On an episode of All Creatures Great and Small a few weeks ago, Mrs. Hall was wearing a camp collar shirt. On seeing it, inspiration struck and got me started on a pattern search. The shirt was not a standard camp collar shirt pattern--it had gathers at the shoulders in the front. Most camp collar shirts are plain fronts with gathers from a yoke in the back. Some don't even have a yoke, but do rely on a more relaxed fit in the shoulders to make the usual gathers or pleats across the shoulders unnecessary. A look through eBay yielded a couple of patterns that were close to the one she wore. It was not a surprise that the two patterns turned out to be twins.
That one above is a size 16. It was uncut and quite promising. However, in order to be sure another option was available, my order included the one below. It is a size 14 and has a photo that looks like the illustrations on the pattern above. Once they arrived, a close look identified identical patterns, the top one published in 1983 and the one below published in 1986. With that conclusion, it was a simple decision to start with the larger size and the long sleeve option that would stay in keeping with my summer uniform plan.
Since it is one size, cutting it does no real harm, except to cut the cute little scissors in half. The cute little sewing machine foot will not be cut. Vintage patterns often have little features that amuse me. The ruler was there to measure the actual position of the cut line. For a precise 5/8" seam allowance, the pattern should be cut on the outside edge of the cut line.
The fabric, which is in the photo above, wrong side up, is a block print voile in yellow and gray from Common Thread in Taos. There were 4 yards for a total cost of over $60, along with lining fabric, a batiste in poly and cotton purchased at Hobby Lobby for this project. That was 2 yards of 45" wide fabric for $5.98. With the lining used for the pocket skirt, there was enough left for the matching shirt. At long last, this shirt meant sewing with the good stuff.
The pocket skirt used the same construction as before but in a size 12. The fit is good. Another version could go smaller and reduce the pocket gape to have a slim fit, but this is great as is. It was worn to the Sewing and Quilt Expo recently and held up well. That excursion yielded a nice little button stash courtesy of one of the vendors. She sells them for ten cents a button, but you have to search through the bins to find matching ones. She will actually do the searching for you, but my cousin and I found several matching sets quickly enough. (trimsonwheels.com if you are needing buttons)
After the skirt was finished, the shirt was begun by applying interfacing to the fronts and sewing the pocket onto the left side. The pocket is very cute, but quite small. Next, the fronts and back were assembled and sewn together according to instructions.
Following that, the collar was attached. This is a camp collar, different from a collar with a stand, or a Mandarin collar, which is just a stand with no collar. There's no neck facing. After mistakenly sewing the front facings on the wrong side, let me remind myself that the facings have to be sewn on the right side, wrong side out, and turned to the wrong side (the inside of the shirt). Once they were picked out and sewn correctly, they refused to lay flat. Even after pressing, it was better, but there is a small kink in the lapel.
The sleeves are nice, fairly full with a nice narrow cuff. The cuff attachment was a bit fussy because there is only a simple hemmed gap for a placket. It definitely would be improved by a continuous lap bias binding. As it is, the cuffs are tight, only widened an inch when unbuttoned due to the small gap. The sleeves were attached with the old style, one row of gathering thread, eased in, pin basted, sewn twice and serged. It is my preference rather than the pattern instructions. Whether it is the familiar comfort of it or the simplicity, this method is easier for me, even though there might be a pleat or two that has to be picked out and restitched.
The hem is straight, turned up all the way around through the front facing. Again, this is my option, requiring that the front facing be folded over and sewn down to the shirt by hand. The rest was secured by the buttons and buttonholes. Just to be sure it is secured, the interfacing was catch-stitched down. There is no topstitching to hold the facing in place.
The relaxed fit is comfortable. This is a good pattern in a nice lightweight fabric. The two pieces will work with several items in my closet. Although sets are popular now, they don't have to be worn together. The print is directional, but there wasn't enough fabric to cut both pieces if they were cut correctly. Anyway, what is correct--which way should those flowers go?
