of time to order 18L size from Snap Source so struggled through setting some from JoAnn and it was terrible. Snap Source or bust from here on out. 

I also had some tension issues with my machine, which the light stitching on the dark fabric makes extra-noticeable. But I have to remember what my mom says: “You’ll never see it from the streamliner.” Doc says he likes it, he looks handsome in it, and it was made with love. 

My old roommate would buy huge quantities of soap and detergent and toilet paper and just stockpile them, telling me every time he added more, “It doesn’t go bad!”

Fortunately, the same thing is true of fabric.

I bought this slubby stretch linen/cotton in April last year, declaring it to be “the summer of shirts.” I cut it out and then it sat…and sat…and sat. I said I’d finish it this year for the Summer of Basics…and it still sat. But I finally finished it last month and got some pictures when I wore it yesterday.

Doing my best impression of a male model in a 70s turtleneck catalog

The pattern is the Grainline Archer, but this time I went up two full sizes–my first ones were a 4 in the shoulders grading to a 6 at the waist, and this is an 8 grading to a 10. It’s not that oversized now since I’m getting muscles, but it’s nice and relaxed. The sleeves ended up a little long but I can deal with it.

You can’t really see the detail in the fabric but there’s a hairline stripe. It’s sold out now–since this project took years–but I found it at Threadbare Fabrics. 

I hit the “it’s cold and I have nothing to wear” wall hard this year. All my blazers are a little snug now that I have muscles and my office isn’t really a blazer office, anyway. So how to stay warm? Sew up some layers.

The 80s are back, if you haven’t noticed, and a mockneck under a shirt or sweatshirt is everywhere. So I made a couple True Bias Nikko tops.

The one on the left is an Art Gallery cotton knit, which is gorgeous quality. I’d seen the print a couple years ago and loved it but didn’t really sew knits at the time. Fortunately, I was able to find some of the last on the internet at Let’s Sew. I only got a yard and a half so I had to cut the back in two pieces, and I went up a size and cut the neck a little bigger to make up for the fabric having less stretch than recommended. But it all worked out–1980s me and current me really love this one.

The one on the right is a rayon/spandex rib knit that’s really soft and cozy, even if it is a little sheer. It doesn’t have weird faces all over it but you really can’t argue with a vintage-looking striped base layer.

I’ve been wearing these a lot under shirts and cardigans and have a couple cuts of fabric coming to make more–because you have to have different color turtlenecks to coordinate with your layers. It’s the first rule of the 80s:

I’ve been seeing a lot of gray/glen plaid show up this season (even Meghan Markle is getting in on it!). I was considering buying or making a plaid blazer, but my life really isn’t a blazer life any more. Then I saw this Pinterest image and thought, “PLAID PANTS!”

I briefly considered trying a new pants pattern with a flat front or a real fly, but the trusty True Bias Hudson Pants won out in the end, because I knew they fit and I could make them in a weekend. I used some stretch rayon/poly suiting from Fabric.com, which holds up really well after a day in the office.

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: Yay for sewing, which lets me jump on the trends without 1.) spending an exorbitant amount and 2.) going to H&M and feeling guilty about sweatshops.

At the risk of sending my dad into cardiac arrest when he reads this, I tried to buy the Outdoor Voices CloudKnit Sweats for $85.  Sure, I knew I could make them, but I’d convinced myself the fabric and the fit would be spectacular and totally worth it.

I mean, just look at these miracle sweatpants!

Well, two sizes and returns later, the fabric felt like a weird polyester microfiber, there was an unnecessary  seam right at the bend of the knee, and the fit was less flattering than the Hudson Pants pattern we all know and love. I knew what I had to do.

I got two yards of a very soft poly/rayon/spandex French terry and for $20 and a half a day of sewing, I had some gym pants and $65 in the bank.

As you can see by the photo IN AN ACTUAL GYM, I’ve worn these to workouts and they do great–the spandex keeps them from bagging out at the knees and they’re trim but not frumpy, with a little more coverage than leggings. (Maybe next year I can be the person wearing shorts, knee socks, and a lifting belt, but I’m not there yet.)

Sure, sewing means you can make workout wear and plaid button-downs and an array of knit tops to fill holes in your wardrobe, but sometimes you just need to sew some crazy mustard-colored Japanese printed pants.

Or JAPANTS, as my coworker called them:

I saw this fabric at Miss Matatabi and the idea of JAPANTS sprang into my head fully-formed, like the trouser version of the birth of Athena. I used the Emerson Pants pattern and my serger and in about a day I had the best crazy pants of my dreams.

They are a lot of PANT but I love them–I’m a sucker for a Japanese print and for that Bob Ross yellow ochre color, so together they’re doubly good.

My Smartwool funnel neck that I hiked in for years bit the dust last season and I never replaced it, making do with a performance flannel shirt and a neck gaiter. But there’s something to be said for having your neck more draft-proof, so when I saw this wool blend (88% poly/12% wool) at JoAnn I thought, “What if I made the long sleeve Nikko Turtleneck in this?”

The answer was, “I’d have a DIY Smartwool for $19!”

This was my first time making the version with sleeves and I forgot to lengthen them for my looong arms; I could use an extra inch there, even though the body length was good. I cut a straight size 8 but next time I might add a little more width to the bicep–all that POWERLIFTING is making my arms HUGE, bros.

I’ll be on the lookout for knits with a little higher wool content to make another version!

The theme around here seems to be “fix what you can” because I have some more alterations of old projects in the queue and I just re-made Doc’s anniversary shirt. You’ll remember I used a different pattern in the spring and it turned out too small. I was at JoAnn Fabrics at some point after that and saw this very similar plaid on sale, so I grabbed it.

You’ll notice that this version has more “flair”–Western yoke, bias-cut pockets, pearl snaps–and I blame that on watching both seasons of Queer Eye between the first version and this iteration. (Speaking of snaps, I highly recommend Snap Source.)

I went back to the trusty McCalls 6044 I’ve used for him and it fits just fine. This fabric is also far less prone to wrinkling than the original fancy Japanese plaid, so chalk one up for Indian cotton from JoAnn.

(Yes, everything is going to be a metaphor now.)

Remember back in June when I tried making a Lou Box Top and my reaction was “meh”? It continued to be “meh” and the top remained unworn. Meanwhile, I started eyeballing the True Bias Ogden Cami. The old me would never want to show off that much shoulder or back, but the new gym-going me is Hulking out and has arm and back muscles she didn’t know existed.

However, I thought I’d better try a muslin first before I got any good fabric for the Ogden Cami, so the Lou Box Top got a new lease on life:

I had to angle the pattern pieces to fit, which means it’s about an inch less full at the hem, but I think that works to counteract the extra body of the cotton lawn. This is going to be amazing in a rayon, I think. And I’m going to be really happy wearing it and showing off my gains.