3.12.12

A fishing shirt

Fishing is almost a compulsory hobby up here.

I wasn't planning on a fishing shirt.  I wanted to make a beach caftan.  This pattern from Burda was the most sensible beach cover-up pattern that I have come across, being that it actually provides protection from the sun.  It required fabric that had 2 "good" sides, as the facings are turned out to the outside.  When I shopped my stash, this was the most suitable fabric I could find.  Now that I've sewn it once, I realise that it would not have been too difficult to modify the pattern and sew the facings on the inside.  This fabric is a gorgeous quality Irish linen that I bought years and years ago from Gardams.  I never bought enough to make wide-legged trousers, which is what it really wanted to be.  Grey is not my best colour, but I forged on ahead regardless, and then was disappointed with the results.  I would have preferred a much prettier colour for a beach caftan.  Never mind, I will have the best fishing shirt going around!




I did not make a muslin and did not make any alterations to the pattern.  I am very impressed with the fit through the shoulders.  No drag lines or pull lines.  Perhaps I need to use Burda patterns more often for my tops.  I used a contrasting scrap of Liberty for the back neck facing, so that I did not have stripes going all different ways.  I used the same fabric to trim the sleeve vents.

I made a little bunting trim for the front.  I saw this on somebody else's blog, but I can't remember which one, so am unable to reference it.  I know it wasn't one of my regular blog reads, but rather one that I linked to from somebody else's blog.  Perhaps somebody could comment and link to the original post?

The pattern is Burda 6/2011 109.  The design of this pattern is a little unusual, in that the sleeves are not set in the same way as most shirts.

The only change I made to the pattern was to add a button and loop to the neck.  The caftan was very comfortable to wear.  I was worried about the front neck slit, but put a smear of suncream underneath.  The slit actually caught the breeze and kept me a little cooler.  The body of the caftan is loose fitting, but the sleeves are not oversized.


And sadly, no fish were caught in the making of this blog post.  So disappointing, as I brought home dinner from my first fishing trip, but came home empty handed from the second.  Now I've got "fishing rod" instead of "more fabric" on my Christmas wish list.  I asked one of the guys I was fishing with what sort of rod I should get., if I only wanted one  He replied that that was like asking a women what dress to buy if she could only buy one.  Well, that's easy.  An LBD is what you get if you can only get one.  They laughed...but I will have to look into this rod business a little bit more.

10 comments:

liza jane said...

I actually cut this one out and partially sewed it up before I took that trip to St. John in August. But I got so thoroughly confused while sewing the sleeves that I quit and put it away. I'll have to revisit it next summer. I may be asking you some questions if I still can't figure it out. Your version looks great. It shouldn't only be relegated for fishing!

katherine h said...

Hello Liza Jane,

I couldn't follow the sleeve instructions either. I couldn't see how it was all going to end up neat. So I just did my own thing with the vents. I didn't have enough fabric for the deep hem on the sleeves, which probably helped.

meli88a said...

Very interesting. The pattern lines are definitely unique! The stripe really shows it off.

Uta said...

That's a great cover up/fishing shirt! I love the classic stripes with the red accents. Good luck with your next fishing trip!

Crab and Bee said...

The bunting is fantastic! What a fun detail.

Gail said...

Love the shirt and I'd love to transport myself into this picture.

Amy said...

This is an unusual pattern and it's so nice to see it made up. That water is so lovely. Tell those fish that you dressed up especially for them. What do you all catch there?

Audrey said...

This is one very chic fishing shirt. I love the prairie point (as we call them here) trim. Nice to see this pattern made up. I have always liked the style lines and it is good to know the sleeves are not too big. I have the same kind of luck when I go fishing.

kbenco said...

This is the nicest cover up/fishing shirt. The prairie points are a perfect as an embelishment.

Anonymous said...

You mean it's not compulsory in other places??? O_O

Hey nice shirt! I love the little points and the back facing. And the linen, even if not really your colour, looks like it is solid enough to provide some serious sun-protection.
(just catching up on my sewing reading!)