Flashback Friday - 1974

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In the early 1970's I began sewing for my father. I knew nothing about sewing men's clothing but, as a fearless teen sewer I thought to myself "how hard can it be?"

A leisure suit was one of the items I sewed for him. Oh how I wish there was a photo of that still in existence! I'm sure if I looked at it now I would see a gazillion faults, but my father wore it often always proudly telling people that one of his daughter's sewed it for him.

Another thing I sewed for him was a button down shirt using this pattern, Simplicity 6368, c. 1974.

At the time I didn't understand the importance of interfacing so I sewed this shirt just as the instructions told me to. That included no interfacing in either the collar or the center front.

The shirt was a favorite. It quickly became a Father's Day tradition that I give my father would receive a new shirt sewn from this pattern as a gift from me. There were even a few years that I sewed matching Grandma and grandson/granddaughter shirts that my kids loved to wear when Grandpa was wearing his. The sewn shirt gift continued for many years until children, work, and school obligations caused me to put it aside and begin purchasing gifts.

The pattern was tucked away but not forgotten and it moved with me many times over the years. It remained boxed up until a few years ago when I was preparing to move once more. I knew I couldn't take all of my old patterns with me, so I was sorting through them to see what would stay and what would be donated or discarded.

Well, of course this pattern stayed! In fact, that year I started the tradition up again and made a new version for my father for Father's Day. The only thing I did was narrow the collar a bit (and add interfacing to the collar and front).

In 2005 I decided to "pass the baton" and helped my daughter sew this shirt for her grandfather. They have a very special bond those two - she is the first grandchild and was born three months premature so it was touch and go with her for a long time - and his eyes teared up when she presented this to him for Christmas 2005.