Curve-collar shirt - a start

Once again, I've sort of promised you something of which I wasn't quite sure how to do it. And then, I didn't get to it in the time I said I would. I know: What else is new?

Luckily for me, I didn't promise a how-to (mainly for reasons of copyright. if you want to know how to draft that collar, you'll have to buy or borrow Pattern Magic 1).

So, here's my not-a-how-to of the pattern for my design including Pattern Magic 1's curved collar.

I started out with the pattern I made for my little silk shirt which, at least in my mind, is a pretty basic semi-fitted shirt (if it got a tiny bit snug in the bust in its silk incarnation, that's because of those pintucks).

I kept the bust dart and folded the front pattern piece at the center front line. From there, I followed the instructions for the collar as they are explained in the book.

At the back, I decided not to use the waist dart. I also added 6 cm all along the center back (which was already meant to be cut on the fold) for the back pleat. If I decide to have it stitched up from the waist down, I may still remove the extra fabric below that point. But for now, I keep the options open. Here as at the front, I just followed the book's instructions for that neckline.

After following the directions for the collar itself and adding a simple, straight threequarter length sleeve, these are my finished pattern pieces:

What you may not realise if you use Pattern Magic in Japanese, is that you will need a front and back facing which reach up to the actual neckline of the garment (so, the inner neckline of the curved bit, not the 'neckline' on the bodice pieces).

Now, I've cut these pieces from my fabric. I've placed the center back of the collar itself (and not the curved bit) at the fold, so I'll let you know whether or not that was a good decision. I intend to use a lightweight interfacing on the collar and facing.

I'm going to start sewing now. I'll be back with an update as soon as I have anything to tell.