Sail away, sail away, sail away ~

A couple years ago I made a super cute sailor cutsew (the lolita fashion term for a t-shirt like top) and promptly ripped it up for a zombie costume. I should have made two while I was at it, but I didn't.

Making a new, non-ripped version has been on my to-do list since then and I finally got around to it. Unfortunately, I think the original was better. The collar doesn't lay as flat in the back as it should on the new one. It needs a wedge of fabric taken out at the shoulder seams. By the time I noticed, it was too late and I didn't have any extra fabric/patience to re-make the collar.

I made this skirt as well. There's more info about it here. I also have a similar one for sale on Etsy.
You can see what I mean about having extra fabric in the collar at the shoulders in the following photos. It sticks up too far from the shirt.

I trimmed the men's shirt down using a shirt that fit me as a pattern and re-cut the sleeves. After sewing the base shirt and making a collar, I attached the collar to the outside. This was a bit tricky since I had to get inside the shirt with the machine while keeping everything flat.

It's hard to tell in the photos, but the trim is navy blue bias binding. As you can see above, there's also a loop of it sewn on to the shirt to hold the scarf in place.

I've made a couple things with sailor collars now and they're never completely right. I haven't had much luck finding a satisfactory pattern, and drafting them myself hasn't gone well. The shape is more complex than it seems.

PS. The title refers to this song, if you're wondering.