Sewing for ME: Boatneck Shirt

I said I was going to sew more for ME and I’m sticking with it. Summer is officially here in Texas! (well, not according to the summer solstice but our A/C has been running for a month). So, I’m sprucing up my summer wardrobe!

When I think of Summer, the same visions flash through my mind: nautical, stripes, walking along the beach, casual. I have this romanticized dream of living in Cape Cod each summer. But since central Texas is where I’m at, I’ll try to recreate that dream with simple wardrobe changes.I love boatneck shirts. The neckline is subtle, yet very feminine. Often, boatneck shirts I find in stores cut over too far on the shoulders and my bra straps are always showing. Drives me crazy. But when you make your own, you can adjust for that kind of stuff!I took a boatneck Tee that I’ve had for years (and was ready to be tossed) and used it as a pattern. I don’t have a pattern image to share with you but maybe you can see from these pictures how a boatneck works.You can either cut the front and back of the neck exactly the same size. Or, I chose to make mine slightly deeper in the front than the back, by only an inch or two.Then, very similar to the 90 Min Shirt, I lined the neck with with my own “bias tape” made from the same fabric (just as you do with ribbing in the Tutorial). I made this tape very thin, about 1/4-1/2 inch wide. I sewed it to the back neck area first….from one shoulder, around the neck, and over to the other shoulder. Then I pinned it to the front neck and also pinned both the front and backs together at the shoulder. I just laid the front shoulder right on top of the back, like this (and as I sewed the front bias tape on, I sewed the two shoulders together):It’s not my finest sewing job but husband thought it was a store-bought shirt. So I fooled a 36-year-old man who doesn’t care much about fashion! Baby steps to sewing perfection…Hello Summer. You may be hot, but you’re my favorite time of the year.