Vintage Butterick 6457 Combined with Simplicity 9952

I'm so excited to try something new! Butterick 6457 is an old pattern from 1988, one of the few I didn't throw away years ago when I found my old sewing supplies in a flooded closet.  I have no idea why I bought this pattern.  Nonetheless, I was intrigued, after my shirt-sewing episode last summer, with the pattern because it has dolman sleeves--no sleeves to set in and no sleeves cuffs to take up my shirt sewing time and patience.  Unfortunately, the back pattern piece and collar piece is missing.  Curiously, there are a couple of extra  pieces in it from another pattern I have in storage.  Maybe, if I am lucky, the missing pattern pieces are in the stored pattern. tick-tock Much later, I found the missing pieces, yay.  Due to my eagerness, it was too late for this make.

A recent acquisition, Simplicity 9952, a shirt pattern that is super-oversized looked like a similar shirt.  The cap sleeves are actually just side seam openings and the shoulder seams in the size M follow the same line as the vintage Butterick shirt in a size 12.  It was simple to extend the shoulder line in the Simplicity pattern to include the sleeve from the Butterick.  

Since this is a toile, the fabric is an inexpensive quilting cotton.  It is 100% cotton and features a dynamic arrow print with gold and white arrows on a black background.  There were 4 yards of 44" wide fabric that regularly sells for $7.99/yard.  At the end of summer, it was on sale for $3/yard on sale, $12 total.  

Cutting out the combo pattern in a size M was complicated.  It only fits on wide fabric, and this fabric is a horizontal print that will probably look like stripes from a distance.  

While assembling the shirt, it became obvious that the print does look like stripes--stripes that did not match across the back seam.  After continuing on with the rest of the construction and deciding the shirt was looking ok, that mismatched seam had to go.  Since the side seams match well, it must be that the bottom layer of fabric biased when I cut it.    There's a good reason to cut directional prints that look like horizontal stripes, or any other majorly noticeable design, in a single layer.  

Realigning the seam skewed the back pieces, of course.  Really, one half of the shirt is now 1/2 lower than the other half.  A little trimming and use of the seam allowance and it's only off 1/4". Since the back seam was properly matched, I celebrated that feat by coverstitching it down (pseudo flat fell) with contrasting thread.

That encouraged me to apply a Hong Kong finish to the shoulder seams.

And also on the side seam, but simply overcasting the trimmed underarm seam and the pressed open sleeve seam.

I cut the collar band a little larger to compensate for a slightly longer neckline.  It worked well, no real problems with the collar, following the pattern instructions, once I figured out that the uninterfaced collar is the side that is stay stitched.

The end result is a wearable toile.  The size M is oversize enough for me and I find that the collar fits much more comfortably than the properly fitted collars on my other shirts.  However, there are some problems with the Simplicity pattern that discourage me from using it again.

The back shoulders sit forward, making the back hem look shorter than the front hem in this pattern.  I would write that off to the dolman sleeves.  There's no shoulder, no sleeve cap.  The simple and easy construction does not fit my shoulders well enough.

It works well enough as a casual overshirt.  Just what I need to hide the loose shoulders in the black jersey dress.  

Of course, no make is complete without cute details--buttons and pocket.  The pocket deserved embellishment from my coverstitch machine.  I saw in one reviewer commented that the Simplicity pattern looks like a shirt Billie Eilish would wear.  I couldn't pass up the chance to imitate...

Now I want to make one in the Butterick pattern.