All tucked up…

Butterick 6026, black cotton sateen from eBay.

One for the missus.  I cut this one out when I did my big cutting out weekend, and as it’s a new pattern, did a quick tissue fit first.  I was glad I did, as this seems to be super close fitting, and although shirts for the missus are generally perfect straight from the packet, possibly adjusted only for length, this one actually needed an FBA. [I also lengthened the sleeves, the missus does NOT like 3/4 sleeves.  I kept the tucks at the ‘cuff’ though.]

Now the intriguing thing about this shirt is the sunray pattern of tucks at the waist, neckline and cuffs, so I didn’t want to mess it about with the resulting dart from an FBA.  I’m sure you experts would swing it around by its little skinny dart legs, but I panic at such manipulations, so just sat and stared for a while.

Then I did some rootling on t’internet, and just for once remembered to take a look on Pattern Review BEFORE sewing the garment.  Various people said they’d had to do an FBA, but only one mentioned hiding it in the tucks.  Genius!  However, she didn’t explain how.

I would have kept schtum if it hadn’t worked, but I did it, and it’s FAB, so I’m going to brag do a tutorial.  Ahem.

I did the FBA, [adding in about 1″]  with the usual vertical cut to the bust point, and one slanting off to the armhole.  The cut from the side seam got lined up along the top tuck foldline.  This actually lowered the apex a bit, which is needed anyway, not many of us are as perky as the pattern companies think!

I filled in the gaps with tissue paper, and got on with cutting and sewing.  All good.

The first thing you do is make all the tucks, so I did all of them except the tricksy top one, and pressed them down as instructed.  I even spent time threading all the ends through to the wrong side and tying them off, and I NEVER do that!

I stared at the tricksy tuck for a while, and spoke sternly to it.

Then I stitched the top tuck, pressed it flat, but didn’t press it down like the others.  I folded out the dart UNDER the top tuck, and carefully basted it in place, so that the stitching would run on, or very very close to, the tuck stitching.  I was amazed that I actually managed to do this WITHOUT messing it up.  Astonishing.

I pressed it all downwards, and hey presto! Invisible dart, lurking under a tuck.

You may applaud.

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Everything else was straightforward.  I chose to hand hem, as the sateen is pretty stretchy, and the hem is curved.  The missus chose some fairly plain buttons from my stash, and the wondrous 1911 Singer obliged with her usual perfect buttonholes.

What’s not to love?  The missus is chuffed, and has demanded several more stretch sateen shirts, tout de suite!