The first fabric to use from my first Spoonflower order was the History of the Apple by 1stPancake in a Cotton Poplin. It has lots of images related to Apple Computers on it – the Macintosh, Macintosh Portable, iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad. This print was chosen by my husband to make as a shirt to wear to his IT job at a school and hoped it would be a talking point.
Shirt Pattern Used
My tried-and-true men’s shirt pattern is Kwik Sew 3422. It’s a classic collared shirt with long and short sleeve options. This fabric print leant itself to being a short sleeve shirt. The pattern has a lose fit, but my husband needed an extra 1.5cm (5/8″) added at the hip, graduating from nothing at the underarm for the Front and Back pieces.
The pattern uses 6mm (1/4″) seam allowance, but I prefer flat felled seams for the armhole and side seam/underarm. This isn’t possible with a 6mm (1/4″) seam allowance. An extra 9mm (3/8″) was added to these areas:
- Front – side seam and arm hole
- Back – side seam and arm hole
- Yoke – arm hole
- Sleeve – sleeve head and side seam
Cutting Out
The print is a directional, one way print, so I needed to ensure all pattern pieces were cut the right way. I agonised quite a bit about the collar but in the end I got it wrong. It wasn’t until I finished sewing the shirt that I saw my error – all the computers are upside-down. So my lesson from this is that collars need to be cut with narrow end up the top, because that’s how they are worn – doh!
The other challenge I set for myself was to have the print matching up at the centre front and on the chest pocket. I didn’t even attempt to match any other seams.
The front pieces were cut out singularly. Firstly the left, then the right. Extra care was taken when placing the right front pattern piece on the fabric. I folded the cut out left piece along the centre front line and placed it on top of the right front pattern piece, matching centre front lines. As I use greaseproof paper for my pattern pieces I can see through it and see the fabric underneath. An alternative method would be to just fold the pattern piece on the centre front line. I knew if it wasn’t perfect I could always fudge it by placing the buttons strategically so it would.
Having the chest pocket line up was a case of cutting out the pocket after the left front was cut out. The pocket placement lines on the left front were lined up to the fold line of the pocket’s upper edge. When it was time to sew the pocket it was adjusted ever so slightly to line up the print.
Sewing Machine Settings
When it came to sewing the shirt I found that the Universal 70 needle suited the tight weave of the fabric, anything larger caused visible holes in the fabric. The default tension of 4.0 was suitable on my Janome Memory Craft 3500 sewing machine. The seams were sewn with a 2.6 stitch length. Topstitching and edge stitching used a 3.0 stitch length, and a width of 0.0 (left most needle position).
Sewing the Shirt
The pattern instructions were used as a reference, but I did use my preferred methods for the collar, shirt hem and seams. The shirt collar and curved hem were sewn using the techniques taught by Janet Pray in her Shirtmaking Craftsy class. Flat felled seams were used for the armhole and side seam/sleeve.
I finished off the by hand sewing some Hemline fish eye 11mm dark grey buttons from Spotlight, making sure they were placed in such a position that the print lined up perfectly where the two sides intersected.
Shirt Review
I’m really happy with how the Cotton Poplin sewed up. It ironed quite well on a cotton setting with steam. The only downfall is that it does come out of a gentle machine wash quite wrinkled and needs an iron. I much prefer a wash and wear fabric. Spoonflower does add new fabrics to their range slowly, so I’m hoping they come out with something that doesn’t require an iron.
As I mentioned earlier I am a bit disappointed with how I cut out the collar, but the centre fronts and the pocket all line up nicely.
Fabric: 3 metres of History of the Apple by 1stPancake in a Cotton Poplin from Spoonflower – AU$76.37 + AU$4.50 delivery
Interfacing: Shirt Interfacing from Melanns (interfacing name is unknown) – approx AU$2.00
Buttons: Hemline fish eye 11mm dark grey buttons from Spotlight – AU$4.00
Thread: Gutermann 715 – Carribean Blue – approx AU$2.00
Cost for shirt: AU$90.87
Gutermann 715 – Caribbean Blue 
Schmetz Universal 70 Needles 
11m Dark Grey Button
Pattern: Kwik Sew 3422, Size Large
Sewing Machine Needle: Universal 70
Tension: 4.0 (default)
Seam Settings: Stitch Length of 2.6
Topstitching and Edge Stitching Settings: Stitch Length of 3.0, Width of 0.0 (left most needle position)
Have you tried Spoonflower fabric? What was your experience?
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