Chapter 4-2 Ribbon Shirts

First Person Resource: Dr. Colleen Kahn from the College of St. Catherine

Colleen Kahn has a Ph.D. in Design, Housing, and Apparel from the University of Minnesota. She has been sewing for over 25 years, and has made over 100 wedding gowns as a free-lance designer. Colleen has worked for the Dayton-Hudson bridal salon in the United States and Biddulph & Banham, a London made-to-measure bridal salon. Currently a faculty member at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Kahn teaches in the Fashion & Apparel program.

 

Colleen has won awards from numerous professional organizations, including the Fashion Group International, Phi Upsilon Omicron, and the Twin Cities' Home Economists in Business, and has presented work in the International Textile & Apparel Association, Ars Textrina, and the Costume Society of America scholarly organizations.

 

This entire chapter was written and diagrammed entirely by Colleen as a favor for me. I've merely edited the content for space. All content in this chapter is © 2004 by Dr Colleen Kahn. 

 

  All words in bold Red letters will be defined in a small glossary at the end of this section.

 

 DANCE SHIRTS HISTORY

Cotton shirts were typical working garments for centuries. The plain shirt was a man's most important garment, because everything else was layered upon this foundation. It was necessary for the shirt to be comfortable and neatly made, for it was the layer worn next to the skin. Until about the 20th century, men did not wear anything under their shirts, making this their underwear as well as the garment that others would see. These factors made it important for the shirt to be comfortable, well constructed, and attractive.

 

The cut of men's shirts has evolved over time. In the mid 1800's, it was common for shirts to be a collection of rectangles (see illustration 1). This configuration, while easy to create patterns for and easy to sew, was rather uncomfortable to wear. There needed to be a lot of extra fabric through the underarm and shoulder area in order to have enough room to move the arm around. Since about 1900 or so, men's shirts have had a rounded armhole and a sleeve cap – these are a little strange looking (see illustration 2).

 

This style is typical of today's dress shirts; it is a little more difficult to sew together. This combination of curves has allowed shirts to be more comfortable, allowing movement with less bulky fabric.

 

Shirts were typically made of cotton. High priced, luxurious shirts were made of finely spun linen, instead of the silk that most of us might guess. Cotton and linen absorbed perspiration, making the shirts very comfortable to wear. In colder weather, cotton and linen acted like insulation under the layers of wool. Cotton and linen were also washable, an important characteristic before dry cleaners. Today, cotton is the top choice for men's shirts for these same reasons. You might select a cotton blend due to its wrinkle resistance, but the addition of polyester makes it somewhat less breathable. Many small prints (called calico) are available in 100% cotton, and are popular choices for dance shirts because they come in a wide variety of colors.

 

REQUIRED MATERIALS

Shirt fabric, 1 1/2; yards of either 44"/45" or 54"/60" wide

Bias tape, 1 package to match main shirt color

Thread to match

Button for neck, 1/2;" in diameter

 

CUTTING INSTRUCTIONS

The pattern is arranged in a grid. Each square in the grid will be enlarged to a constant number that is dictated by your chest size.

The next 2 pages have diagrams of the Dance Shirt pattern placed in a square grid. Print out this page and enlarge as necessary for your desired size.

Modern Version Ribbon Shirt

 

Old Style Ribbon Shirt

 

 

 

 

Cutting instructions

Remember to place the foldlines and grainlines on the pattern pieces exactly parallel to the selvedges. If you don't do this, your shirt will look funny and wear poorly over time.

 


Fold your fabric in half so that the selvedges are lined up in the middle, and you have a fold on both long edges. (See illustration 3). Lay the shirt front and back pieces on these folds. Cut the front and back out. Notice that the front pattern piece angles slightly away from the fold above the small dot – this is for the head opening. Be sure to cut along this angled line. ***The small dot should be about 3/8" below the cut edge of the angled line.***

 

 

 


Re-fold the fabric so that you have one single fold and the selvedges meet. (See illustration 4). Cut the sleeves out of this piece. Transfer the markings (small dots) to all the cut pieces using a pencil or water-soluble marking pen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEWING INSTRUCTIONS

 

General sewing tips:

o      You can use a traditional technique of hand overcastting, pinking, or straight stitching next to the raw edge of the fabric.

o      More modern techniques include stitching over the raw edge with a zig-zag stitch (use a broken zig-zag if the regular one puckers your fabric) or by overlocking (serging) the edges.

o      The seam finish you select will dictate whether you can press the seam allowances open or to one side. Specific instructions are given below to guide your choices.

Shirt instructions

 

Stitch along the neck edge a scant 1/4;" from the edge on both the front and the back. (See illustration 6.) This will prevent the neckline from stretching out of shape as you continue to work on it.

 

 

2. Pin the front and the back shoulder seams right sides together. Stitch, and then finish the seams. (See illustration 7.) Press seam allowances open or towards the back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lightly press open one folded edge of the bias tape. (See illustration 8.)

 

 

Align the raw edge of the bias tape with the slightly angled slash of the neck opening, right sides together. Pin in place, leaving an extra 1" beyond the small dot that marks the end of the v-shape. (See illustration 9.) Stitch in the crease of the bias tape, a scant 1/4;" from the raw edge. Stitch from the small dot up to the neck edge. Be careful when you sew the second side not to catch the tape from the first side of the V

 

 

 

Clip straight down to the stitching in the point of the V, being careful not to cut through your stitches. Do not cut through the bias tape – cut only the shirt fabric. (See illustration 10.)

 

 

 

Press seam allowances towards the bias tape. Press bias tape to wrong side of shirt. Pin carefully to shirt so that bias tape is smooth and flat. Trim 1/2;" from one side of the extra tape. (See illustration 11.)

 

 

 

 

Fold the other side of the tape under, so that it covers the trimmed edge. (See illustration 12.) Topstitch the folded edge of the bias tape in place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Align the raw edge of the bias tape with the raw edge of the curved neckline, right sides together. Be sure to leave 1/2;" extra bias tape at both front edges. (See illustration 13.)

Stitch in the crease of the bias tape, a scant 1/4;". Press seam allowances towards the bias tape. Understitch the seam allowances to the bias tape. (See illustration 14.)

 

 

Pin bias tape to inside of neckline, turning under the extra 1/2;" at both front edges. (See illustration 15.) Topstitch the long folded edge of the bias tape to the shirt. Press flat.

 

 

Press a 3" piece of bias tape in half, so the two folded edges meet. (See illustration 16.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stitch layers together close to folded edges. (See illustration 17.)

 

 

Fold tape in half to make a loop. Pin this loop to the wrong side of the left neckline as shown. Stitch securely. (See illustration 18.)

 

 

For rounded sleeve cap: ease-stitch the cap with 2 rows of basting stitches. (See illustration 19.)

 

 

Pin the sleeve to the armhole right sides together, matching small dot to shoulder seam. Pull on basting stitches to draw up any excess fullness. (See illustration 20.) Stitch, then stitch again on top of first stitching. Finish the seam. Press seam allowances flat, then press towards sleeve.

 

 

 

Pin the underarm seam allowances right sides together. This will continue up through the sleeve as well as through the body of the shirt. (See illustration 21.) Stitch from wrist to hip in one long seam. Stitch again through underarm area, about 4" either side of sleeve/armhole seam. Finish seam. Press seam allowances open or towards the back.

Hem the sleeves and the shirt: press under 1/2;" (towards the wrong side of the garment) along the hem edge. Press under an additional 1". (See illustration 22.) This encloses the raw edges inside the hem. Stitch closely to the folded edge. Press flat.

 

 

Securely sew button to neck edge, opposite loop. Finish by pressing thoroughly.

 

 

Word Definitions for Chapter 4-2 Ribbon shirts

 

 

á      Foldlines

Part of pattern that indicates where to place pattern on fabric. Most fabric comes folded in half with the selvedges together. That single fold is your foldline. Sometimes you might want to fold the fabric differently – always be sure to have your foldlines parallel to the selvedges.

á      Grainlines

The lengthwise grain of the fabric is parallel to the selvedges (below). It is the strongest part of the fabric, made from the long warp yarns. It is important to cut your pattern pieces with the arrows exactly aligned with the lengthwise grain. Otherwise, your project will wear out quickly.

á      Selvedges

These are the woven edges of the fabric, not the crosswise cut edges. The yarns are woven back into the edge of the fabric so it doesn't ravel. You can sometimes see tiny puncture holes in the selvedges.

á      Hand Overcasting

Sewing around raw edges with quick stitches to keep it from raveling. Works reasonably.

á      Pinking

Cutting the raw edge with special zig-zag shaped shears. It prevents raveling somewhat.

á      Overlocking (serging)

Sewing the edge of the fabric with a special sewing machine to prevent raveling. Use of this machine should be supervised by someone who knows what they are doing because it has knives that cut the fabric and, potentially, fingers.

á      Topstitch

Sewing through all thicknesses from the right side of the fabric. Keep your stitches even and straight because this stitching is visible for everyone to see. You may need to baste your layers in place to see where to stitch.

á      Understitch

Sew the seam allowance to the facing or bias tape. This keeps the facing or bias tape from rolling out and being seen from the outside. Correctly done, this stitching is not visible from the right side.

á      Easestitch

Sewing in 2 rows of basting stitches in the seam allowance. Sew one row at 1/2;" and one at 3/8". Pull on bobbin thread to draw up excess fabric.

á      Basting stitches

Long stitches, usually the longest setting on the machine, or long hand stitches. Used to temporarily hold layers together or to ease-stitch. Must be ripped out after seam is permanently sewn. These are easy to remove because they are so long.

 

Introduction••Table of Contents••Tell me what you think!••Chapter 1 History••Chapter 2 Etiquette••Chapter 2 Dances••Chapter 2 Songs••Chapter 3 Outfits••Chapter 4-1 Projects••Chapter 4-2 Ribbon Shirts••Chapter 4-3 Tipi Basics••Chapter 5 Interviews••Chapter 5 Dave Larson••Chapter 5 Wally Ripplinger••Chapter 5 Oyate Ota••Chapter 5 Valerie Larson••Appendices