Good morning friends! You did it!! You made it to the last sewing day. All we have left to do today is to hem the bottom and add the closures.

HEMMING

The Lumberjack features a 1/2″ hem allowance and a curved hem. Since the shirt is woven, I find it easier to run a serger stitch along the raw edge and press 1/4″. Stitch down then fold again 1/4″. Sew with a slightly longer stitch going very slow where the front plackets are. That part is pretty bulky. Give your hem a good steam press so that you eliminated any waviness from sewing the curved hem.

CLOSURES

Time to put the finishing touch on your Lumberjack. Choose your favorite closure and mark the placement. The pattern includes a marking guide that you can print, no additional tools needed. If you add buttons and buttonholes, take a look over our  Buttons 101 P4P University blog. I give you some tips and tricks for a smooth process. For my Lumberjack I opted for metal spring snaps. I love the look of these metallic snaps and how easy they are to install. You can see how I added them in the video below. 

Great job!! All you have left to do is add your final photo to the comments of day 6 photo in the Lumberjack SAL album. That’s where the team will pick the two winners. There is still time to catch up. Winners will be announced on Tuesday. 

Lumberjack Sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Lumberjack Sew along – day 2 | chest pocket, shoulder seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 3 | sleeves, side seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 4 | cuffs

Lumberjack Sew along – day 5 | hood/collar

Lumberjack Sew along – day 6 | hemming, closures

Lumberjack Sew along – day 7 | winners announcement

Hello, friends and welcome to day 5 of the Lumberjack Sew Along! We are almost there! I love seeing all the beautiful shirts being created this week. Today we tackle the collar or hood. 

Hood

For a more sporty look and “easier” construction you can add a hood to your Lumberjack. The hood can be made of either knit fabric or woven so you can get really creative with it. Line the hood with sherpa for a super cuddly one or line it with a fun minky print for an extra little something. Once you sew the hood pieces right sides together along the curve, place the lining and main right sides together. Sew along the face opening, turn right side out and top stitch. All you have left to do is attach the hood to the neck opening and finish the raw edge with single fold bias tape. I highly encourage you to use store bought bias tape, it will save you so much time. In a pinch, you can certainly create your own. 

Collar

Oh the dreaded collar! Let me guess! It’s the “scariest” part of shirt! I hope I can convince you today that collars can be fun and not so difficult. The key to a great looking collar is making sure that the seam allowance is correct throughout. Another advice I have for when creating the collar is to press as you go. Remember to fuse the interfacing to the lining pieces of both the collar and the collar stand. If you added woven cuffs yesterday, you will find that the process is pretty similar today. Do not skip pressing 1/2″ hem on the collar stand bottom lining! Just as for the cuffs, prepressing this fold helps tremendously when enclosing the raw edge of the neckline in the collar. 

You can see in the day 5 video how I added the woven collar to my Lumberjack. Once you finish your collar or hood, post a picture of your progress in the comments of day 5 photo of the Lumberjack  sew along album. 

Lumberjack Sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Lumberjack Sew along – day 2 | chest pocket, shoulder seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 3 | sleeves, side seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 4 | cuffs

Lumberjack Sew along – day 5 | hood/collar

Lumberjack Sew along – day 6 | hemming, closures

Lumberjack Sew along – day 7 | winners announcement

Welcome to the 4th day of the Lumberjack sew along. Today we finish the sleeves with either cuffs. 

Knit cuffs

The simplest way to finish the sleeves is with a knit cuff. Make sure that the fabric you use has great recovery and stretch. My favorite bases for cuffs are cotton spandex, rib knit and french terry. It is very important that you follow the grain of the fabric when cutting the cuffs. Lastly, press! Press and press some more! You will love the finished cuffs much better if you press throughout.

Woven cuffs

I opted for the woven cuffs for my Lumberjack. I love the classic look. If you have not done the vertical slits marked on the pattern pieces, now is the time to add them. You will now bind the opening with the fabric piece that is cut on the bias. Remember, the lining is the interfaced piece. 

Tip: Do not skip pressing the lining 1/2″ along the bottom. It will make a world of difference when you stitch the cuff on. 

If you need any visual help, take a look over today’s video. I show you step by step how to add  woven cuffs to your Lumberjack shirt. Once you finish the steps, post a photo of your progress in the comments of day 4 photo of this sew along album. 

Lumberjack Sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Lumberjack Sew along – day 2 | chest pocket, shoulder seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 3 | sleeves, side seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 4 | cuffs

Lumberjack Sew along – day 5 | hood/collar

Lumberjack Sew along – day 6 | hemming, closures

Lumberjack Sew along – day 7 | winners announcement

Ahoy, pirates! Today, on day 3, we add the sleeves and sew the side seams.

Sleeves

Start by running a basting stitch along the curve of the sleeve. Gently and ever so slightly pull on the basting threads so it creates a faint gather. This will help when easing the sleeves into the sleeve opening. Pin the sleeves to the bodice, matching the shoulder seams with the notches. Stitch down with a 1/2″ seam allowance making sure that there are no puckers or folds along the curve. 

If you are doing the unlined option, finish the raw edge with your serger or a zig zag stitch. If you are sewing the lined option, repeat these steps for the lining. 

Inseam pockets

Before you sew the side seams you have to add the pockets. You will notice that the pattern features two different pocket shapes depending on whether you line or not your Lumberjack. While the unlined pockets may seem “odd” they, are drafted this way so they will be stitched into the front placket. This will ensure that the pocket won’t peek out from under the shirt when worn. 

Make sure that you add the pocket placement slits/marking from the pattern pieces! It’s highly important that you follow the marking instructions. 

Side seams

Once the pockets are sewing in the side seams, place the shirt right sides together matching the underarm points. Sew with a 1/2″ seam allowance. If you opted for the unlined style, finish the raw edge with your serger. If you are doing the lined style, sew the side seams of the lining as well. Place your lining into the main, wrong sides together. Going forward you will treat this as one piece. 

Front placket

Press the front placket along the first fold line, then along the second one. Pin the lining front or the unlined option pockets in the front placket fold. Stitch down and press. 

You can see today’s video below. Once you complete the steps, post a photo of your progress in the comments of day 3 photo of the Lumberjack SAL album. See you back here tomorrow when we will sew the cuffs. 

Lumberjack Sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Lumberjack Sew along – day 2 | chest pocket, shoulder seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 3 | sleeves, side seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 4 | cuffs

Lumberjack Sew along – day 5 | hood/collar

Lumberjack Sew along – day 6 | hemming, closures

Lumberjack Sew along – day 7 | winners announcement

Welcome to day 2 of the Lumberjack sew along. Today we create and sew the chest pockets and the shoulder seams. This shirt features two optional chest pockets that tie the lumberjack look together. I would not skip them. Judy is showing you some tips to help you sew the chest pocket below.

I sew my chest pockets slightly different so definitely check out today’s video as well. I give you my tips and tricks for achieving a beautiful looking chest pocket. Once you added the chest pockets to the two front pieces, you are ready to sew the shoulder seams. 

If you are doing the lined option, you will be sewing the shoulder seam right sides together of the lining pieces as well as the main. I opted for the unlined style for my Lumberjack shirt so we will be sewing the shoulder seams using the burrito method. First, place the outer yoke and back piece right sides together. Now sandwich the back piece in between the right sides of the outer and lining yoke. Stitch in place and top stitch. Roll the back piece into a “burrito” and bring it up so that the front shoulders are sandwiched in between the RTS of the back yoke lining and main fabric. Stitch and optionally top stitch. 

You can see all these steps in today’s video. Once you complete day 2 steps, post a photo of  your progress in the comments of day 2 photo of the sew along album. See you back her tomorrow for day 3! 

Lumberjack Sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Lumberjack Sew along – day 2 | chest pocket, shoulder seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 3 | sleeves, side seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 4 | cuffs

Lumberjack Sew along – day 5 | hood/collar

Lumberjack Sew along – day 6 | hemming, closures

Lumberjack Sew along – day 7 | winners announcement