Men's Shirt Sew-Along -- Your questions answered!

Friends, we have a lot of material to cover today, so stay focused and no multi-tasking.  Puppies are for later.

First, we have a winner of Sunday's Men's Shirt Pattern Giveaway.

She's a self-described Aquarian geek from Holly Hill, Florida...our very own "pattern slattern," Mary of Mary Sews!  Mary, please send me your mailing address (peterlappinnyc at gmail dot com) and I'll ship your pattern off to you ASAP.  Let's all give Mary a round of applause!

A big thank you to all who came up with poems and please keep at it -- there's some real talent out there!

Meanwhile, I have received many questions regarding the MPB Men's Shirt Sew-Along and I'd like to answer them today.

Q:  I am a true beginner.  Can I still participate?

 A: Yes!  If you can sew a straight seam, you can participate in the Sew-Along.  We will be making a muslin first, working through any challenges we encounter, and only then making the final shirt.  Regardless of your current level of skill and experience, you'll learn a lot.

Q: Will you be creating a Flickr file for us to post pictures.

A: Yes.  I am not certain whether this will actually be in Flickr, but I will be creating a photo file to which you will be able to upload photos of your projects.  I'm a Picasa guy myself but we'll figure something out that works.  If you have experience with this and suggestions, please email me.

UPDATE: The Flickr group has been created.  More tomorrow.

Q: Where can I order the Colette Negroni shirt pattern?



You can place an order for the pattern here.

Sarai is offering a 20% discount on the pattern for Sew-Along participants during the month of January.  Please use the promo code MPBNEGRONI  (It MUST be entered in all caps, and I am told you cannot cut and paste) to enjoy the discount.

Q: Can I use a different men's shirt pattern?

A: Yes.  And if you have specific questions about the pattern you are using I will try to answer them.

Q: Will you be covering the topics of thread, needles, and interfacing?

Yes.  I will be covering all these topics in the days ahead.

Q: Can you give instructions for grabbing your Sew-Along button?

A: Scroll to the bottom of the code box by clicking on the down arrow.  You should see a blinking cursor.  Do a "copy all" and paste the code in an HTML gadget on your blog (This is accessed through the "Design" tab in Blogger).  Or simply cut and paste any Sew-Along image and use a photo posting gadget on your blog and kindly link it back here.  If this doesn't work, email me.

Q: I read that someone is making Michael a shirt.  Can I make Michael a shirt too?

A: No.  Michael gets one shirt only.  I do have two chihuahuas badly in need of warm winter coats however.  Email me.

Q: How did you do in the Pattern Review Winter Wear contest?

A: Sadly, I was the proverbial RC Cola of the Winter Wear contest.  You can check out the results and congratulate -- or berate -- the winners here.

Q: When will we see Cathy again?

A: Cathy is currently serving a short sentence at a minimum security women's prison in Springfield, MA.  I have been asked not to discuss her crime.  When she has paid her debt to society she will return to modeling.

Q: Any new purchases you wish to share?

A: Thanks for asking!

Friends, I am very impressionable and after reader Sherry cleverly manipulated me into exploring the Elna Press (or Elnapress) I decided I had to have one and off to eBay I went.  After finding a languishing Buy It Now and bargaining with the seller a bit, I managed to purchase one for well under $100.  It should arrive early next week.  Will I like it?  We'll see!

I also picked up a used copy of this Kwik Sew book from the Seventies on Amazon for a few dollars.  Is it any good?  I'll keep you posted.

And another pattern purchase.



I had been eying this pattern on Etsy for a while now and I decided to take the plunge.  I think I'm going to make it with the gray flannel I recently purchased. It's strange for sure with that full front yoke but just normal-looking enough to work.  Can't wait to get it!

Q:  What have you guys been eating lately?

A: Obviously a planted question.  Read all about it.

Friends, we're out of time.

Keep those Sew-Along questions coming.  Remember: we don't start officially till February 1st so don't sweat it. I'll let you know when it's panic time.

Have a great day and keep sewing!