liadethornegge

What did I do then? Well, seeing as it was getting dark and chilly and we were all just sitting around the Aros tables in camp yammering on I figured I'd take out my shirt and see if I couldn't finish it somehow.

If anyone remembers I had actually started on the last step for a wearable shirt: pleating the neckline into the collar. Well, I started with the divide and conquer method using up many many pins. I looked at it and decided, bollocks to that. Pulling all the pins out I started over by running a gathering thread on the small turned hem I had done at the neckline. I didn't measure anything, but I used the approximate distance I had judged the pleats would have at the end of the divide and conquer method before I gave that up.

It worked.

After having found the one crucial point (centre back) and marking it with a pin I marked the three crucial points on the collar itself (centre back, and shoulder seam placement halfwway between CB and CF), pulled on my gathering thread and lined up my pins in the correct fashion. I did all this while it had gotten quite dark - I was hunkering up to the table and the lantern that was standing there.

Using the same method as for attaching a skirt I simply whipstitched the pleats into place along the collar until I made it all the way around. At that point I sat up straight and did a little victory dance on my chair. w00t for me! w00t for me!

Then I remembered I still had no means of closing the collar, so dug down into my pouch of sewing hardware to find the tangle of ties I had used previously on the false chemise sleeves of the Tudor working class gown. I attached one pair at either cuff and one pair at the collar and then I did another victory dance on my chair. W00t for me! W00t for me! Then I passed the shirt around so I could show off my work.

For future reference, if I ever start talking about doing the divide and conquer method on such wildly disparate measurements ever again hit me - hard. It's impossible and I should just go straight for the gathering stitches.

Also, I updated my diary to reflect these changes!