After sewing a muslin a couple weeks ago, I set out to make a “real” Negroni shirt. With one somewhat significant change: long sleeves rather than short. While my muslin fit well, I was having trouble envisioning it with the fabric I had in mind. I have a Pendleton camp shirt similar in style to the Negroni that’s one of my go to wardrobe staples; I love it, but had reservations about the Negroni. And then I realized the obvious difference: the Pendleton I love has long sleeves.
So I dug in my stash and found a blue buffalo plaid I’d picked up a while back that I figured out how to use it. And I realized it’d be perfect as a long sleeve Negroni.
And it was; except for the length. When I drafted my “large-and-a-half” pattern, I took the length from the extra-large; turns out I should’ve shortened it even further than the large.
Pro-tip: try on your shirt before you hem it. Also, when you decide to add an extra button because the bottom of the shirt looks too long, the shirt is probably too long.
After removing about 2” from the length, I had a shirt I was happy with. But I also had a pesky button hole right at the bottom. So I decided to do a little decorative surgery. I fashioned something like a wide cuff placket, and sewed it around the bottom edge of the shirt, encasing the errant button hole.
This marks the third time I’ve sewn the Negroni pattern, and now that I know it wants to be long sleeved, I think I’ll be making it again.
