Suits you, Sir

For four days a week, I look after the pet dogs for two friends.  Henry is a Bichon Frisé cross with Jack Russell (right) and Albert (bottom left) is a Jack Russell.  Karen is Albert's mum and is getting married this year - 2022 - to Stephen and would like to include Albert in the wedding photographs.  As Albert is going to be with me on the day, she has asked me to walk him across to the church when the photographs are being taken and I thought that it would be a nice idea to make Albert a wedding outfit, like his 'dad'.  It is January 2022, they are to be married in September, so I am currently working out patterns for a shirt, jacket and bow tie.

Now, for those of you who have read my previous posts, you will remember that I do not sew clothing - unless it is taking up trousers/jeans - so this is a big deal for me.  I need the items to look good because I don't want to do anything to spoil the wedding and I don't want to embarrass myself by 'creating' something which looks shabby.  So, I am going all out at the planning stage and am currently sketching out patterns and cutting out 'drafts' in scrap material which I can work on before I start on the final product.

Cup of coffee and brain cell primed, I realised that I could play with the harness I have for both Henry and Albert.  However, the chest/tummy width of the harness is a lot slimmer than I want it.  If you look at the one Henry is wearing, you can see that the harness has a bow tie fixed to the front of the chest/tummy piece.  My thinking (rightly or wrongly), is that I can broaden this bit and then add a wider piece onto the top (Albert's back).  The chest/tummy piece would be white - simulating a shirt front - with a navy-blue top piece - to simulate a jacket.

I want the chest/tummy piece to look like a buttoned-up shirt front so my thoughts are to put a pleat/fold in the centre of the pattern, folding over around ½ inch, which I can then add two lines of stitching to give the pleat/fold the look of the button hole top of the shirt.  I can then add buttons onto this section to emulate a shirt front.

 

So, taking a piece of scrap material, I created the pleat/fold, tacked the seams down both sides, placed my harness pattern on the top and traced around the outline.  It looked ok, so I put it to one side. 

I then took a look at a shirt from my hubby's wardrobe and fashioned a collar - needs to look more like a shirt than a harness.  So far so good.  This will eventually be sewn onto the top of the shirt front so is currently an individual pattern piece.  

I really need Albert now so that I can check the size - too small and it won't look like a shirt; too large and it will crease/fold over where his legs are and be uncomfortable for him.  I have therefore left the 'draft' shirt front alone and will try it on him when I see him next. 

 

In order not to completely waste my day, I then searched for a bow tie pattern.  Pinterest came up trumps again and a simpler one I could not find.  Basically, you take a rectangular piece of material, sew a running stitch through the middle, pull to gather up the centre and tie off your bow.  A smaller piece of material is then added to the middle to both cover the stitches and to also imitate the knot of a bow tie.  It worked brilliantly - even using the scrap material, fabric glue and an iron!  

So, I have a vision - shirt front lookalike with jacket and bow tie.  I have a plan - patterns and materials.  I just need Albert.  As this is being kept secret from the bride, I also need a barrow full of patience and self-control not to let the cat out of the bag (so to speak).  Updates and photos to follow.  Wish me luck.

 

UPDATE

I have now placed the pieces altogether and have also tried them on Albert.  I have managed to keep him still for long enough to take a photo so here goes (Sorry but managed to cut off his ear).  The green stripy fabric is NOT the end fabric.  It does look a lot better than I hoped. It should look better with white buttons rather than black pins and also a pink bow tie.   Loving it and I am feeling a lot more confident about the whole piece now.

Phew!                                                                                                                              

Updates as and when.  😊