Today is C’s birthday but we celebrated last night as it was a holiday. My parents graciously provided a fabulous meal, while I baked the Strawberry Chiffon Cake. Though I typically bake a red velvet cake, this year he wanted to mix it up. He loves strawberry shortcake, and when I saw Smitten Kitchen’s cake, the tall height said “celebration” to me. And I love to celebrate birthdays in high style! The cake was pretty and C thought it tasted better than it looked. The layers even held together well while cutting and serving; it was light and delicious. My only mod was adding less than half an envelope of gelatin to the whipped cream, to stabilize it as I wanted it to hold together overnight. I don’t have a layer cutter, nor a knife long enough for the purpose, so I used dental floss to cut the layers crosswise. It wasn’t the easiest method, but it worked.
We both happened to be wearing linen shirts that I sewed up, eh, let’s say years ago. I’m thinking 2003-ish. C’s shirt is Mccalls 8409, in brick red lightweight linen. I used flat fell seams throughout, for comfort and durability. It’s an easy, straight forward men’s shirt pattern, TNT for me. Only the collar and cuffs require much skill, and of course the short sleeved version doesn’t include cuffs.
Mine is Vogue 2677 View B (OOP), made from navy handkerchief linen. As I recall, I obtained the fabric crazy cheap from fabric.com. I cut the 12, lots of pieces but the sewing was fun. No mods, quick project. Vogue rates this pattern “average”; challenging elements include the fact that every piece is cut on the bias, and the patience required to sew MANY narrow hems, but an adventurous beginner could handle it. I love this shirt for its featherweight, perfect for hot summer nights, the deep vneck and flirty ruffles. It requires a thorough pressing before each wear, as the ruffles tend to go awry, but no big deal. This would be less of issue if I’d used a fabric with less “body”, like chiffon. The dark linen has the advantage of being opaque, a good thing when it’s beastly hot and muggy outside and I do not feel like layering.
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