Present Joys

Yesterday’s M’Cheyne Bible reading was Ezekiel 7 and all I could think of was this video.

The last shirt of the summer, made from a 100% linen fabric I got on sale at Sew to Speak in Clintonville. It’s very good quality stuff, extremely springy and lineny. It was also a giant pain to work with: all the areas where I had to match stripes, like the sleeve plackets, had to be carefully basted by hand before they could be stitched together. But I think it was worth the extra work. The fabric itself was woven with stripes running not parallel with the selvage, as with most fabrics, but perpendicular to it. As you can see, this meant that all the stripes on this shirt run 90° to the way they’d be on a “normal” striped shirt. This presented an unusual challenge.

As you can see, there is no attached collar. The collar band has buttonholes on both ends so I can wear a separate collar attached with studs. I’ve got a couple white cotton collars in my closet I made a few years ago that fit pretty well, and I plan to make a few more detachable collars from what remains of the linen stuff. Perhaps on labor day.

Having no attached collar means this shirt’s neckband will always need to be fastened. So I figured I’d play up the formality aspect and make french cuffs instead of the usual barrel ones. I don’t particularly like french cuffs, but I enjoy wearing cufflinks every now and then, and I thought this exceptional fabric would look nice with fancier cuffs. There is no breast pocket, because this is a dress shirt, in the true sense of the term.

I’m taking my vacation this very last week of summer before school starts, so this shirt concludes my one shirt every week project! It’s been a really fun and educational summer! I feel much more confident in my shirtmaking abilities. I also feel good for having documented my work every single week. Thanks for following along with my adventures!

A new sweater. Something odd and fun. I knit this boat-neck jumper out of cheap lambswool, and put proper collegiate block letters on the front. More information than you desire is on Ravelry.

fuckyeahohio:

The single most hilarious press release I have ever read in my entire life:

coketalk:

ABERCROMBIE & FITCH PROPOSES A WIN-WIN SITUATION

New Albany, Ohio, August 12, 2011: Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) today reported that it has offered compensation to Michael ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino, a character in MTV’s TV show The Jersey Shore to cease wearing A&F products.

A spokesperson for Abercrombie & Fitch commented:

“We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino’s association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image.  We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans. We have therefore offered a substantial payment to Michael ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino and the producers of MTV’s The Jersey Shore to have the character wear an alternate brand.  We have also extended this offer to other members of the cast, and are urgently waiting a response.”

I’m not going to make a habit of reblogging press releases, even if they do come from Ohio-based companies, but I’ll make an exception for this one.