So… a word of explanation. Shark Week is a pretty big deal chez Ginger. Man Friend looks forward to it every year, and loves to kick off the week with a bang each summer. So, when I was watching “Sharknado 2: The Second One”, I was struck with the idea to search for shark fabric to make a surprise Shark Week shirt for the fella!
I found this crazy print at Fabric 313 on Etsy- it’s called “Kanvas by Benartex for Ocean Avenue”, and it looks like it’s still available. It’s got a quilting cotton weight and drape, but I’m wondering if it’s not 100% cotton because it doesn’t wrinkle at all.
Somebody doesn’t like modeling
This is McCall’s 6044, view A. Last time I made view E, which has long sleeves and western-style detailing. I made that earlier this year, and with my recent back-to-back Alder shirtdresses, I was really in practice, so this come together in a flash! Isn’t it nice when you’re able to practice techniques until they become second nature? There’s definitely a benefit to making the same pattern multiple times! Plus, view A is really streamlined since there aren’t any sleeve plackets, cuffs, or yokes- sweet!
I didn’t make any fit alterations (it’s a straight size medium), but after looking at the photos, I wonder if I shouldn’t narrow the sleeves a bit. There’s no drape at all in this fabric and the sleeves seem a little wide, especially compared to the slim fit of the shirt itself. But that’s an easy fix.
Overall, I’m happy with this. It really cracks me up- it’s so over the top! Man Friend loves it, and even wore it to work today (!). So I’m counting that as a success!
SHARK ATTACK!!!!!
What are you guys working on this week? Any dude sewing going on? Anyone else looking forward to watching “Great White Serial Killer” tonight?
Ginger Makes... 
Nice shirt! I know he’s having fun today wearing it! You’re making me think about sewing for my husband… he loves the retro prints too. Might be fun!
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Ooh, you should try it! I bet your husband would be excited to receive a handmade gift from you!
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Ha! Well I’ll let you know!
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Great shirt and perfect for the occasion.
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Thanks, Lori! 🙂
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OMG, love the shirt and love your spirited sense of sewing adventure. You go girl.
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Thanks, lady! This is such a nice pattern- love how different the views are!
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I love it! Makes me want to make an interest-themed shirt for my dude but I bet I would find that far more amusing than he would!
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That’s the story of my life- finding things more amusing than the fella! 😉
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The shirt looks fabulous – a sure sign of pride is “wearing it to work”! BTW, I love the pairing of the calm tropical island print shorts with the nearby “shark infested waters” of the shirt! He must be thinking about Jaws!
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Hahahaha, yes, the shorts pairing was his idea! He loves “Jaws”!
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Great shirt! I love it that the fella shares your love of crazy prints! I think that you should have a date night where you wear the piranha dress and he wears his shark shirt!
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AHAHAHAHA! We’ll terrify everyone around us!
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so awesome. it looks super professional. i can’t imagine a collared shirt going seamlessly for me yet. hes one lucky guy.
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What??? You’re one of my collared shirt inspirations- the Ohio State version of this pattern you made a while back is one of my favorites ever!
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This is soooo awesome! You guys must look so cool walking down the street together. I showed my husband and he said, “wouldn’t it be nice if you loved me enough to make me a cool.” LOL. I’m way too selfish for that.
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AHAHAHAHAHAHA! You gotta throw the guy a bone every once in a while!
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ha ha! That’s awesome! I love Shark Week!
I wouldn’t have noticed the sleeves since the shirt fits really well. But since you pointed them out, I’d say probably narrow them next time too.
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Maybe your thundering herd needs some shark fins to wear this week?
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Dude – We’ve got em from last year…. http://fivemuses.blogspot.com/2013/08/its-shark-week-in-craft-lounge.html
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More predators of the sea! I love it.
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Hahahaha, our family theme!
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DUDEDUDEDUDE.
DUDE.
pleeeeease can you get man friend to talk ruggy into some stunt sewing? please? the navy…the navy is killing me…
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Navy?! Ruggy, the point of sewing is to have clothes you CAN’T buy at The Gap!
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Ooh this is so cool. Wearing it to work definately means succes! I wish my boyfriend would let me sew something for him 😦 love the new site design btw!
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He doesn’t want you to sew him anything?!?! He’s missing out! Well, more time to sew for yourself, I guess!
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What an exciting shirt! You’re on a roll with prints. I’ve been staring at my versions of 6044 and thinking the same thing about the sleeves.
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I should probably make him a more classic version next. 🙂
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Excellent sharks! I also wouldnt have noticed the sleeves until you pointed them out either. Ive made my fella themed shirts, tropical fish last year and tall ships nearly done.
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Tall ships?! Awesome!!!!!
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Yep tall ships, quilting cottons, anythings possible! Anchor buttons…….to be on the blog once I get some photos 🙂
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So cool!
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Yep, tall ships with anchor buttons. On the blog once I get some photos 🙂
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Haha I love this so much! Oh, and sharknado is amazing. I think the second was even better than the first 😉 awesome that he actually wore it to work too!
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There were certainly more chainsaws! What a wild movie! 🙂
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I just finished a boring white work shirt for my hubby–not nearly as cool as a shark shirt!! My husband has said he wants to swim with great whites one day (in a cage, at least), but I don’t get it. Boys and sharks, eh? Enjoy shark week 🙂
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SWIM WITH GREAT WHITES?!?!?! UM WHAT?!?!?!?!?!
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Please post photos of him wearing this shirt and watching sharks on TV!!!! I kind of want to send my ex brother in law a link to your blog, but then I think he’s going to ask me to make him a shirt too haha. He’s a HUGE shark fan.
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Yes, you might end up with some homework! 🙂
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I’m now disappointed twice over. 1 – we don’t get shark week so 2 – I can’t make that shirt for my Englishman.
We do live in Australia so may have a better chance of being bitten by a shark?
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Heeheehee, oh no, better stay away from the beach!!!
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Awesome I love it!!!! My husband seems pretty into the whole Sharknado thing. The fabric you found for this is incredible. Must start plotting!
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Make one!!!!!
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This is THE BEST, and your man is fucking lucky to get a goddam shark shirt for shark week. Also, I totally looked behind my shoulder at the shark pose picture because SHARKS=SCARY.
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It’s kind of sad- I’ve had some regular shirting for him sitting in a pile for ages with no motivation whatsoever to sew it, but OF COURSE I can find the time and energy to quickly whip up a novelty print one. Whooooooops!
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Ooh, I love dude sewing! I find that they are happy for us to spend hours indulging ourselves as long as we fling them the odd garment, and you have outdone yourself with this amazing shirt. I have a son who loves sharks and would be really, really impressed with this shirt.
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It’s true- a handmade garment for the fellas goes a long way towards justifying all the time we spend at the machine (let’s not mention the cash we spend at the fabric store).
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this is just to cool. i love sewing shirts, and I really should sew more for my boyfriend, but finding fabric is so hard. the last shirt i made him was with fabric i bought i NYC at Moods just for him, but he basically never wears the shirt because the fabric is the same as one of his colleagues shirt. WHAT??! handmade should trump everything, right?
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Whaaaaaaat?! That’s terrible! It’s not like they’re in matching dresses or something!!!
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OMG!! This is hilarious! And awesome. That fabric!! It’s like Man Friend IS the Sharknado! This is super fun dude sewing – I need to convince Nick he needs more (or any) novelty print shirts in his repertoire! But not for awhile. I think I’m done with dude sewing for the year!
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Oh man, after those jeans you made Nick, I wouldn’t ever want to sew again! Which reminds me… I STILL haven’t made the jeans I promised Blake OVER TWO YEARS AGO NOW.
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Nice shirt! I would love to make a dress for my daughter out of it, but she’s has a love/hate relationship with sharks!!! And since you asked, I am making a pair of pants for my son who is going off to college next week in Kentucky. They are fluorescent orange with gray and black stripes. Quite crazy!
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Whoa! Those sound like wild and crazy pants! Good luck to your son! 🙂
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Awesome shirt! I’m proud to say I saw Sharknado (1) in the theatre the first night it came out!
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Heeheehee, it’s pretty wild, isn’t it? 🙂
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Michael needs one!!
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He totally does!!!!!
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I love the shirt! Great fabric! But I truly truly hate “Shark Week”! 😄
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Too scary??? I’m watching “Alien Sharks” right now and it’s pretty freaky… I don’t like the really deep sea sharks!
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I might be interested in “Alien Sharks” but because of the alien bit, but nothing it going to beat the original “Jaws”! Haha, I think I am showing my age! 😄
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So happy to have found your blog! I just started my first real sewing machine project today… you’re obviously far more advanced but I am happy to have some inspiration and some goals to work towards!
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Yay! Congratulations and happy sewing! I’ve only been sewing for about three years so it doesn’t take very long to get fairly proficient. Drop me a line if you run into any difficulties and hopefully I can help!
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Haha! I love it so much! Sharks are the best! We never get to do shark week because we chose to stop getting cable, alas!
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Cable is really expensive! I don’t blame you for skipping it!
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I always love your “dude sewing” posts! Great job with the shirt. I might have to try eliminating the sleeve plackets, cuffs, and yokes sometime. Sounds like a fun shirt to sew!
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Thanks, Taylor! It makes for a very quick project!
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Awesome, and I LOVE that he work it to work!! Clearly a great success. 🙂
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I kinda can’t believe he did! It’s pretty wild, even for him, but he does reallllly like sharks. 🙂
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Aaah, this is freakin’ awesome!!! Love it!!! 😀
I’d never heard of Shark Week before. Hah. :-p
(I do agree with you on the sleeves though – they’re looking slightly too wide in that fabric, but they might soften up and drape better after a couple of washings?)
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That’s a good point- I should run this through the wash a few times and see how it looks.
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Man friend is the best! Such a rad shark week shirt!
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He’s pretty great! 🙂
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This is rad! I need to make Mr. Guy a novelty themed shirt (other than the cats in sweaters t-shirt I made him), then encourage him to wear it.
I’m not sure if you’re after fitting critique, but it looks like the shoulder seam could be brought in a bit – it looks like it’s hitting just past his shoulder point. Which is perfect if you want a more casual shirt but I have a thing for perfectly fitted shoulders (not that I necessarily have that down, but y’know, I strive)
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That’s super helpful- thank you! I have no confidence fitting menswear and my fella didn’t have any feedback, so I’m pretty in the dark about this sort of thing! I think I’ll adjust the pattern to bring the shoulder in a bit. Thank you!
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That is an amazing shirt! I keep thinking that I should make something for my husband, but I think I’m just too selfish.
Where are those shorts from? I love those too!
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You can do it! Although it’s much harder to motivate to sew for others. 🙂 The shorts are a few years old, but they’re from American Eagle. If I’m remembering correctly they were a hand-me-down from my younger brother. 🙂
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I should just try… I think it is hard enough to fit myself, and the husband is a very different shape!
Thanks for letting me know about the shorts? Too bad they would be tough to find now. Maybe I’ll have to try making those too if I can find a good fabric. 🙂
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wait wait wait — there’s a Sharknado 2?!! How did I miss that?!
ps, this shirt is awesome!
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It just came out two or three weeks ago, I think!
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Oh I’m lovin’ the new look! The shark shirt is rad. Man friend looks all too enthused. LOL 😀
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Thanks, girl! He’s looking pretty pumped up in these pics, although he was definitely anti-modeling! 🙂
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So unbelievably awesome! He’s done well in front of the camera too. Wearing it to work is the ultimate seal of approval in my book – truly jawsome (sorry!)
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Heeheehee… YOU’RE truly jawsome!!! 😉
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You are just the cutest making your fella this! Plus you are getting quite the shirt sewing expert now, I’m going to be coming to you for tips!
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OK, I’ll give you my shirt tips if you give me your trench coat tips! 🙂
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Is it alright for me to share any of your creations on SSB linking and letting you know when?
https://facebook.com/sassysewingbees
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Sure!
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Featured on Sassy Sewing Bees https://facebook.com/sassysewingbees ❀
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Hahah brill! I love this shirt. What a happy chappy. You’re such a good wifey.
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I made this pattern for my hubby,he loves it except for it’s tight across the shoulders. Since i’m a newbie i’m not sure how to adjust for more room,what would you do?
Karen
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I would try an adjustment similar to this:
http://www.kestrelmakes.com/2014/02/how-to-make-broad-upper-back-adjustment.html
Good luck!
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