Rae and Carrie both love Shirt Variations for the Tabula Rasa Jacket. But great can always be made even better, so over the last couple of years Rae has fiddled with hers to create a more open neck version that is cool and comfortable in summer fabrics. Here is a look at the pattern work for this variation on a variation. Plus a close look at dressing it up for our colleague Edye to wear to her son’s rehearsal dinner this time last year. This summer shirt with an open collar is as fun as it is cool and comfortable. You can read more about last July’s wedding in the post Not Just Any Wedding Dress.
Rae first wrote about this open collar shirt in the 2024 Holiday issue of Classic Sewing and now we are able to share it with you as well. Not only is this design cooler for summer, but in fancy fabric it makes a fun party look as well, like this Taffeta Holiday Shirt.
We promised this post to you in our Have a Comfy Holiday post where Carrie is sporting a festive flannel shirt with the same features.
Pattern Changes for Open Collar
Begin with your Tabula Rasa Jacket front and back pattern pieces. Be sure that the front has been adjusted with the shirt variation template. Trace them both off so you will preserve your basic shirt pattern when creating this open neck version.
Measure around both the front and back neckline at least 1½” down from the cut line. On the larger sizes you can adjust it down 2” if you like. Make dots around the neckline at the chosen depth and then connect them with a curved ruler, or by hand. Trim away the pattern paper above this line and label this wide neck shirt.
Make these same changes to the facing and expand its width a bit if necessary, so there is enough facing to sit securely inside the shirt.
Now the collar needs to be longer to match the re-styled open neckline. For more drama, add a bit of extra depth to the collar, too. Follow these steps to draft a collar that will fit the new open neckline:
- Trace off the collar from your basic shirt variation pattern leaving some space around the edges.
- Mark the shoulder dot for the appropriate size on the new collar pattern.
- On the re-styled back pattern, measure the distance from center back to the shoulder seam line. Compare this measurement to the length of the original collar from the dot to center back (i.e. the fold line). Add the difference at the center back of the new pattern, moving the fold line.
- On the re-styled front pattern, measure the distance from the seam line at the shoulder to the seam line at the center front. Compare this measurement to the length of the original collar from the dot to center front. Add the difference at the front of the new collar pattern.
- Extend the depth of the collar as desired. Here ¾” was added all along the upper collar edge.
Construction for this wide neck shirt is the same as for the basic shirt in Shirt Variations for the Tabula Rasa Jacket pattern.
Styling a Feathered Open Collar Shirt
Edye’s shirt was made with nice quality white shirting with a woven-in stripe she found in her stash. It provided a classic base for the fun white-to-aqua feathers she had purchased in New York city for her Mother of the groom rehearsal dinner look.
We added a swing back (method described in the Rain or Shine Variations) to the shirt. We also added a double layer cuff which created an elastic casing at the top to bring the feathers onto each sleeve. Finally we added the little feather corsage to bring those feathers towards her face as well.
The finishes were double turned and stitched in place on the machine. Rae got the top that far before having to leave last June for the ASG conference. Carrie carefully stitched the string of feathers by hand into the hemline and below the sleeve casing for the last dramatic touch. After the sleeve feathers were stitched on, the elastic was fed through the casing to control the shirt sleeve for an effortless party look that stays in place on the arm while eating, drinking and dancing.
It was Fit for Art’s pleasure to make this fun shirt for Edye and to share it with you. She loves it and wears it to other events around town when she wants to dress up in a casual contemporary style.
Watch on Social Media this week to see additional wide neck shirts with an open collar that we have created. We hope you’ll be inspired to make your own!
Happy Sewing, Rae and Carrie
