Recently I was asked to make seven shirts and several bow ties for Lecien Fabrics of Japan for the upcoming Quilt Market in Houston Texas. They sent me a new line of fabric called First of Infinity. It’s designed by Fujita and Kazue Nakajima.

The fabric for the shirts is brightly colored with geometric designs. The fabric with contrasting circles that progress from large to small is a one way design that runs the length of the fabric. The triangles with circles is a repeat pattern. Look up #firstofinfinity on Instagram for a peek!

I used Vogue Pattern 8759, a classic tailored shirt pattern, with collar, collar-band, pocket, and French seams. It’s the best shirt pattern that I’ve come across so far. I love how it has a self-facing button-stand which is folded twice and does not require interfacing.

I had to strategically place the pattern pieces on the fabric to makes both sides of the fronts and sleeves identical, and also carefully match the pocket. For the back, I placed the center back so that the  design would be on both sides of the the princess seams. and then aligned the left and right backs next to the center back for a pleasing match. When I was satisfied, I cut out the pieces.Making the shirts was not difficult, but it did require time and patience. It’s always a little tricky sewing the collar-band to the neck of the shirt, and can be a little fiddly to get the front curves to look good. I did not follow the pattern directions for this, but used another way. You can several alternative ways to sew the collar with collar-band onto the shirt on Youtube.

I have a computerized Pfaff, which is fantastic for almost every sewing project except making buttonholes. For those, I have a standard mechanical machine with a four-step buttonhole features that lets me manually make decent buttonholes. I must say that this was one of the most rewarding projects that I have ever been asked to do. I’m looking forward to more opportunities like this that allow me to use my design and sewing expertise in a commercial way.  If you’re interested in my work, feel free to contact me! 🙂Lecien Fabrics of Japan produce an eclectic assortment of  fine cotton fabrics. Browse their website or just google Lecien and see what you get. It’s really beautiful! I love the new line, “First of Infinity” which will debut at the Fall International Quilt Market. If you’re there, you might just see the shirts I made worn by the Japanese Reps at one of their booths. The tag on the inside proudly reads: Zibergirl Sews.

Happy Sewing!